Maria
"All right," I tell her. "I'll talk to Mikhail and see if I can arrange a meeting."
"Good luck with that," she pops a strawberry in her mouth. "You're going to need it. You're engaged to a pakhan, not the boy next door."
"And he's still my fiancé," I remind her. "Not the boy next door."
As I leave the bedroom, my mind races, thinking about what could happen if this meeting goes wrong. Has loving Mikhail clouded my judgment? I never thought I'd use a family member to get what I want. I glance over my shoulder before I descend the stairs and think about Mercy in my old bedroom—a houseguest against her will, like I once was.
One thing is clear—this feud has gone far beyond rescuing me or stopping a wedding. Now, it's about survival.
Without knocking, I enter Mikhail's office and i
