Empire of Sin (Empire #2) by Rina Kent

“Papa, please don’t hurt her—”

“You think I’m heartless enough to hurt a dying woman?”

“I don’t know. You really won’t hurt her?”

“No.”

“T-thank you, Papa.”

“If you really want to thank me, then do as you’re told and forget about the British lawyer.”

My chest deflates. “It’s not up to me. I…can’t. He makes me feel special, like my existence has meaning. He doesn’t see me as your daughter or the Bratva’s sheltered princess, he sees me as me. Just me. And I want that, Papa. I want to get out of yours and the brotherhood’s shadow. I want to be me.”

I gulp in air after my word vomit. I wouldn’t have been able to say those words if he were facing me. Even though I’m grown now, he’s still that god-like man who finished my stepfather’s life in a blink.

Papa slowly turns around and I expect anger, but his expression remains unperturbed.

I wait for him to say something, but the door barges open and I startle. Damien waltzes inside with that black cat swagger of his.

“I’m sorry, Boss.” My father’s senior guard peeks in. “I’ll escort him out.”

Damien tilts his head in the guard’s direction. “First of all, fuck you. Second of all, fuck off before I stab you.”

Papa motions at his senior guard to leave and he snarls at Damien. “Wait in my office with the others, Orlov.”

“I just want to say something and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“What?” my father asks with a note of impatience.

“As much as I appreciate Nastyusha for being a vodka lover, I can’t marry her.”

My lips part and I stare at Damien with wide eyes. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected him to back off. Not after he said he wouldn’t get on my father’s bad side for something he considers trivial—marriage.

“Why not?” Papa’s voice hardens.

“Remember that word I gave to Abe about marrying his daughter? I’m keeping it, after all.”

“You were fine with breaking it not too long ago.”

A dark smile lifts Damien’s lips and he looks like a fallen angel. “That was before I knew who my future wife-to-be is.”

“That doesn’t change anything, Orlov.”

“Yes, it does, Pakhan.”

“Are you choosing a Japanese over a Russian?”

“I’m choosing the Japanese for us. Believe me, you’ll like what I do with this whole fucking thing. Besides, Nastyusha loves that lawyer and I’d rather not kill a citizen and have her slice my throat in my sleep.” He grins at me. “You owe me one.”

And with that, he turns around and leaves, humming a tune.

I keep staring at his back, but that only lasts for a second, until Papa’s guard closes the door.

Before I can wrap my head around what Damien said, Papa’s clipped voice reaches me. “You’ll marry Kirill or Vladimir.”

“Papa!”

“Pick one.”

“Vlad is like my older brother.”

“Kirill then.”

“Papa, please, no. He’s even worse than Damien. Not only is he cunning and manipulative, but he’ll also only use me to become the Pakhan.”

“So be it.”

Tears slide down my face. “Is that all I’ve ever been to you? A pawn on a chessboard? A prize for the most suitable?”

He’s silent for a beat before he lets out a long exhale. “I have lung cancer, Nastyusha.”

“W-what?”

“I’m in remission, but the doctors say I could relapse at any time and I might have to start counting my days.”

The room sways but I realize it’s me as I grab onto the nearest chair and use it as support. The information he just revealed pricks my skin over and over.

Papa has cancer—or used to.

“Oh, God, is this why you wanted to marry me off that time, but Rai volunteered to do it? You wanted to pick a new Pakhan, too.”

“Yes. Only Rai and Vladimir know about my illness and we’ve kept it a secret from everyone else on purpose. I wanted to choose someone suitable for you before my time is up.”

I don’t think about it as I approach him until I’m so close, I can see how pale his skin is. Now that I think about it, right before I left, there were times when he pulled away from me and even refused to see me. And that pained me more than I admitted. It hurt to be just a wallflower in his house.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Papa?”

“Because I don’t want to hurt you.”

“But I’m your daughter. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“You’ve always seen me as strong and powerful. That day I shot that lowlife, you looked at me as if I were a god, and I selfishly needed you to continue looking at me as such. I don’t want you to witness me weak and coughing up blood.”

“I don’t care…I just want to be there for you like you were there for me when I was young.”

He offers me his hand and I take it, sniffling back the tears. “Nastyusha…listen to me. You have to marry within the brotherhood to remain protected.”

“No, Papa, I can’t. I just can’t marry Kirill or anyone else when I’m in love with Knox. It’ll kill me slowly.”