Forced to Marry the Bratva: Age Gap Mafia Romance (Zolotov Bratva Book 5)

Chapter 22 - Genevieve

I burst through the front door, arms laden with shopping bags after a successful spree, only to stop dead in my tracks. Gael is sitting on the couch with Damien sitting opposite him. Damien’s got his usual stony expression in place.

For a second, I can’t believe it. Then I let out a shriek of delight and rush forward, dumping the bags and throwing my arms around Gael.

“You’re here!” I cry, squeezing him tight. He looks momentarily surprised and then laughs, standing up to hug me back just as fiercely.

“Surprise!” Gael says with a grin.

I glance over at Damien, my heart swelling with gratitude. Did he arrange for Gael to visit? He must see the question in my eyes because he inclines his head in acknowledgment, a flicker of warmth in his eyes.

Then, Damien rises abruptly. “I have to leave for a meeting. Enjoy catching up.” His gaze lingers on Gael for a moment before he strides out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Gael and I settle onto the couch. “So, what are you doing here?” I gush. “Did Damien invite you as a surprise for me?”

“Something like that,” Gael says. “How have you been? Tell me everything.”

I look at my younger brother, not knowing where to start. I wonder if I should tell him what happened with Father at Damien’s office just two days ago. However, it seems too morose, and right now, the last thing I want to do is talk about our father.

“Well,” I say, trying to focus on lighter things. “I went shopping!” I point to my bags.

“You buy me anything?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

“Yeah, right!” I scoff. “Like that time you went to summer camp and brought back Spider-Man socks for me only to steal them for yourself?”

“What can I say? I was selfish,” he shrugs his shoulders and then leans over to ruffle my hair.

We chat animatedly, memories and laughter flowing freely between us. It feels like old times again, before everything changed and we were separated. I relish having my brother here with me, a comforting presence amidst the chaos my life’s become.

The time passes too quickly, and soon Gael has to leave.

“You sure you can’t stay any longer?” I try to keep him.

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking a little sad. “I wish I could, but I’m meeting… someone for drinks.”

“Who are you meeting?” I inquire, noticing the pause before he said someone. “Ooh, is it a girl?” I tease.

“It’s not a girl,” he chuckles. “Just a business thing. I won’t bore you with the details.”

“Please don’t,” I nod my head. “I’ve had enough work-related talk to last me a lifetime.”

I give him a huge hug and show him to the door, closing it behind him. Still giddy with joy, the rest of the evening passes in the afterglow of having spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with my brother.

I still can’t believe Damien went through the effort to bring us together for an afternoon. He must have known how much I miss Gael. Since getting married, I hardly get to see him, given how he busy he is. I’ve also been trying to avoid Father since I have nothing to report on the Zolotovs. The only time Gael and I’ve had together this past month has been stolen moments in phone calls.

Today, I finally experienced a type of happiness I’d forgotten about, the rare kind I get around my brother—and I have Damien to thank for that.

Before I know it, Damien is back, his expression unreadable as always. But I know him well enough now to know what’s in his heart never shows on his face unless we are alone.

“Thank you,” I murmur, walking to the door to give him a quick kiss. I reach out and squeeze his hand. “For bringing Gael here. It means a lot to me.”

Something flickers in the depths of his eyes. Then he leans in and presses a swift, hard kiss to my lips. “Anything for you, Darling.”

While Damien goes off to finish some work, I decide to surprise him. I head into my bedroom and rummage through my closet. Looking through my things, I finally find the sexy lingerie I bought last weekend for a special occasion. It’s perfect!

I put it on with a robe over it, my heart racing the whole time, and I sneak into Damien’s bedroom. I sit around on the bed for a while, hoping and praying I don’t make a fool of myself. I nearly talk myself out of it a few times but manage to convince myself to go through with it each time I have doubts. At last, I hear the door click open, and I jump to my feet, leaning sexily against the wall.

“What’s all this?” Damien asks, momentarily confused at the sight of me.

I turn to Damien with a smile and let my robe fall to the ground. “I just… wanted to show you how grateful I am for today,” I say in a husky, raspy voice.

His eyes darken with interest. “Oh?”

He steps closer, his gaze smoldering as it roams over me. I feel a thrill run down my spine at the intensity of his stare. Damien’s hand reaches out to trail along the curve of my shoulder, sending shivers through me.

