Cruel Promise (Oryolov Bratva, #2)

by Nicole Fox

The fact that he’s come up clean so far is grating on my nerves. It only reinforces my theory that there’s someone on the inside helping him. Emma…? No. Impossible. She wouldn’t⁠— Then again, she had betrayed me to Remmy. And who can forget that intimate dance she had shared with Adrik the night of the Olsen-Ferber gala? There’s no way. She doesn’t have enough information herself to be able to pass anything actionable along to Adrik. Her knowledge of Venera was zilch until the night of the launch.

The fact that u even considered that is insane

“It doesn’t seem like you care about those children at all. Every decision you’ve made has come from a place of pride and selfishness. Honestly, Sienna is probably rolling in her grave. Her children couldn’t possibly be with a worse guardian.”

No mf way ur actually serious rn

I’m deep in my own thoughts when I hear something. Screaming. “Aaaarghhh. No. No. Please…. Ahh!” Panic surges through my body. That scream is immediately recognizable. Josh. And then I’m running. I’m running faster than I’ve ever run in my life.

I wanted to fucking roar at her: Why aren’t you fighting back? Why aren’t you defending yourself? Don’t you see how wrong she is?

Sir idk if you’ve noticed her mental state recently

“Everyone always leaves us!” he interrupts. “Mom died and Dad… Dad doesn’t care about any of us. Aunt Emma didn’t have to l-look after us but she did.

The stammer is new. No guesses needed for why it’s popping up now.

OMG HE HAS A STUTTER MY BB😭😭

“I want to be able to defend m-m-myself.” His cheeks redden as he fights his new obstacle. “I d-d-don’t want to be s-s-scared all the time.” I nod, refusing to address it unless Josh does.

“The baby’s healthy?” Ruslan asks Dr. Owens in a bored rumble. “Yes. You have nothing to worry about.” “Good. Then I’m no longer needed here.” I sit up a little straighter. He’s my ride—where the hell does he think he’s going? Ruslan throws me only a cursory glance. “Once you finish up the appointment, Boris will be waiting outside to drive you back to the estate.”

Sir u know what gtfo idgaf like I’m about tired of u

And who knows? Maybe Ruslan will decide he wants one, too. I’ll keep extras on hand just in case he decides that being a father is more important than punishing me.

Likeee

I make sure she knows just how pissed I am to be forced into a corner with her. I stare at my screen. I glower and snarl and keep my words to a growled minimum. I’m waiting for the day when I stop having to force myself to do all those things. Because the truth is that I stare at my phone to avoid staring at her. I glower and growl because if I let her in even an inch, I’m going to lose the battle with myself. I’m going to take her back into my bed, my heart, my life, and if I do that, I risk going through what my father went through.

🥱

“He used to make me steal from Aunt Emma. Take money out of her purse ‘n’ stuff. When I refused, he would… Sometimes, he would h-hit m-me.”

I’m sick

“Thanks for training me. I know that you’re busy. And that you’re important. It means a lot that you… that you want to spend time with me.” For fuck’s sake, is that a lump in my throat? I can’t remember the last time I felt choked up with emotion. Not since Leonid died. “I’m really glad you and Aunt Emma are having a baby together,” he adds.

😭😭😭

“How about a cup of tea?” I do a double take. Did Mr. High and Mighty just deign to speak to me? Based on the fact that he’s looking right at me, I’m forced to conclude that he did. “Oh, er, nah, don’t worry about it.” He lifts an eyebrow. “You need to get something in your system. And your stomach has been off lately. Tea will help settle it.”

🤨

“He’s been suffering silently for a while now and this should have been dealt with a long time ago.” Is he for real right now? “I was trying to get him some help⁠—” “When?” Ruslan demands. “After he had a full-blown anxiety attack?”

Don’t u mf dare

I was trying to juggle being a mom and a dad and the sole breadwinner. So yeah—I did fall short. I doubt it’s gonna be the last time, either. Shocking as it may seem to you, Ruslan, I am human!

