Chapter 2 - Feliks
“I think that concludes it. I’ll run everything by Dominik later tonight to get his opinion on everything we’ve discussed—and then we can review the final decision by tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t have to make any drastic changes, but even if we do, we should be able to round it all up before the day ends. How does that sound?” I asked Timur, my right-hand man, as we walked.
He hummed. “Sounds good,” he responded just as we reached the door to my brother’s office.
I knocked once before pushing the door open and walked in with Timur in tow. The furnished oak door swung shut with a soft thud as Dominik’s eyes raised to meet mine. Anticipation crackled in the air; a mischievous glint didn’t belong in Dominik’s usually steely gray eyes, and I felt a knot of apprehension tighten in my gut. It was never a good sign when my stoic older brother decided to play.
“Get back to me as soon as possible then,” he said finally, then ended the call, turning to face me properly with a smirk still painting his lips.
I frowned. “Hey.” I watched my brother with careful eyes.
“Just the man I was looking for. Take a seat, Feliks,” Dominik said, his grin threatening to split his face in half. Surely, this was no good news—at least not for me.
I looked to Timur for help, but he looked just as confused as I was, so I settled in the chair opposite Dominik. Hoping to get it over with as soon as possible.
“What’s going on?” I asked, raising a brow.
“I will need you to settle in New York for a while.”
My frown deepened as I glanced at Timur, but he only shrugged his shoulders.
“You know I have a business that needs taking care of the outside of the country. Is there a reason for this decision?” I leaned back in my seat, and Dominik began grinning again.
Oh, bloody hell, just out with it already! The words danced on the edge of my tongue, but I didn’t say them; instead, I continued to calmly watch my brother, knowing that, in due time, he’d reveal whatever genius plan he had going on.
“Daniel Fairfax. Ring a bell?”
I scowled at the name. I remembered Daniel Fairfax a little too well. He’d been on our radar for quite some time now, but we hadn’t had time to deal with the pompous, self-important man who’d used our Bratva connections to further his ambitions with no success to date.
I’d been itching to deal with him for a long time, but for some reason, Dominik wasn’t ready to deal with him yet, so the bastard was still walking around with his short shoulders almost reaching his ears with how high he raised them when he walked. Just the mention of his name was enough to deepen my scowl.
The man was known for breaking promises as quickly as he changed his bespoke suits, and there was nothing in this world that upset me more than a man with his status being unable to keep to his word. The thought that we would finally deal with him was enough to start a thrum in my veins.
“Of course. The high society Daniel Fairfax.” I tapped on the table, waiting for the final bombshell to drop.
“So, if you remember correctly, Daniel owes the Bratva a huge fucking debt. The investment that brought about the approval of that loan was genius at first, but for some reason, it has completely flopped. All parties involved have had to deal with severe losses—Fairfax himself being a victim. I couldn’t care less what investments the fool involves himself with, except that it’s our money that has gone down the drain.
“I’ve given Daniel more than enough time to recover and reimburse, but it seems like no matter what the man does, the money isn’t forthcoming. I’m at the end of the waiting line.” Surprisingly, Dominik’s tone was still light.
I’d met Daniel once, and it was easy to say that I never liked the man, even before our failed business. Truth be told, I despised high-society men in general, but something about Daniel Fairfax took that dislike to another level. It didn’t help that he couldn’t live up to his promises.
Just the thought of it was enough to infuriate me more, but for some reason, my brother was still smiling at me; why wasn’t he throwing a fit and putting a bounty on the man’s head? Instead, he’d been smiling like a creep since the moment I walked in. What exactly was he planning?
“So, you’re looking to finish him off? Are you concerned about how high up he is on society’s ladder? That’s never really mattered. We—”
Dominik interrupted with a burst of loud laughter. “Oh, no, brother. For once, bloodshed is not the best option, sadly, I know, but we have something better. This debt has proven to be a blessing in disguise. We’ll use this situation to our advantage.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
Dominik opened a drawer and produced a single picture from it. He slid the picture toward me, and I glanced at it uninterestedly. The picture was of a young woman.
Her beauty was undeniable, but her expression held a hint of boredom. Her eyes were cold—a coldness that mirrored the steel in my own eyes—and it told me a story. Her lips were slightly pouted. This was a woman used to getting whatever she wanted. What did she have to do with anything?
“That is Veronica Fairfax, Daniel’s daughter. I have arranged a marriage between you two,” Dominik finally announced.
The air whooshed out of my lungs. “You can’t be serious.” I was shocked at how calm my voice sounded when I felt anything but.
“Oh, but I am—very serious. No money back, no interest, nothing, and that will be the end of it. Killing Daniel would be a waste of everyone’s time and resources. Plus, we’d have to deal with whatever consequences will come with a man of his status. It just wouldn’t be worth it in the end. This, on the other hand, is the perfect alternative.” He tapped the picture as he spoke as if to emphasize his point, his lips twitching with unconcealed amusement.
“A marriage between you and Veronica will get us into the center of Daniel’s strong family connection. We’ll gain a willing ally to help us in the long run, especially since we need to gain more ground within the city. This will be the easiest and fastest way to achieve that.”
He leaned forward. “It’s a marriage of convenience, Feliks. We snag ourselves an alliance with one of New York’s most prominent families, and that’s all the foundation we need to help us expand. Plus, Veronica is said to be Daniel’s sole heir, so it’s a very tidy solution to a messy problem.”
There was a moment of silence in the room as I stared at the picture of Veronica. Her cold beauty did nothing to quell the storm brewing inside me. Instead, it seemed to fuel it. Marriage was a trap, a ball and chain that would slow all my plans down, and I had no time for the confinement it brought. I was restless and untamed, not some lapdog to be tethered to a socialite.
“I don’t have time for this, Dominik,” I growled, my voice laced with frustration. “I’m in and out of the US constantly, handling other businesses. Marriage would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention how much it would slow us down.”
Dominik’s smile remained fixed. “Excuses, Feliks. You’ll manage. Besides, it’s a business arrangement, after all. So, you will, in essence, be handling business. The pace this business goes doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, so you’re fine.”
“Is there no other way to go about settling this debt? It seems like a lot, Dominik—plus, why do I have to be cleaning Daniel’s mess? There are other ways to go about collection, you know,” I tried again.
“You’re not cleaning up a mess, Felix. You’re simply leveraging a situation. The decision is final, and there won’t be any changes. Plans have already begun to take things to the next level, so I suggest you warm up to the idea quickly because the process from your end will begin immediately.” Dominik’s voice was firm with conclusion as he spoke.
Dominik was right, of course. This was more than just some arranged marriage; it was a strategic move, a calculated power play that could solidify Bratva’s position in New York. However, the very thought of being bartered like a pawn, forced into a union with a woman who embodied everything I despised, filled me with disgust.
I clenched my fists, my brother’s authority settling on me like a lead weight. As much as I hated the idea, defiance was futile. I was stuck. If this was Dominik’s final decision, there was nothing I could do to change it. He was the Pakhan [boss], and his orders were absolute.
I looked back at the photograph; Veronica Fairfax oozed an air of entitlement that instantly put me on edge. Her cold blue eyes repelled me, and I couldn’t imagine having to stare into them for however long this arrangement was supposed to last. She didn’t have the innocence in her eyes that I’d always craved—in fact, it was like the opposite. It looked like she knew too much, and it threw me off. Plus, that platinum blonde hair looked so harsh, even from the photograph, that I could imagine how blinding it would be.
My shoulders slumped as Dominik pulled the photograph back to himself. I had no choice; I was going to marry the Fairfax girl.
This was going to be incredibly unpleasant.