“Well then,” Yuri said, leaning forward across the desk, “I have told you that you’re a very persuasive man. I suppose I can’t turn you down, as long as we can come up with a way to have our families accept this arrangement.”
He offered his hand, and I shook it.
Now came the more difficult part, what we had to do to have our families accept the decision. We needed to cooperate fully and have commands flow seamlessly to stop the Trievs from zeroing in and tearing our organizations to shreds.
“Would you like a drink while you brood, Mr. Sorvino?” Yuri offered.
I chuckled. “Gladly. I don’t want to leave this meeting without concluding this.” He was a busy man, yet even though I had come without an appointment time, he’d received me immediately.
Yuri called his secretary for brandy, and two shots of vodka. “Well, have you considered marriage?”
I looked at him. “Marriage?”
“Yes. Some might think it’s old-fashioned, but that’s still the best way to join families, by becoming as part of each other.”
But a marriage meant more than that. Yuri had only one child, only one heir. “A marriage would mean—”
“—that you would have influence over Petrenkos affairs,” Yuri gave me a small smile, “especially after I retire.” A knock came in while I thought over everything he was proposing, and the secretary brought in a tray of brandy and vodka. “Of course, that would be only if Katya allows it. She isn’t very good with listening, in my experience.”
In mine too, if the past few weeks had been any indication.
Yuri served me a glass of brandy. “You can take your time to think, Ales. You are still young. I can understand your hesitation to marry. And I can only imagine the impression Katya has made so far with the…incidents.”
I laughed. “You have no idea.”
Thinking about it, marriage was the only sensible solution. As an extension of our family, there wouldn’t be much opposition.
“Have you decided? You look resolved.”
“I am. Maybe it’s about time I settled down.”
Yuri looked very pleased. “Then wait, let us start with the vodka.”
He took back the glass of brandy and put the shot of vodka instead.
“A toast?” I proposed.
“Yes. To duty and family,” Yuri said, raising his glass. I raised mine too.
“Za nas!”
“A noi!”
Chapter 12 - Katya
From the first time I met Ales, it was as if he was born to infuriate me. As if the universe had given him the exact ingredients to drive me crazy.
My father had been very scrutinizing when he’d broken the news to me. He’d watched me very closely for any reaction. As a child, I learned quickly how easily my father could perceive my moods. He was very watchful of everybody, but even more so of me. I could keep a passive face around everybody in the world, but with my father, I had to be extra careful.
I had to wear a mask. It needed to be glued to my skin, airtight because otherwise, he noticed.
When he had come over last night to have dinner, I should have known he’d come with bad news. He was especially busy at the moment, and our organization was in crisis, so coming to the house seemed unusual. It’d been months since we’d eaten together at our family dining table.
The words he’d said, the way he’d said it, still floated in my mind even now.
Because of that zloi mudak the Petrenkos and Sorvinos had decided to partner up, and to severely reduce any chance of internal conflict in both families, marriage had been the best solution.
This meant, I not only had to get married, but it was going to be to Alessandro Sorvino. The very thorn that had been lodged in my side for weeks now.