All Chapters of The Mute Bride For The Don: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

“It’s all right,” I said softly, gathering a few of the scattered blocks. “You didn’t do anything terrible. Sometimes adults get angry about other things and it comes out in the wrong way. You’re allowed to play here. Just try to keep the path a little clearer next time, hmm?” Sofia nodded and leaned briefly against my side. I stayed until her breathing evened and she returned to her animals, then quietly returned to my tasks. I was trimming flowers near the hedges a few hours later when a voice startled me from behind. “Bravo. What you did back there was truly impressive.” I froze, then turned, still holding the trimming scissors in one hand. A man I had never seen before stood a few paces away, his hands deep in the pockets of an expensive-looking jacket. He looked like he was in his late twenties and had curly dark hair, with a sharp bone structure that reminded me strangely of Ivan. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “Who are you?” “You don’t know who I am?” The stranger smiled, genui

I turned around slowly, holding a hand to my chest as my heart hammered hard, and finally, I could make out his figure, seated quietly in the corner of the room, holding a phone to his ear. The screen lit up, and I could see his face. He looked mad for some reason.Fuck.My brows furrowed. “I didn’t see you there.” I knew Ivan had always spoken to me coldly. It wasn’t anything new; he could switch on and off no matter how many times we’d been intimate so I wasn’t expecting warmth from him.“I came to call you for dinner,” I said. “Ma’am Karena asked me to.”He set the phone down, stood up, and began walking toward me slowly.“Do you like him?”Ivan suddenly asked, staring at me.I blinked at him, confused. “I don’t understand. I came to call you down for dinner. That’s all Ma’am Karena asked me to do.”“I said, “Do you like him?” he repeated again. His voice lowered as he continued. “Does he seem like someone you could actually like?”“What are you talking about? Like who?”Ivan sc

Downstairs, the dining table was already occupied when I returned to my place next to the wall.Anastasia sat in her usual chair, her posture perfect, and her expression thinly polite. Tanya had joined them as well, and she sat between her mother and Ivan. Sofia sat between the two men, her small hands folded in her lap as she ate. Nikolai, who occupied the seat across from Tanya, was already eating, but I could feel his gaze flicker in my direction from time to time, and each time he did, I looked away quickly.Anastasia set her fork down suddenly as she turned to him. “I still do not understand why you are here, Nikolai. What exactly brought you to the Petrov mansion without any notice?”Nikolai paused, offering her a mild smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “I am a Petrov as well, Aunt. Or have you forgotten? I can be here whenever I please.”“You are the one forgetting,” Anastasia replied, desperately trying to keep her voice cool though I could see the annoyed lines which s

Ivan.The house had been awake since dawn, and since then it had been noisier than usual.I could hear the sound of the final preparations coming together, even from my room, and every now and then, the gates would open as guests started to arrive.It was perfect, except Aunt Svetlana was almost running late to her own birthday.She’d called. Something about an impromptu business trip, which meant her flight back to Russia would take an extra hour before she arrived. Rather typical of her.I was adjusting my trouser buttons in front of the mirror when a knock sounded on the bedroom door.“Come in,” I said, and the door opened one second later. Vanya stepped inside.“You’re late,” I said, without turning around. “I sent for you nearly twenty minutes ago.”“I’m sorry, Don,” Vanya said quickly. “It won’t happen again.”My jaw tickled. Don. For some reason, the title, which I was so used to hearing, didn’t seem so fitting when I heard it from her lips. I had never liked the way she def

“You know, Ivan,” my aunt started, “it’s been far too long since I’ve been here, and it’s all your fault,” she said, looking up at me.“How is that my fault?” I arched a brow at her. “I thought it was because of someone else here?”“No, it’s your fault,” she said pointedly. “By now, I’d expected to have received at least a phone call or a wedding invitation from you. I’d been expecting you to call to inform me that you’ve found a wife and are finally settling down again.”My eyes narrowed.“Sofia needs a mother. Don’t you think she should have a proper mother figure to look up to? Does that ever cross your mind?”“I don’t need a wife, and I’m tired of this conversation resurfacing every time I see you.”She tilted her head, unimpressed. “If you dislike the subject so much, what exactly do you prefer? Fucking around, like you all say these days, hmm? You prefer to fuck whatever whore happens to be convenient? Like this one?” Her gaze lingered on Vanya for a moment longer than necessa