He scrambled for words. “Well…you see…uh…Mr. Safin, it’s a misunderstanding. We can…”
I pushed my foot down harder, my face contorted with rage. He wheezed, caught between gasping for breath and thedesperate impulse to push my foot away, an impulse that would get him killed.
“You’re going to give me back the hundred grand worth of medication you stole,” I snapped.
“I—I don’t have it. I sold it. I needed the money,” he panicked, his breath coming in small, fast gasps.
Exactly what I figured. He was supplying someone else. I knew asking him who it was would be futile; he'd probably lie. I needed to be smart about it. I needed the name or names above Jasper. Killing the weasel before he led me to who he was supplying would be stupid.
I slammed my shoe into his ribs, and he cried out.
“You telling me we don’t pay you enough, Mr. Romonoff? Fine. Tell me what you needed the money for.”
“For my kid. To send her to college.”
A cold laugh died in my throat. He had a fucking kid?
I replanted my foot onto his chest and leaned over, forearm braced on my knee. “How the fuck is that my problem? You give me the medication, or you give me my hundred grand.”
“H-how about I make a deal?” he panted.
“I don’t make deals with traitors. You got five seconds to cough up the cash or the meds, or your brain will decorate the floor.”
“My daughter…she’s pretty. She’s a good girl. A virgin. Take her as payment,” he pleaded.
My lips pressed into a thin line. Did this motherfucker just try to use his daughter as a get-out-of-debt card? And how the fuck did he know if she was a virgin or not?
I kicked him again, and he winced as he coughed up blood.
“You really think your daughter’s worth anything to me, a Safin heir, Romonoff?”
“Men like you want submissive, untouched girls who make good wives. Trust me, she's worth something,” he said, desperation seeping into his voice.
Was Jasper offering his daughter because he thought I wanted an obedient little doll who’d bow to my every command? Or was this his pathetic attempt to buy trust, banking on me being more civilized than my older brothers and not taking him up on his deal? Maybe he was just using her as leverage, buying himself time to come up with the money.
But the more I thought about it, the more anger surged through my veins. Men like Jasper didn't deserve children. I pressed my foot deeper into his chest and watched his lips start to turn blue.
Knowing that he'd offer his daughter like she's a piece of fucking property confirmed that he was a piece of shit, and I should've trusted my gut the first time I met this fucking weasel.
I stepped back and watched him gulp air.
“If you tell anyone I came here, I'll kill you and your daughter, got it?” I snarled as I grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him towards me.
He nodded, and I slammed the gun butt into his head, knocking him out before I stormed out.
I made my way home, glad Mariya hadn’t returned yet. I went into the office and did a deep dive on Jasper.
Sure enough, there was a daughter: Sienna Romonoff.
Just in case Jasper was stupid enough to open his mouth about what happened in his apartment, I needed everything on him that I could use to blackmail him and keep him under my thumb.
One thing was certain: if Jasper would strike a deal with me for his daughter, he’d strike one with someone else if I refused the deal. Better she be with me than sold to some animal who would hurt her.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. I had already regretted many things in my life, and I knew if I didn't take this deal from Jasper, it would be the biggest one.
Chapter 2 - Sienna
“So, are you coming to Jake's party tonight?” Mandy Hillman, my roommate, asked as she twirled in front of the mirror to check her outfit.
