Semua Bab Reckless Hearts: Bab 161 - Bab 170

Five minutes before the ceremony was due to start, Andrei took his place at the altar, and Father Gabriel walked in moments later. To say Andrei was relieved to see him was an understatement. Even though Rowena had assured him the priest was on board, Andrei knew his father's influence. A small part of him had expected Father Gabriel to run straight to his old man and squeal on him. Thank God the man had proven he could be trusted. "You'll be glad to know the roof of the Lord's house is being fixed as we speak, and the homeless shelter will remain open for the rest of winter. You've truly answered our prayers, young Ivanov!" "Why didn't you do it?" Andrei asked. "Why didn't you tell my father?" "Because you asked me not," Father Gabriel replied. If the response had come from any other person, Andrei would have been deeply suspicious because, in his world, people rarely stuck to their promises, and even fewer actually meant what they said. Andrei imagined things worked a li

"Wait!" said Willow, stopping them in their tracks. "You honestly can't be okay with this," she continued in a hushed tone as she grabbed Holly by the elbow and pulled her aside. "Listen to me, this is beginning to smell a lot like a cult—" "Whoa!" Holly held up her hands in protest. "That's ridiculous, Wills! This is Andrei. We've known him our whole lives. He's not part of a cult!" "Well, what the hell do you call this vow of silence nonsense, then?" Willow argued as she crossed her arms and impatiently tapped her foot. "Holly, this isn't right, and you know it. It's not too late to reconsider." "Reconsider what?" Holly fired back. "This whole thing!" Holly closed her eyes, took a long, deep breath, and expelled it slowly in an attempt to rein in her frustration. Taking her silence as a clear sign for negotiation, Willow pounced on her, "Look, I know you're madly in love with Andrei. But why hasn't he mentioned this vow of silence before? What the hell does it even mean? Do

Holly was still standing in front of the window when Andrei returned moments later.She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear him enter the room, only snapping out of her daze when the door gently snapped shut behind him."You're back," she said, smiling at him as she spun away from the dazzling view.Maybe it was the look in her eyes. Or the gentle smile she'd summoned to hide her unease. But Andrei took one look at her and knew something was off."What's wrong?" he asked as he closed the space between them.Holly shook her head, insisting everything was fine. "Don't do that," he said sternly as he turned her around to face him. "Don't shut me out. Tell me what's going on. Did Rowena say something to you?" Rowena had said plenty, of course. And their chat, especially all the stuff about Anya, had put the fear of God in Holly, leaving her deeply troubled. But the last thing she wanted was to drive a wedge between Andrei and his aunt, so she brushed off his concern, telling him

The question was so unexpected that Holly forgot to breathe. For a terrifying second, she could see her life flash before her eyes as she clutched her throat, gasping for air. Willow and Colleen were instantly on their feet, ready to perform a Heimlich manoeuvre on her. But Andrei waved them off, coming to her rescue with a glass of lifesaving water. "She's okay, no need to worry," he assured the crowd, before turning all his attention to her. "You'd better not die on me," he murmured as he patted her back. "I need you alive and well, Milaya. You have no idea how much I've missed fucking you!" "Goodness!" Holly mumbled, fanning her face with her hand. "Stop it. We have company!" "Like it doesn't excite you!" Andrei retorted, his lips curling into a seductive smile as they watched the servers clear their plates and replace them with a light granita to refresh their palates before their entrées of grilled sea bass with lemon-caper sauce. By the time dessert was served, Holly was

Andrei expected his father to go batshit on them the moment they set foot inside. Surprisingly, it was his uncle, Sergei, who crashed out almost immediately. He lunged at Rowena as soon as the doors slid in place, screaming in her face all kinds of crazy accusations about betrayal, and forgetting her place in the family as he backed her against the floor-to-ceiling bookcase. "Leave her alone! This isn't her fault. We asked her to help us!" Holly said quietly, just as Sergei wrapped his thick fingers around Rowena's fragile, wrinkly neck, ready to snuff out the life from her. For Andrei, watching the entire thing unfold felt like an out-of-body experience. His uncle was always so tame, so harmless. The kind of guy who'd never hurt a fly. A toothless bulldog. That's what some of the older made men called him. But the longer Andrei watched the chaos play out, the more he realised that sometimes toothless bulldogs also snapped. And Rowena's betrayal—going against Nikolai's plan to marr