1
ANYA
The scent of Nadia’s famous beef stroganoff wafts down the corridor as I make my way to the kitchen, my stomach rumbling as I get closer.
My father and brother no doubt will have already eaten, as they often do without me, not bothering to fetch me beforehand. It’s been over a month since I last had dinner with them, but tonight I’m a little earlier down so I might catch them.
They are always far too busy to consider getting me to join them and often I believe they prefer I’m not there, anyway.
I haven’t seen my mother for fifteen years now after she abandoned me and my brother with a ruthless monster who couldn’t really care less about us. Yulian, my brother, commands more respect from him now that we’re older, though, since he will inherit one day and become the pakhan of the Lebedev Bratva, the most powerful underground organization in Moscow.
I, on the other hand, am a prisoner in my own home. An asset which my father is waiting to use when it’s the right time, as he says. Which otherwise translates to when he finds someone who will bring him enough riches and power to make it worth his while. Until then, I remain locked in here with only the staff to keep me company, since my family is rarely to be seen.
“Evening, Nadia,” I say as I walk into the kitchen.
She smiles warmly at me. “Good evening, Anya. How are you today?”
I shrug, unable to shake the inherent loneliness that lives deep in my soul. “Same as always.”
She gives me a pitiful look and pulls out a chair. “I’ve made your favorite for dinner.”
“Beef stroganoff?” I confirm.
“Of course. Your father and brother already ate an hour ago.”
I clench my jaw, hating that deep down I’d hoped that I was early enough to catch them on this occasion. At times, it feels like they’re actively avoiding me.
Taking the seat Nadia pulled out for me, I tap my fingers in a rhythm on the wooden counter, distracting myself from the pain clawing at my insides.
When will this hell ever end?
A part of me wants my father to get on with it and pick my husband already, so that I can finally escape this place. The likelihood is whoever he picks will be cruel, but once I’m married, I should have some semblance of freedom.
The chance to join sports clubs or go out to dinner with friends from school I’ve not seen for three years now, even since I left at the age of sixteen. My father saw it unnecessary that I continue my studies and finish high school since I won’t use the skills, anyway.
My destiny has always been a trophy wife and nothing more.
“How has your day been?” I ask, trying to distract myself from my own dismissal life.
She clears her throat. “Busy.” She gestures toward the trays of food on the countertop cooling. “Your father’s annual charity event is tomorrow evening, you know?”
Unfortunately, I’m well aware of it. An event I dread each year as my father parades me around it like cattle going to auction. At least that’s how it feels. “Yes, maybe I can get out of it somehow.”
“And miss all my delicious food?” She arches a brow.
I laugh. “It may be delicious, but it’s not worth being introduced to every single politician, businessman and criminal in Moscow for.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is.” She dishes up a bowl of beef stroganoff for me. “Do you want this in the dining room?”
I tilt my head. “Do you even have to ask anymore?” I tap the counter in front of me. “There’s no way I’m sitting in that stuffy dining room on my own to eat.”
She places the plate down in front of me. “I do wonder at times if you are really a Lebedev. Eating in the servants quarters would be frowned on by your father and brother.”
“If they were ever here to find out, that is.”
She shakes her head. “Let’s hope they never do, for both our sakes.”
I pick up my fork and dig into the food, moaning at how good it is. “You make the best stroganoff in Moscow, Nadia.”