Page 37 of Cruel Bratva King

His smile grew even wider. “Sister-in-law.”

Another difference; unlike Sergey, Nikolai actually had good communication skills. He was more human than his brother.

Deciding to use his niceness to my advantage, I said, “You’re different from your brother. How could both of you grow up together and be so different?”

I didn’t have a sibling, so I couldn’t understand it myself.

“Because he is the boss,” Nikolai explained. “He had to become that way for us to survive.”

“He wasn’t always like that?”

“No one is born like that,nevestka.Sergey took care of all of us after our parents died. It wasn’t easy, but he carried that weight on his shoulder without complaining. All four of us are alive today because he learned to rule.”

He paused. “The arrangement may not be to your liking, and you may dislike this world, but Sergey is not a monster. He’ll treat you good if you let him.”

I huffed and reclined in my seat. It was apparent Nikolai thought very highly of his brother and seemed to believe Sergey was a good person. Maybe he was, I hadn’t known him for long, but I started to think he wasn’t that bad myself, and that was a problem because I was still kidnapped and forced to marry him against my will.

“I’ll give you some advice,nevestka.” Nikolai tore his eyes away from the road for a second and looked at me. “He knows you’re planning to escape, but I’ll tell you it’s a waste of time. You can’t hide from him no matter where you run to. Give up trying to escape and try to fit in here. You’ll find it’s not as bad as you think.”

Sergey knew I was planning to escape? He didn’t buy the charade I’d put on during breakfast? My muscles went rigid, and I was almost thrown into a state of panic. He knew, yet he played along and acted like he didn’t suspect anything. I hated that he could see right through me so much.

It was like I was an open book, and Sergey could flip my pages and read me whenever he wanted. I considered it unfair because I couldn’t even guess his emotions from looking at him. He was skilled at masking his thoughts and feelings.

The rest of our drive home was in silence.

The second Nikolai pulled over in front of the entrance of Sergey’s mansion, some of the housekeepers hurried to the car to help me carry my new clothes upstairs. Marina came out last. She walked over to me. “She’s here.”

“Who do you mean?” I asked, confused. Giulia was the first to come to mind, but it could be anyone. For a moment, I even hoped it was Eva. I’d missed her so much, but I didn’t have any means to reach her and let her know I was okay.

“Giulia Pietro.”

Ice coated my skin at the mention of her name. I’d guessed it was her, but I didn’t actually want it to be here. I peered around. “Sergey isn’t back, is he?”

She shook her head.

“Fine. I’ll take care of her.” I tried to ignore the ruckus my heart was kicking up as I went into the mansion. I took deep breaths, reminding myself that I was now married to Sergey, and this was my home for now.

No one can scare me away from my home.

Giulia sat on one of the couches in the living room with her legs crossed when I walked in. She had dark, long hair that I envied and the most perfect body I’d ever seen. She was beautiful.I give her that.

She flashed a smile at me that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Look who we have here. It’s little miss toy whore.” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “Oops! Sorry, I let that slip.”

I inhaled and exhaled. My nasty temper was running to the surface, but I tried to keep myself in check. She was trying to get under my skin, and I couldn’t let her. Also, if she was Sergey’s enemy as he said she was—which was quite obvious by the way—I couldn’t give her a reason to attack him.

“Nice to meet you too.” I sat across her, observing her every move like a hawk. “What brings you here?”

“Do I have to answer?”

“You do unless you want me to ask you to leave.”

She broke into a hysterical laugh that was filled with mockery. “Sergey tricked you into a sham marriage, and you already think you’re something special.”

I clenched my jaw. It was really hard to keep my cool when she was this rude. “Are you here to bicker with me? If you are, then it’s a waste of time. I am not in the mood for this.”

“Are you certain you aren’t? Cause there’s something you must know.”

“I’m not interested.”