Page 16 of Forced & Owned By the Bratva Boss

It takes a minute before Ruslan reluctantly nods.

“Keep the men in line, Rus. They will respect her, unless I say otherwise.” It’s not a suggestion; it’s a fucking order. And whoever flaunts it will have me to deal with.

I had to threaten Dimitri earlier, promising to cut his tongue off the next time he called her a bitch. That would only be one out of many examples, if they decide to step out of line.

The only one authorized to make her life a living hell is me.

My brother walks away without another word, and I face my lieutenant.

“Sergei, send her up on your way out.”

Solemnly, he tips two fingers off his forehead in an understanding salute and then follows Ruslan, leaving me to deal with the silence that falls immediately after.

A moment later, I’m partially lost in thought when a knock on the door interrupts the quiet.

“Enter.”

The door creaks open and softly clicks shut, with the scent of her flowery perfume announcing her presence.

I turn around to meet a grimace marring her smooth face, and the frown on her lips almost evokes a smile from me.

Obviously, she’s nowhere near happy to see me again.

Instead of her white T-shirt, she’s wearing a plain black one, an apron, and the same pair of jeans she wore earlier.

With her arms folded over her chest, she kicks one leg out, exposing her black boots as she shifts her weight onto her other leg.

“What do you want?”

I lift a disapproving eyebrow. “Is that any way to speak to your boss?”

She sighs exasperatedly. “Honestly, if the money wasn’t any good, I would have tendered a resignation letter. That way you wouldn’t have to keep waving the boss card around.”

“You know I would have rejected it.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes twinkle. “Because, as they say, misery loves company.”

A smug smirk crosses my lips.

Let’s see how much humor she has left after I break the news.

With my eyes locked on hers, I sit on the swivel chair, propping my elbows up on the desk and knitting my fingers under my chin.

“We’re getting married.”

Audrey stays calm, like she didn’t hear what I said. Her brows jerk and her lips twist with irritation.

I angle my head to the side, uncertain. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah?” She looks even more annoyed, like a princess whose beauty sleep was interrupted for something insignificant. “Congratulations are in order, I guess. Who’s the unlucky girl?”

The smirk grows wider on my face. “You.”

It’s one word. One word that shatters her mask of indifference. “You’re joking.”

“You know I’m not.”

Shock registers in her eyes and her lips fall open. “Never! I’ll never marry you! You’d have to drag me to that altar.”