We could have saved ourselves a lot of time if I could have just come to you with this suggestion instead of Kirill. But no, you’re so damned wrapped up in your own ego that you can’t bear to be alone with me for five seconds without some sort of buffer present. Well, I got news for you buddy: we’re having a baby together. So, like it or not, you’re gonna have to deal with your feelings and talk to me at some point!”

EAT HIM UP

“My sweet boy, you have too much on your shoulders. Let me carry some of the load.” He only shakes his head again. “You’re having a baby. I can share the load.” He nods with finality, as though that’s the end of it. His jaw is set in that stubborn square, the one that reminds me so much of his mother.

I LOVE YOU JOSH

Which is not to say I’m still not pissed off about our last interaction. It still haunts me at night; it rings in my ears during the little silences that pepper every day. Even that much feels like a betrayal to myself. Being attracted to a man who treats me like shit? Have some self-respect, girl.

“Did you not hear a word I just said? It’s not safe out there. You really think I’m gonna send you out into the world where you’re vulnerable?” My heart quivers just the tiniest amount. If I squint and turn my head to the side and sort go cross-eyed a little bit, it almost looks like he cares about my safety.

LOLLL😭

“Right,” I spit, getting right up in his face before he gets in mine. “Because I’m just the devious whore who seduced you in order to use you and then sell you out to the highest bidder. That’s the narrative you’ve created in your head, huh? Maybe I should just freaking lean into it.”

CLOCK IT

“You think you get to decide when you can leave?” he growls. “You think you can just tease me and walk out?”

Uh- yes ?

“Yes, I came here even when I knew you would say no. But I just wanted an excuse to be in your space. I wanted to be near you. Because… because I miss you so damn much. Even if you’re not here.”

No bestie show no weakness😤

Mine. Fucking mine.

It’s his cum that snaps me out of it. It drips down the inside of my thigh, searing my skin like lava. As soon as he’s gone, I grab a handful of tissues and wipe it up violently. I’m going for the trash can when spite and anger take a hold of me and I drop the bunch of them into his messy desk instead.

Oh period

Serves me right, too. I should have known that entering the lion’s den was a mistake. Honestly, I deserve this shitty feeling in my chest. I mean, what kind of woman lets her ex hate-fuck her? A woman with very low self-esteem, that’s who.

I mean I get it tho

It took mere minutes for him to twist my simple request into a fight that turned into a pathetic, one-way confessional. I cringe when I think about the things I’d admitted to him. I miss you. I just want to be near you. I could freaking kick myself. How many times do I have to remind myself that he wants nothing to do with me?

Oh- when u put it like that…

He does want something to do with me—when it involves my body. He’s perfectly happy to fuck me silly. But he doesn’t want to talk to me. He doesn’t want to be with me. He called me his dirty little whore and, idiot that I am, I agreed. Honestly, I deserve to have my feminist card revoked.

LMAO

“Will you both stop yelling?” Josh roars before I can intervene. “You’ve been fighting all day.”

Josh is fed UP lol

“ENOUGH!” The silence that follows my cry is immediate and prickling with tension. “Honestly,” I continue, “with the fighting, fighting, fighting. All day and all night. It’s driving me crazy. I want all of you to be quiet.”

This is why I can’t be a parent

My own damn parents are suing for custody of the children.

My lord bruh

You know you’ve hit an all-time low when you come to from a fainting spell and all you can think is, Well, that was restful.

…🫣💀😭

“Maybe I will catch a break one of these days. But today is not that day.”

I’m sayin likeee

“Everything seems to be alright, except—” I cringe internally as I await the imminent bad news. “—your blood pressure is far too high.” I have to repress a snort. Gee, I wonder why that could be. “We’re gonna have to monitor that carefully,” he continues. “High blood pressure can be very damaging to both mother and child.” And I thought keeping this baby safe would be easiest while it was inside me. Apparently, I can’t even manage to do that right.

I’m so sorry bae I shouldn’t be laughing

Still, someone had a motive. It may not be obvious right now, but that’s only because my perspective is incomplete. I don’t have all the information. But I can smell it. Right there in front of me. Just out of reach, but getting closer by the day.

