“You look troubled, young lady.”
Glancing up, I see Ivan Volkov himself, taking a seat opposite me.
“Mr. Volkov,” I said, about to bow my head and thenI frowned. What the fuck was I doing?
Ivan chuckled. “There’s no need to bow. I’m not royalty.””In my husband’s world, you are.”
“True. So very true. I guess you could say I am the king.”
Should I look at him? What the hell did I do?
“Don’t be frightened. I know you’re not aware ofmy traditions and customs and if I’m being honest, neither am I.”
This caused me to frown and I lifted myhead.
“That’s better. I wanted to have a conversation with your face, not the top of your head.”
I was tempted to touch my head, but I managed to keep my hands firmly in my lap. Yay me.
“You’re not eating.”
“I’m not very hungry.”
“A little advice-Ive cannot deal with petty behavior. I imagine he sees you as a child already, so skipping meals will not be ideal in winning him over.”
I wasn’t being petty. The breakfast looked lovely. There was so much fruit and even the toast looked mouthwatering, and I wasn’t a big fan of toast at all. I often ate cereal, sometimes dry if we had spoiled milk. Cassie would often forget to go to the store, and only when I was given money did I ever get a chance to shop.
Reaching out, I picked up a slice of peach and took a bite. It was juicy, and so incredibly tasty. I wanted to close my eyes and bask in the taste but with Ivan sitting opposite me, I didn’t know what to do.
“Good, isn’t it? Do you mind?” he asked.
I shook my head and he winked at me, taking a slice ofpeach.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
I highly doubted that.
Ivanlaughed. “I can see you have your doubts.”
“You just said that you’re the king of the Volkov Bratva. Your word is law, in everything. How can I not be afraid?”
“True, I can seewhy you believe that. I do have it on good authority from Adelaide and Aurora, that I can be quite a nice guy.”
I had no idea what to say to him. This manhad taken me, and in a strange way he’d kept me.
Lifting my head, I looked him straight in the eyes. My dad had told me many times that I was a fucking idiot. I didn’t know when to keep my fucking head down. Often, that came with a slap or a punch or a belt.
Even Cassie had said I didn’t seem to have any self-preservation. In short, I was fucked.
“Solong as they swear loyalty to you?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“And allI have to do is have your back?”
Ivan chuckled. “There’s a little more to it, but in essence, yes. You’ll have my back, as you will Ive’s.”
Glancing down at the table, I couldn’t stop thinkingabout that damn cell phone. I didn’t ask Rage to help me.
“You made a mistake, didn’t you?” I asked.
Ivan didn’t say a word.
“With me.”
He was still silent.
“I couldn’t help but wonder why you’d pick me. Everyone knew my father hated me. You had to getRage on your side. You were meant to get Cassie, weren’t you? She’d have been perfect for your plans.”
“It didn’t play out how I intended, but believe this, Charlotte, I’d have never allowed Cassie to marry Ive.”
“Why not? She’s perfect for him.”
Ivan clicked his tongue. “She’s far too entitled and a princess for him.”
“And what am I?”
“Damaged enough for him to try,” Ivan said.