“You don’t have to do this,” he murmurs, his voice low and velvety, tinged with a hint of restraint. I can see the desire clouding his icy blue eyes, slowly overtaking the cool composure he always maintains.

“But I want to,” I say boldly, feeling empowered by the effect I seem to have on him.

I reach for him, guiding his hand to cup the side of my face, relishing the warmth of his touch against my skin. I look up at him, and he leans in for a kiss. However, something seems different. The kiss is… restrained and calculated, like something he needs to do.

“Are you okay?” I ask, worried.

“Just a little tired,” he murmurs.

“Maybe I could wake you up?” I suggest, taking his hand and leading him to the bed, swaying my hips to draw his attention to the shape of my ass in the high-cut lace panties. Normally, Damien would lap this up.

As I guide Damien into bed, I can’t help but notice a hint of hesitation in his touch. He kisses my neck slowly, but his hands seem to be holding back. This isn’t like him—usually, he’s confident and passionate when we’re together.

“Damien?” I ask, my breath catching as his fingers trace the curve of my hip.

“Mm-hmm?” he murmurs, but there’s a distance in his eyes that hasn’t been there before. Instead of getting me fully naked like he normally would, his fingertips graze over the lace of my panties.

“Damien,” I whisper, urging him to look at me. When our eyes meet, I see a flicker of uncertainty that takes me by surprise. “What’s wrong?”

He sighs, pulling his hand away from me. “I told you already. I’m just tired, Genevieve. It’s been a long day.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” I question, sensing that there’s more to this sudden change in demeanor.

“Trust me,” he says, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before standing up and walking toward the door. “I’ll make it up to you another time, alright?”

“Alright,” I reply hesitantly, watching as he leaves the room. The disappointment crushes me. It took so much courage for me to put on this show, and all of it was for nothing. I know that any other day, Damien would’ve appreciated it. My heart races with confusion and concern, wondering what could be bothering him enough to act so out of character.

Unable to shake the feeling that something is off, my curiosity gets the better of me. I slip out of bed and put on my robe, making my way to the living area, where Damien’s coat always hangs next to his briefcase. Knowing that he often keeps important things in his pockets and briefcase, I search them carefully, hoping to find some clue about his strange behavior. Maybe something happened in the office? Maybe that guy from the underground ring is causing more trouble and he doesn’t want to concern me with it? I should know, just so I can protect him and get Lev’s help if needed.

I find some papers related to financials, but nothing strange. Everything checks out.

As a final resort, I pull out his cell phone, and I notice a new voicemail left by Lev. My heart skips a beat, my fingers trembling slightly as I press play. I wonder if I’m being intrusive, but I’m sick and tired of people keeping secrets from me. First, Father marries me off to a stranger, and the stranger turns out to be a man with a penchant for underground fighting. Later, I learn that he wants me to spy on my husband, who is winning over my heart. The secrets need to stop. I just… need to know for myself.

“Hey, Damien,” Lev’s voice crackles through the speaker. “I took Gael out like you asked, but no luck getting any info about Gerald from him. The kid’s either really good at keeping secrets and super loyal to his dad, or he genuinely doesn’t know anything.”

My breath catches in my throat as the voicemail ends, a thousand questions swirling through my mind. Why would Damien ask Lev to get information about my father from Gael? What aren’t they telling me?

With my heart pounding and Damien’s phone still in my hand, I collapse onto the couch, my mind racing in a million different directions. The feeling of betrayal sits heavy in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. My own husband has been using my brother to dig into my father’s secrets. Do I confront him? Warn my father? Keep quiet and pretend everything is normal?

Not being able to think clearly, I simply put the phone back and head to my own private room for the night. Damien doesn’t bother to check on me. Well, he did say he was tired—maybe he fell asleep.

Sleep eludes me as I toss and turn, haunted by Lev’s words echoing in my mind.

***

The morning light filters through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Despite my restless night, I force myself out of bed, determined to maintain some semblance of normalcy. After I get ready for the meeting, I find a note addressed to me letting me know that Damien has already left for work. There’s coffee and breakfast for me on the table.

I barely get a cup of coffee down before gathering my things and heading to work. I might have a lot going on, but perhaps today, I can clear the air with Damien before speaking to my father. Damien has somewhat won my trust, and maybe he had his reasons for keeping this from me. But until then, I need to show up to work. My commitment to the company can’t be tarnished because of personal issues.

