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“I thought so. You have an excellent mind for business, but your father doesn’t appreciate that about you and doesn’t keep you informed.”
“Kidnapping me is only going to anger him,” I say. “Holding me hostage for this long is going to make him lash out. It would make anyone lash out. I’m his only daughter.”
“You say that like it’s a badge of honor. I wish we had girls in our family. It would have been interesting to grow up with a sister. I have a niece, though, but I doubt she’ll be part of the family business.”
“Do you really look down on women so much?” I ask. “That you don’t think we deserve a seat at the table.”
“On the contrary,” he sighs with a smile. “I think some women deserve a seat at the table, but we shouldn’t groom them for it. Women can be feisty, fierce, and unstoppable, but for the most part, the rules of the game are that the women stay home and keep house while the men work.”
“It’s very old-fashioned,” I say sarcastically. “So lovely and traditional.”
“It’s not my rules, just the rules.” He holds his hands up. “If you want a seat at the table, you’re going to have to get your father to listen to you.”
“That’s what I was trying to do before you so charmingly took me from the city.” I open my book again.
“See, you’re trying. Don’t try. Do. Actions speak much louder than words.” He picks up his carving again.
“Like kidnapping a mafia princess?” I ask.
“Yes, just like that. Although having a thought-out plan can be better.” He chuckles softly to himself.
I can’t help but smile.
Another couple of days pass, and I feel like I’m getting cabin fever from being stuck inside here all day, every day, with nothing to do to pass the time except to read and have occasional conversations with my captor.
I follow him as he goes to retrieve the goods that his guard has dropped off this morning.
“I got something to keep you occupied.” He hands me a deck of cards.
“This will really pass the time,” I say sarcastically.
“I could send them back?” he raises an eyebrow.
I hold them close. “Do you play poker?”
“Maybe later.”
He takes the rest of the stuff to the kitchen and cooks us breakfast. Pancakes today. He surprises me all the time with how he cooks. Once we’re done, I sit at the coffee table in the living room and play solitaire. He goes back to carving.
I play a few hands before I look at Arseny. “I can teach you how to play poker.”
“I know how,” he comments. “Are you that bored?”
“Yes,” I say, exasperated.
“Fine, we can play a few hands of poker. But if you lose, you can’t sulk.” He puts his carving down.
We move the table closer to the sofa, and I shuffle the cards. “No cheating,” I say.
“Agreed.”
I deal the cards and we start to play. At first, we play in silence, simply saying whether we fold or not, but that doesn’t last too long.
“So tell me, princess, if you took over the family, how would you improve your family’s wealth?” he asks me.
“You’re trying to get me to share secrets with you,” I say as I play my hand. “That’s a bit cheeky.”
“I’m not going to steal your ideas,” he says, playing his hand. “I win. Come on, let’s see what you’ve got cooking.”
