Page 3 of Bleed with Me

Sighing, I turned to Dad’s desk, my eyes automatically falling on the paperwork spread all over the surface. I spent countless days going through numbers with Grandpa, but Dad kept me away. It wasn’t my job, he said, but one look couldn’t hurt, right?

One look turned into a whole inspection. I reviewed the numbers and accounts and quickly noticed irregularities Dad missed. One of our associates was constantly late with payments, which caused trouble with sending money to our other contractors. The schedule was outdated, set years ago and never adjusted to the current situation.

With a smile, I called the lead accountant, instructed her to make changes, and asked her to send me the updates. That should fix the problem.

The sound of the door made me raise my head from the paper.

“I’m glad you joined us, sweetheart,” Dad said, smiling.

I closed the file, my lips turning into a snarl as my eyes collided with Sonny’s pretentious face.

“Why is this one here?” I asked, motioning at Sonny.

His eyebrows shot up. Treating him with disrespect was dangerous, but if I managed to show my dad his true colors, it could change my fate.

“This one is your future husband, Nina,” Sonny said in a controlled voice, but a furious tornado swirled in his light blue eyes.

He stood beside my father, tall and dressed in an expensive grey suit, his nut-brown hair perfectly styled as if he were starring in a gangster movie. This was a man who could have any woman he wanted. However, I knew what was hidden behind the facade of a well-mannered gentleman—a sadistic psychopath with his gaze locked on me.

“I never agreed to marry you, Sonny,” I retorted, noticing the tic in his cleanly shaved jaw and his fist clenching.

“It’s because women don’t have a say in the men’s business,” he fired, taking a step closer to me. I raised a brow, opening my mouth to provoke him more, to snap, but I barely inhaled before Dad interjected.

“You’re not even married yet, and you already argue like an old married couple,” he joked, walking around his desk. He motioned for Sonny to take a seat opposite him while giving me a shut-up look.

My lips pressed into a thin line, and I refused to obey and sit beside the lunatic who glared at me like he wished to bury me six feet under. Instead, I stood behind Dad, staring daggers at Sonny to make him understand I wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

“Your father and I have arranged a dinner to discuss the details on Thursday, Sonny,” Dad interrupted our deadly staring contest, oblivious to the silent war between us.

My stomach twisted with panic and disgust when Sonny’s lips curled into a victorious, arrogant smirk.

“That’s terrific news.” He leaned into his seat, confidence radiating from him on all sides. “I’ll join you two after my squash practice. Uncle Ray will gladly help you with Zyon’s little problem.”

“What problem?” I asked, my curiosity spiking. If I knew what the king needed, perhaps I could find a solution for us both. Sonny’s uncle couldn’t be the only man on earth with the power to help him.

“That’s not—” Sonny barked, flashing me another glare, but Dad shut him up with a mere raise of his right hand.

“Nina deserves to know why I want her to marry you,” he stated firmly, turning in his office chair to me. “Zyon’s youngest brother, Ramzan, is in a Russian prison. Sonny’s uncle is a diplomat in Russia and has connections to a judge who can make some arrangements.”

My eyes widened in surprise. I expected many things, but not this. Ramzan Zhumagulov was like a ghost. The news and my life were filled only with information about the triplets. Zyon was the calm force. Malin was the bloodthirsty monster, or the cleaner, as my father called him. And Dorian was the charmer. Together, they were like hell’s trinity—indestructible, invincible, unstoppable.

Whatever it meant, whatever the consequences, they would turn us all to fucking ashes if someone touched them. Precisely as they did with the Italian Five Families. They restored their rule and forced us to our knees, not from respect but from fear of what they might do if we didn’t obey.

“But why can’t Sonny’s uncle help Zyon without me getting married?” I shot my dad a confused glance.

“Because the meeting between the American diplomat in Russia and Zyon Zhumagulov would turn the political scene upside down,” Sonny interrupted, talking to me in a bored, lecturing tone like I was an incompetent child. “Zyon has many powerful friends, but they don’t want to be publicly tied to him. This is a sensitive matter, and it must be solved quietly. He needs a middleman who can guarantee the best possible result.”

“You,” I whispered, the pieces finally coming together.

“Yes, Nina,” Dad confirmed. “And you’re involved in it to tie us together. We’ll all sleep better once we’re a family. Zyon will get what he wants, and we can finally start to rebuild our business.”

Dad’s words rang in my ears even an hour after the meeting. I stormed out of his office shortly after the clarification, hurrying back into our house so Sonny wouldn’t find me wandering around. I didn’t want to meet him alone. Who knew what his sick mind planned to do to me in retribution for my obvious disrespect?

“Judging by the amount of mascara on your pillow, I’d say the meeting went well?” Lucas said when he found me curled into a ball in my bed. He quickly climbed beside me and hugged me tightly.

“You have no idea,” I sobbed. “Their game is completely out of my league. I have no way out if I don’t want to sign Dad’s death sentence.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, brushing his fingers through my hair.