Page 36 of Reclaimed By My Ex’s Bratva Brother

Then I remembered all his awful behavior, and my heart started to ache. I had no idea how he saw me. A fuck buddy? An assistant? A young woman who temporarily entertained him?

Varlam was still watching me, but his pupils weren't quite focused, like he was looking through my face at something else.

"Are you..." I waved my hand in front of his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Before I could pull back, Varlam caught my wrist. He seemed to snap back to awareness, focus sharpening. Our eyes met, and something flickered in his gaze—too fast for me to catch.

"Varlam?" I tested my wrist in his grip.

His fingertips lingered on my pulse for a second before he slowly released me.

"Nothing." The softness vanished under a cold mask. "There's a gala next week. You're coming with me."

"A gala? But I—" I'd never been to anything like that. Didn't even own an appropriate dress.

The white dress Varlam had given me was expensive enough, but still not something you'd wear into a high society ballroom.

"Everything you need is taken care of. You just need to show up on time." He glanced at me. "Don't worry. I remember your measurements very clearly."

He left me with that and walked out. I sat alone in the office, unable to fit another number into my brain.

The gala, the dress, and that almost-tender "Brin" tumbled through my thoughts in chaos.

I pinched my stomach, imagining myself standing beside Varlam. Age, status, body type—any one of those things was enough to make us look completely mismatched.

That white dress was probably already pushing it, wasn't it?

But what really unsettled me wasn't whether a dress could hide the softness around my waist. It was that when he took my hand and led me into that gala, I might not be able to stop myself from pretending it was a real date.

Worse—I was already looking forward to it.

Chapter Nine

Varlam

"Mr. Petrov, thank you so much for attending this event. We..." After the speech they'd requested, the camp director wouldn't leave me alone. She followed me around, going on about the camp activities, facilities, and the scholarship fund they were planning to raise.

I didn't hear a word of it. I never liked these events. Rarely showed up to them myself.

I had nothing against charity. What I hated was the bullshit wrapped around it. The endless speeches. The fake applause. Total waste of time.

The only reason I was here? Briony. I needed something to clear my head.

I had no idea what kind of hold this woman had on me. When she was in my office, I couldn't look away. She kept parading that perfect ass and those full breasts right in front of me.

Women had always been the least important part of my life. I'd gone numb to all the fawning years ago. But Briony was different. She brought back that rush I shouldn't be feeling anymore.

"Mr. Petrov?" The director's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Yeah. You've done well with the setup. Looking forward to working together." I glanced around and nodded.

Not just polite talk. For a charity camp focused on kids and education, they'd done a solid job. Beautiful spot on the outskirts. Kids could get close to nature. I hated being around children, but the smiles on their faces proved my money went to the right place.

"Skinny freak! Nobody loves you, you little bastard!" Cruel laughter shattered the peace.

I turned toward the sound. A group of kids surrounded a skinny boy, shoving him toward the river's edge. One push and he'd go in.

"Get away from me, you cowards!" He didn't beg. Just kept slapping their hands away, stubborn as hell.