Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
I tell Elisa in no uncertain terms to get rid of the package. It will only upset Kat, and I don’t even know what’s inside. But the packaging is enough. It infuriates me that they would treat her so poorly.
Edward calls me a few minutes later to tell me that we won’t be able to get Kat’s things after all. It seems her ex-fiancé and her brother have trashed all of her possessions. I think back to the package and wonder which of her treasures was in that box.
Those stupid pieces of shit. I understand the jilted groom could be upset about the turn of events, but I don’t know why her brother is so angry with her. Their actions prove what immature children they are and that Kat deserves better than what she got.
No matter. She’ll need more things than I’d initially thought, but that isn’t a problem. I’ll spend any amount to replace what was lost. Clothes are a given, but she’ll need more than clothes to be comfortable here, and I can’t expect my staff to know what she needs.
I call my accountant and have her added to my credit account. I’ll make sure Edward arranges for her to get the card while I’m away this week. It’s a terrible time to leave her, especially in light of the nefarious package she received from her ex, but I had business responsibilities before I whisked her away.
Note to self: think through the consequences of your actions before you decide to ruin a girl’s wedding.
Still, I genuinely wonder if she would have been better off if I hadn’t intervened. I sincerely doubt it. Her father made her schooling a condition, rather than a right. I’m going to fix that. I’ll make sure she has the opportunity to go back to school.
She’ll need a new computer, too. I think about asking Edward to buy her one, but then I realize that it will mean more to her if she can pick it out herself. That’s a gift I can give her that’s worth more than money. I can give her the freedom to choose which model she wants. I’ll spare no expense to make her happy. She deserves that much.
Of course, all this will have to wait a few days. I’m off to Texas to deal with one of my businesses that is having a hard time staying afloat. This is part of what Dimitri struggles with. He focuses too much time on his illegitimate businesses, choosing to focus more on crime than his real sources of money.
My father taught me the value of a hard-earned dollar. He set up real estate offices all around the city, teaching me the importance of diversifying my portfolio. That isn’t to say there isn’t a certain level of crime happening behind the scenes, but he made sure his legitimate endeavors kept him afloat.
“Everything we have can be taken away if the wrong federal agent decides to stick his nose in our business,” my father told me when I was old enough to understand. “So we stay true to the Bratva, but we invest in legitimate business as well. We make sure there are things that can’t be taken away from us.”
I took my father’s advice and made our real estate conglomerate national. It was something he could only dream of. Only I had the vision and resources to make it happen. Unfortunately, being the head of such a successful business also means my attention is often focused on my business.
If I was able, I’d take this time off to be with Kat and help her adjust to this new reality. I’m sure it can’t be easy for her, and I feel responsible for that. But I have employees I’m responsible for and the Bratva businesses I have to keep running. It’s a lot of work, but a job I once accepted happily.
I couldn’t have anticipated that she would come into the picture. If I had, I would have done a lot of things differently. Top of the list, I would have found her and gone about this relationship the right way. It might have killed me, but I would have done the respectful thing and asked Dimitri’s permission for her hand.
I didn’t like using my influence to bring her back with me. It made the whole thing feel dirty. But if I learned anything from my father, it’s that you can make any business legitimate. I will show her my intentions and try all of this again the right way.
Until then, I have to do everything in my power to make sure she’s happy. I have to show her that life away from her parents is a good thing. She needs to see that I’m a bona fide gentleman who only has her best interest at heart.