Actually it’s VERY obvious

He leans in, his lips close to my ear, and whispers, “Something came up.” I nod, giving him permission to continue. “It’s Emma.” That’s all he needs to say. Before I know it, I’m out of my seat and flying towards the door.

I’m already pissed off that Kirill was the one to handle this situation. I should have been there. I should have been the one to call the doctor. Maybe what I’m most pissed off about is the sneaking suspicion that, quite apart from being the solution, I may have been the fucking problem.

Gee rlly?

“She’s going through a lot right now. Her parents are suing for custody of the children. She’s got no one to talk to but me and those kids. She’s completely isolated and it doesn’t matter how big your estate is—to her, it’s getting claustrophobic.” He takes a breath and his clenched jaw softens marginally. “I know you’ve got a lot going on, brother. But so does she. You want this baby to be born safe and healthy? Then you’ve got to be a little gentler with the mother.” Blyat’. I stare back at Kirill. I can see all my mistakes, all my stupidity reflected back in at me through his eyes. I tear myself away and head for the door.

Eat him up bestie

“You can tell me, kiska.” Little by little, I’m prying her open. Not with force or violence, the tools I used to use. But with kindness. Tenderness. Fuck it—with love.

“I shouldn’t have said those things to you. That shit I said about you, with Josh… it was uncalled for. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

OMG an apology??😱

“It bothered me for a split second yesterday, when you called me your whore.” She palms my cock and starts rubbing slowly. “But I realized today: you can call me anything you want—as long as you also call me yours.” Fuck me. My lips crash against hers. I push her back against the bed and get on top. I’ll worry about the consequences of my complete lack of discipline tomorrow. For right now, I want to claim her. I want to own her. I want to consume her. For all her betrayal, all her deception and all the lies, there’s no denying it anymore: the woman belongs to me.

MA’AM

It doesn’t get much better than a professional telling you you’re not a shitty mother. “You better get out of here now before I do something crazy and kiss you,” I warn her.

“Credit goes to Vadim here. Your unc really pulled through for us.”

Idgaf he the problem

“Congratulations, Uncle. I heard that you’re the man to thank for this find. You’ll have to tell me how you did it.” He seems jumpy as he gives me a distracted smile. “I don’t want to be accused of bragging. We should really move fast.”

What’d I just say

“Is she your woman or not, nephew?” Vadim asks bluntly. The beast inside me roars to life. Mine. If there was ever a question, that answers it right away. I’m not about to deny it now. “Yes,” I growl, “she is. And as such, those three children are mine as well.”

Vadim might not like my choices, but he will not oppose his pahkan. He wouldn’t dare. Family is everything. It is the one absolute rule that he has always followed no matter the circumstances.

Can’t wait to come back to this when u find out he’s the out to get u😃

Like the thought of Emma in a gown, images of her and me with a few children of our own pops into my head far too quickly. It makes me feel… infinite. Damn near invincible.

Goddammit. I mean, I’m relieved. But I’m also pissed off. With myself, mostly. She never sold me out. She never betrayed me. It was her deadbeat leech of a brother-in-law who turned her life upside down just to make a quick buck.

Who’da thought it 😐

For what he put Emma through, for what he made me put her through, I should fucking slaughter him right here, in the place where he signed his own death warrant.

Now he ain’t make u treat her that way let’s get that straight 🤨

“Listen closely, you useless little cockroach. You come within two states of Emma or those children ever again and I will kill you with my bare hands. I’ll do it in public, too, in broad daylight just to prove that I can. You hear me?”

“You let him live?” he exclaims incredulously as he turns to listen to the sound of Remmy fleeing. “After what he did to Emma?” I bare my teeth. “No fucking way. I’m just giving him a head start. Send a team after him tomorrow.” Kirill gives me a satisfied nod. “‘After what he did to Emma,’ huh? That’s the cardinal sin? You know, that’s something she might like to hear.” I take a deep breath. “After everything I said to her, after how I’ve treated her, it will take a lot more than that to fix things between us.” I crack my knuckles and sigh. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”