Breakfast

Viktor POV 

She frowned up at me because my words seemed to make as little sense to her just as her words made little sense to me.

She wrapped her arms around her chest in a protective gesture, was she scared of my reaction? I thought so I spoke again.

“Voicing your opinion doesn’t provoke or irritates me, Aria and as I said eat, I don’t act on anger. You don’t have to be submissive and I won’t feel attacked if you stand up to me. I’m aware of my status and power and don’t need your submission or flattery.”

The frown deepened, but she dropped her arms.

Her breasts settled nicely against her top as she did so, but I moved my gaze to her face.

Another thought crossed my mind, something I hadn’t considered before. “When he came for you, there must have been blood on the sheets.”

She blanched. “It was, Viktor. Every single time, he came.”

“Why didn’t the maids who cleaned your sheets alert your guardians? Your uncle  would have acted if Yuri dishonored you under his roof and It’s what honor dictates.”

She was visibly fighting with herself, and I allowed her a few moments to form an answer.

“He paid one of the maids to clean me and the sheets after … after he was done with me.”

Without conscious decision, I touched her shoulder, knowing many people found comfort in physical closeness.

Her body was pleasing to look at and felt good to the touch. She didn’t flinch away. She swallowed again and gave me a small smile.

“What’s her name?”

“The maid´s?”

I nodded.

She hesitated, her eyes searching my face, but whatever she wanted to see, it wasn’t there.

“Why do you want to know?”

“What is her name?” I repeated the question but made my voice more dominant.

As expected, she yielded to dominance. She’d been brought up to comply. “Kira. She works for my uncle.” Her eyes widened. “ But what are you going to do to her?”

“I’m not going to do anything,” I said truthfully, and she relaxed but my brother would handle her.

I held out my hand. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

After a moment of hesitation, she slipped her hand into mine. My brothers, Aria and I, then Ivan and his wife were the only ones who stayed overnight in the mansion, but people were supposed to arrive for brunch and the presentation of the sheets in a couple of hours.

She followed me quietly through the house.

“This belonged to your parents before they were killed.”

“Yes but now it belongs to my brothers.”

“Nikolai killed your father.”

“He did,” she said simply.

“You don’t miss him?”

She met my gaze briefly. “Do you miss your father?”

I inclined my head. “No.” We stepped into the kitchen. A few maids from their group households were busy preparing everything for the brunch.

My brothers were already at the kitchen table, having breakfast but Ivan was still upstairs, probably busy fucking.

The maids turned around when we entered, and as they spotted me, they quickly ducked their heads but one of them, a woman in her late twenties with long brown hair, moved her gaze over to Aria, whose pulse sped up under my thumb and I knew that must be the Kira.

I tugged her toward the table and sank down on the chair beside Alexei.

He was in short and nothing else. Maybe Sergei clothes because he hadn’t returned to the bedroom to grab his own.

Aria sat down next to me with a hesitant smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Tristan said. “How did you sleep?”

His eyes darted to me, and he flushed. Alexei leaned over the table and tapped his forehead with a smirk. “She didn’t or what do you think?”

Aria gave me an uncertain look as if she wasn’t sure how to react. She would have to learn not to look for my approval. I released her wrist and grabbed an apple and bit into it.

“It would have been a better morning if you’d let me be part of the fun,” Sergei said to me.

Tristan glanced at Aria again. “New York is really kind of cool and there’s a lot you can do.”

“I’m sure I’ll like it there,” Aria said softly.

Alexei cocked one eyebrow at me as I leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, “After her uncle raped her, one of the maids of the household helped him keep it a secret. She cleaned her of the blood.”

He drew back, his mouth pulling into a smile. “Where do I find her?”

My eyes went to the woman with the short hair. He followed my gaze then he looked back at me, an excited gleam in his eyes.

“I will take care of her after the presentation of the sheets because I don’t want to miss that.”

“Should I tell our pilot that we’ll leave later?”

He considered that. “I won’t take too long.”

Kira walked over with a massive pan. “I made some eggs and toast as you asked,” she said to Alexei.

He smirked. “Yes. I need to replenish my reserves.” She put some eggs and toast down on his place.

She looked at me. “Do you want some? I’m sure you’ll need some after your wedding night.” Her eyes moved to aria, who sank deeper into her chair.

“That’s true,” I said in a low voice. My gaze rested on the expensive necklace around her neck. “An expensive piece of jewelry you got there, do your boss pay you that much to afford that?”

She blinked and touched the necklace, her eyes going to Aria once more. “It … it was a gift,” she simply said.

I smiled coldly. “Are you sure? Or did someone else pay the price for it, Kira?”

She blanched and took a step back and Alexei watched her like a cat would a mouse. She turned and put the pan down on the stove then stepped closer to the other maids. Now and then she sent a glare at Aria, who continued to flinch every time.

“She’s seriously starting to piss me off,” he murmured as he got up and stretched.

All the maids looked at him because this was his show. His shorts hung low on his hips, and they stared at his scarred chest. Alexei, like me, was ripped from years of fighting.

You could tell our muscles weren’t just from lifting weights. We had bled for them and he picked up his knife holster and put it on over his naked chest.

Aria eyes widened then she quickly looked away. The maids were caught up somewhere between open-mouthed shock, fear, and fascination.

Sergei rolled his eyes and muttered. “Show-off.”

Alexei strode over to the maids and stopped right behind Kira.

“That looks delicious,” he said darkly as he glanced over her shoulder at whatever she and another maid were preparing but then we all know he wasn’t referring to food.

Kira edged closer to the countertop, but Remo leaned in closer. “I can’t wait to get a taste. Alexei starving.”

Tristan just shook his head and scowled down at his plate.

Kira  shook her head. “It’s for later, so you can’t have it now, please.”

Alexei brought his mouth close to her ear. “I can wait and don’t worry because It will be worth it.”

She shuddered visibly, but he retreated, snatching another piece of toast from the pan before he returned back to the table.