Entering the conference room, the first thing I note is my father’s presence. I glance at him, surprised to see him here after all of his absences. We haven’t spoken since he slapped me. I sit on the only empty seat, which happens to be opposite his. He barely even glances my way, and when he does, all I see is disdain.

With a pained heart, I find Damien’s face in the room. He averts his gaze immediately. The atmosphere is tense, and I can’t help but feel like I’m walking on thin ice. For the first time in a long time, I feel as helpless and lost as I used to under my father’s care.

I try my best to concentrate on the proceedings, taking notes and nodding along, all the while struggling to keep my emotions in check.

“Mrs. Zolotov, would you care to share your thoughts on the proposal?” one of the board members asks, pulling me back to reality.

“Of course,” I say, forcing a smile as I gather my thoughts. “I believe investing in this new venture will be highly beneficial for our company, both in terms of profit and expansion. We have the resources and expertise needed to make it a success as long as we outsource the PR.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Zolotov. Your input is always valuable,” he replies, and I feel a small sense of pride. Despite the turmoil inside me, I’m still managing to hold my own.

As the meeting continues, my mind keeps drifting back to Damien and Gael’s involvement with my father. What could they possibly want to know? And why didn’t they come to me first? The thoughts gnaw at me, making it nearly impossible to focus on the business at hand.

The meeting is about to wind down when Boris says there’s one last thing that requires our urgent, undivided attention. I immediately sit up, feeling a strange cold pass through the air.

My instincts tell me something is severely wrong. I notice several board members look around with confusion. This wasn’t on the agenda today.

“Let’s begin,” Damien announces, tapping a button on the sleek remote in his hand. The room is bathed in dim blue light as a series of graphs and figures appear on the projection screen. “As you can see, our profits have been steadily increasing over the past few months, which is excellent news for all involved.”

“Indeed,” one of the businessmen chimes in, eyeing the charts eagerly.

“Yet,” Damien stalls. “Not as good as they should be.”

“Whatever do you mean?” my father asks, his voice slow and careful.

Damien’s gaze flickers to mine for a split second, and I feel a cold shiver run down my spine. A knot tightens in my stomach as he addresses the room. “That’s precisely why we called this meeting today. We’ve conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and are prepared to share our findings.”

“Before we continue,” Boris interjects, “I just want to emphasize that we value transparency and honesty above all else within our organization.”

“Boris, would you care to present the results of the investigation?” Damien asks, handing him a folder filled with documents.

My hands tremble as I watch Boris take the folder, knowing that whatever lies within these pages could change everything within the organization. Do we have a traitor in our midst?

My heart races as Boris begins to speak. A secret account is siphoning money from the Zolotov business. The room seems to spin around me as Boris reads out the damning facts, each word feeling like a betrayal as he makes it clear that the evidence of embezzlement falls upon just one lone actor, my father: Gerald Russo.

The silence that follows is deafening. The board members exchange shocked glances while my father’s face drains of color. I can’t bear to meet his eyes; the hurt and disappointment are too much to bear.

“Mr. Russo,” Damien says, his voice cold and controlled. “You are hereby relieved of your position within this company, effective immediately. In other words, you’re fired.”

“Damien, please,” Gerald pleads, his voice cracking with emotion. “There must be some mistake.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no mistake,” Boris adds, his expression unyielding. “We have all the proof we need right here.”

As security escorts my father from the room, his eyes lock on mine, and I can’t help but feel my world crumbling around me.

I can barely breathe, my chest tightening as I stand in the aftermath of the meeting. Whispers and murmurs fill the room, but they sound distant, muted by the storm raging inside me. Anger, betrayal, hurt—they all twist and churn together, leaving me feeling sick and unsteady.

“Genevieve,” Damien calls out softly, reaching for my arm. “We need to talk.”

I jerk away from his touch, the very idea of him discussing anything with me right now making my skin crawl. He orchestrated this entire thing behind my back, only to reveal a bombshell in front of everyone, not caring about how it might affect me.

I only know one other man who would pull such a stunt: My father.

I realize then that I have lost all sense of the trust, truth, and communication I thought I shared with Damien. He’s become a strange, distorted version of my father, and I don’t like it one bit.

“Leave me alone!” I snap, my voice trembling. “Just… leave me alone.”

Without waiting for a response, I push past him and make my way to the exit of the boardroom, my steps quick and determined. My vision blurs with unshed tears, but I refuse to let them fall. Not here, not in front of everyone. I won’t give them that satisfaction.