Brielle Clarke~•~I saw how fast Maxim’s demeanor changed when the strange man spoke. His jaw was clenched tighter and his hold on his fork tightened as well as he looked up to meet the owner of the voice.The man smiled when their eyes met. “Not that welcoming though if you don’t want me in your house.”Maxim released a low breath. “What are you doing here, Landon?”“Here to see my baby brother, isn’t it obvious?” Brother? They looked nothing alike. The Landon guy looked American while Maxim was the typical Russian guy. It also didn’t seem like they were on good terms with the look Maxim was giving him and the way Landon was taunting Maxim in front of his men.Maxim cast an irritated glance at him. “Why come unannounced?”“Can you stop all your interrogations and invite me to the table?”I watched him take another deep breath before his eyes traveled across the table. It was filled up, but Landon was waiting patiently for Maxim to invite him.Maxim’s eyes stopped short when they me

Maxim Vasiliev~•~For some reason, I was very bothered by Brielle’s body. Not in the hot and bothered way that meant I was attracted to her body, but in the “who the fuck did that to her” way.Her side had a burn and the way it looked, I knew it had been done intentionally. There were also small scars scattered around her body which she was very aware of. If it was something normal, she wouldn’t act so suspicious.Did her father do that to her? He seemed heartless from what I knew but why would he want to scar his own daughter? It was different when fathers in the mafia did it to their sons to make them stronger, but fuck, she wasn’t even trained.She was weak and reserved. She had nothing to do with his mafia. Was it a form of punishment?I closed my eyes and threw my head back on my chair. What was my business with her? Yes, she now belonged to me but I wasn’t responsible for whatever happened before she met me.Yet for some reason, I had the urge to hurt her father the same way h

Brielle Clarke~•~My breath was caught in my throat as he approached me.I felt very vulnerable baring my entire back to him as there were scars scattered around it but there was nothing I could do about it. These scars were here to stay. Thankfully, he did not mention it.I felt him stand behind me, a little too close for my liking, but I kept my mouth shut as his hand traced down my back. I sucked in a sharp breath at the contact and I tried to keep my breathing steady as his finger continued its path until it found my zip.Slowly but surely, he zipped up the dress but I didn’t dare move. Any small movement would have my back connecting with his front. I was not prepared for that.He moved back a little and I was about to breathe in relief when his hand found my waist and he spun me around. A gasp escaped my lips when I came face to face with him.I had seen him this up close before but I never bothered to appreciate how handsome he was. He had dark hair that fell in waves and par

Brielle Clarke~•~While I knew there was a huge possibility they would be here, I was banking on the low probability that they wouldn’t show up.For some reason, it caught me off guard.They were looking impeccable, as always, like they were a happy family meanwhile they all held grudges against each other.I bit down hard on my lip. What would happen if he saw me? What would happen if I were to walk up to him?“Don’t you know that it’s rude to zone out when you’re in a conversation with someone?” Jordan asked, making me break my stare to turn to look at her.“Huh?” I asked stupidly.“What’s got you so distracted?” She looked behind us.I laughed nervously. “Nothing, really. It’s just my family has arrived.”“Oh.” She was excited. “Aren’t you going to say hello?”I sighed. “I am. I’ll be right back.”Even if my gut was telling me to stay where I was, I found myself sliding out of the stool. I smiled at Jordan before I finally left, clenching the material of my dress to ease my anxiet

Maxim Vasiliev~•~“Dumayesh', Klarki stanut problemoy?” Andrei asked me as he peeked over my shoulder at the said family. [Do you think the Clarkes are going to be a problem?]“YA uveren, chto oni ne budut. Edvard — kozol, kotoryy ne khotel by brosat' mne vyzov pered nimi, potomu chto on znayet, chto proigrayet.” I was very certain about it. I had seen the anger on his face when I stopped him from hitting his daughter. I was testing him but fortunately for the man, he had tolerance. [I'm certain they won't. Edward is a pussy that would not want to challenge me in front of them because he knows he'll lose.]I needed an excuse to take him down since he was so sly and messed with me without making it obvious. That excuse was his daughter. It was clear he resented her. More so he despised the fact that she was under me now.“Tvoya devushka v bare.” He cocked his head to the side and even if I had convinced Mikhail she wasn’t my girl, I still turned around to look at her. “I don’t think s