Page 35 of Cruel Bratva King
I stared at her intently. She wanted out of here. Given her personality, I could tell she probably wanted to find a way she could escape. But she couldn’t run from me, so I wasn’t bothered by her little escape plan.
What gnawed at me was that she wasn’t safe outside the walls of this mansion.
Chapter 16 - Lilianna
Anxiety simmered in my stomach, and I held my breath as I waited for Sergey’s approval. His face was an unreadable mask. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or if he was even thinking.
His gaze landed on mine, and I smiled at him, willing myself not to look away. I couldn’t give away that I was anxious. If Sergey noticed that I was almost fidgeting in my seat, he would figure that I had an extra motive for asking his approval to go outside.
Sure, I needed extra clothes. The ones Marina bought were too limited, and most of them weren’t my style. She’d bought many dresses for dinners and whatever other people wore fancy dresses for, which I considered a waste since I wasn’t likely to be in public anytime soon.
I preferred simple shirts and sweatpants for when I was home. They were loose and comfy for lazing around the house and making mental maps of how I’d escape. “Sergey?” My voice was a low mumble.
His eyes slithered to me, and my blood froze. I was a nervous mess. The anticipation was killing me, and I needed him to say something, at least. A refusal was better than silence.
“You can go, but only if I’m coming with you.”
My jaw almost fell to the ground from shock. Sergey was letting me go out? Just like that? I almost asked if he was serious, but I didn’t. I could jinx it and make him change his mind if I did.
The corner of my lips lifted, and I put up an excited front. “It’s fine. I’ll be happy for you to come with me.” That was a lie. I’d be nervous if he came. Just being next to him at the dining table had me curling my toes. Memories of last night bombarded me, and there was an ache between my legs.
I’d woken up when Nikolai knocked on the door but pretended to be asleep to avoid the awkwardness that would’ve come with waking up by Sergey’s side. Last night was too much. It was way more than I’d expected, and I didn’t know how to behave around him.
When he planted a kiss on my forehead, I was thrown into a world that didn’t exist. A world where Sergey and I were a happily wedded couple in love. If he weren’t a mafia king, we could’ve been happy.
But he doesn’t love you, Lilianna.
I didn’t love him either, so I buried the thought before it could fester and turn into something dangerous.
“One more condition,” he said, bringing me back to the breakfast table. “You must behave properly. Don’t call for any attention or make the people around suspicious, and we’re good.”
It sounded like a threat.Make a stupid move, and you’re dead.That was what it sounded like. I didn’t lie when I told Sergey I trusted him to keep me alive, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do other crazy things to me.
My heart hammered against my rib cage, but I was able to remain calm. “I won’t. I promise.” I didn’t plan to run away, though. All I needed was the opportunity to mark the route out of the house.
“Good.” He signaled for a server at a corner of the dining to come over. “We’re leaving after breakfast.”
I remained dazed for the next couple of minutes as I tried to digest his approval and threat. Conversely, Sergey switched between replying to texts on his phone until breakfast was over. I was elated that I was no longer confined next to him. I could breathe freely without worrying about breathing too loud and pissing him off.
My elation didn’t last, though. We walked side by side two hours later into the shopping mall. Nikolai and two guards followed closely behind us. When we entered the section for women, there was no one else there asides from the salespeople.
One of them ran to us the minute we walked in. She was a tall brunette with granite blue eyes and a smile as bright as the sunlight. “Hello, Mrs. Vadim,” she greeted me. “I’m Linda, and I’ll be your shopping assistant.”
I looked back and forth between her and Sergey, stunned that she knew my name and even more stunned that she addressed me as Mrs. Vadim.
Mrs. Vadim.
For a moment, I’d forgotten I was now married to Sergey. The diamond ring on my finger suddenly felt too heavy. I forced a smile back at her. “Hello, Linda. I’d appreciate your assistance.”
She led us further inside and offered Sergey a seat before leading me to the different sections of the boutique. I spent the next several hours picking and trying on different outfits, shoes, and bags.
At first, I’d been weary of how expensive the items were, but I eased right into it after a lot of pressuring from Linda.
“Your husband rented this whole section for you,” she said. “He must really love you,” she cooed.
I almost rolled my eyes at the preposterous assumption that Sergey loved me.
He must really love me, my ass.