Page 50 of Obsession of the Bratva

I frowned. “To your father?”

“To money.”

That wasn’t the answer I expected. She rolled onto her side and was facing me now.

“There isn’t much to tell, Nico. If it is any consolation, I hardly knew the man. He did come to see me a few times, but I didn’t spend more than five minutes with him. And every time we met was only for social events, and that was nothing but for appearances’ sake.”

“You were engaged to him.”

“I was trapped with him, Nico. There is a difference.”

“Did you hate him?”

“No.”

That surprised me. “No?”

She shook her head. “I barely knew him.”

“Then why did you agree to marry him?”

Her laugh was humorless. “I didn’t.”

The answer landed heavily between us as I studied her face, trying to understand. Trying to fit this version of events into everything I thought I knew. But nothing fit or made sense. Instead, it only made me angrier. I was sure Manny Stavros had somehow forced Vera to accept Adrian, but what did he hold over her that made Vera leave me?

“You said yes, didn’t you? Or did your father force you into it?”

“Papa said yes on my behalf, Nico.”

I felt my expression harden. “And you just accepted that? You didn’t try to fight him? You didn’t even tell me you were going through this and ask for my help? Why, Vera?”

Her eyes flashed. “There are easier ways to tell me you’ve never met my father.”

I sat up slightly. That got my attention. The amusement disappeared from her expression.

“Do you know who he is?” I did, and it still didn’t matter.

“I know enough to know that he is insignificant. He is nothing but a minor player in the bratva circles and holds no real power, Vera.”

Vera laughed, but the sound wasn’t pleasant.

“You are right, Nico. My father might be insignificant or irrelevant or whatever, but he is still ambitious and holds power over me. I know he has never been respected in this world, which is why he has spent his life waning more.”

“Most people spend their lives that way. It doesn’t mean they have leverage.”

“Not like him, Nico. He has never desired comfort but significance. Importance. And he has always been ready to go to any extent to achieve that status.”

The certainty in her voice made me listen more carefully.

“What do you mean?”

“Comfort has limits, Nico. Perhaps someone trying to achieve that won’t sacrifice their all, but significance has no limits. “

Something about that answer lodged itself in my brain because it sounded right. The kind of truth that explained far more than it should.

“So why did he arrange this engagement? Was it for money?”

“Connections and status and significance. Money was a part of it too. I know what my father truly desires is power, and Adrian could have helped him get there.”