Wild Billionaire Romance - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

“Please, come sit and talk to me. I need some grown up time, and I promise to feed you wine!”
Sofia begged, bribing me with booze, and I snorted a laugh. It was the perfect enticement. I really needed a glass of wine right about then.
Now, I obviously did not have any children, but I had a couple of friends in Vegas who’d experienced the same adult time withdrawal after giving birth. I was sympathetic. Really, I was.
We didn’t really know each other. But the prospect of making a friend was too tempting to resist. I glanced at Marat, but he was still chatting with Adrik, his attention on little Michaela.
Fuck. When a man who looked like that played with a baby, it was enough to make women around the world weak-kneed. But when that man was also your husband, double fuck.
My ovaries were in a state of permanent hyper drive.
Sofia handed me a glass of red wine, topping it off with a splash of lime soda, and my mouth dropped open.
“Once I heard Marat mention you preferred red wine and lime soda, I had to try it.”
I turned my head to Marat. He was watching me intently, and I mouthed a thank you, my cheeks burning when he dipped his head in recognition.
“And?” I asked nervously.
“Oh my gah! Gurl, you know this is so good,” she said, making herself the same thing.
“Awesome. So, I apologize for not knowing this was a party,” I began, tripping over my words but not wanting her to think I’d purposely come empty-handed or anything.
“Say again.”
Sofia tilted her head, staring at me like I was daft, and I felt ten times dumber than I already had.
“Marat said we were coming here for lunch. But when we got here, I saw all these people, and I just wanted you to know he didn’t tell me. I mean, if you were giving a party, I could have helped or I mean, were we supposed to do something? What is this party for? Should we have brought a gift?” I asked, wincing at the thought.
“You are so sweet! But no, no, this isn’t my party. Andres, you know, he works for Adrik and Marat,” she said, and I nodded because I had heard Marat mention that name even though I never met the man.
“He put together this lunch as part of an effort to involve Volkov Industries in the New York elite charity scene. All these people are members of the board for one big charity organization or another. They want our money, but they never asked. See, they were nervous about rubbing elbows with a former mobster,” she whispered.
“Former mobster?” I blurted, almost spitting my wine out on the table.
“Didn’t Marat tell you?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Um, no,” I replied, shaking my head.
My heart pounded. Were Marat and Adrik gangsters? I mean, she said former, but what the hell did that mean?
“Look, it’s no big deal. I mean, the guys grew up basically on the streets back in Russia. Their parents died, and they had nothing. I mean that literally. No home, no money, no food. Adrik did what he needed to do to provide for himself and Marat. You know, he’s ten years older than his brother.”
“No, I didn’t know any of this,” I murmured, aghast at how little I knew about my husband.
“The boys were involved with a certain Russian criminal organization. Bratva,” she said, though I had no idea what that was. “Adrik did most of the heavy stuff since he was older. Marat ran numbers, acted as a courier. Adrik gained a reputation for being a brutal hunter. The Dark Wolf was his moniker. He managed to get out, taking his brother, Josef, and some of the men you see on our security team with him.”
“So the money, the business, it all started as, um,” I dropped off, not knowing how to finish that statement.
“Criminal connections aren’t that different from business ones,” Sofia replied.
“You know, Volkov Industries made their billions through mining rare earth minerals. The kind used to make cell phones and such. Of course, I won’t pretend that other avenues were employed to gain capital. I’m sure they were. But it’s all legit now, and with Andres’ help, they’ve been doing more on the charitable front.”
Sofia paused, and I felt her eyes on me while I absorbed this newfound information. I wasn’t completely naïve about the world. I mean, I knew the mafia existed. Every country had their version. Las Vegas was ripe with old mobsters, the city having been founded by them.
It didn’t bother me that Volkov Industries’ origins were dark. In fact, when I dove deeper into my feelings, I was more concerned with Marat. The things he’d suffered. The trials he’d been through.
My beautiful husband was more than the face of the company. He was the fucking heart. He was the first reason his brother had for fighting so hard.
Marat was so damn important to Adrik, to Josef, and I wondered if he knew. I wondered if he was aware of the way those two men watched out for him.
“You know, Marat’s been involved with an entire campaign to make the mines greener,” Sofia added, and pride surged inside of me for my husband.
“He was never just the face of Volkov Industries,” I murmured, and my new sister-in-law nodded.
“Exactly. You know, I’ve never seen my handsome brother-in-law look quite so content, Des. You’re good for him.”
“Des?”
I scrunched my nose. The sun was warm, but the courtyard was set up with an overhead sail and large slow-moving fans, so there was a breeze and plenty of shade. A small quartet was playing music, and half a dozen servers were moving around with drinks and finger food.
“Oh, I was just trying it out. Like a bestie thing. I mean, I think we should be best friends,” she said, and offered an awkward smile that made me like her even more.
“I’ll call you Des and you can call me Sof.”
I allowed the idea of having a best friend, one with her very own nickname for me, to wrap around my brain. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so alone.
“It’s a deal, Sof. To being besties,” I said, and clinked glasses with her.
Our bestie-fest was short-lived, however, once the guys joined us. Michaela had grown fussy and not even her debonair Uncle Marat could soothe her.
“I’m sorry, please excuse me. She’s teething,” Sofia explained.
“I should have told Andres no,” Adrik murmured, but his wife patted his shoulder gently and kissed his cheek.
“It’s fine, Darling. I’ll feed her and have Rosa sing to her. You know she loves that. Don’t worry so.”
“I will always worry about you Zaika, and our precious daughter. It’s my privilege to do so,” he replied.
The way he gazed at her, his dark eyes glittering. So familiar and not. I gulped.
The love between them was tangible. A living, breathing, pulsating force that I could reach out and touch if I tried, I was sure of it.