The Russian Roulette [The Mafia Chronicles #2]

Chapter XIII

Never in his life had Alexi ever broken a vow. Not a vow to himself or to anyone else. It took him a second to realize that the words coming out of his mouth were directed towards the very person he vowed not to speak a word to.

He didn't know how to feel at first, but when he saw the clench in Sebastian's jaw and the forced smile that he sent towards Alexi, he knew that it was worth every broken vow. However, he made sure he pinned it in his mind to never lose control over his emotions like that ever again.

He added that moment to the list of times he had lost control when Sophie was involved. Had she never gotten near the French croissant, he wouldn't have had the urge to spit in Sebastian's face with his words, but he did not regret breaking a vow for his wife. He would do it over and over again simply because he could.

The question was: Why did he have the urge to gouge Sebastian's eyes every time he looked at Sophie?

Before he could produce another excuse to not answer that question, Sebastian spoke again. "My apologies." He looked back and forth from Alexi to Sophie. "Like Sophie said before to the Italian hunk," Alexi pointed his chin towards Leonidas who was on a phone call, "You can take your apology and offer it to the highest bidder."

Sophie pinched Alexi's arm discreetly before releasing the most unauthentic laugh to ever come out of her throat. She could not give Sebastian a reason to hate them even more than he already does. No one knew what he was truly hiding behind his façade. To her relief, Sebastian did not notice the edge to her laugh and smiled at her. If Sophie wasn't told previously about Sebastian's intentions, she wouldn't have noticed how sinister the smile was.

"I'm going to have to cut your conversation short. We have a meeting to start. Sophie, you can follow Victoria and Yasmin to the living room." Leonidas attempted to turn but was stopped by Alexi.

This man is getting on my damn nerves. Leonidas seethed in his mind.

"Sophie will be joining us." He stated. He did not ask his wife, but it felt like he was belittling her. He wouldn't stand for it. It already happened twice at Leonidas's hands.

Leonidas raised a brow in amusement. "Only the mafia leaders are allowed to enter the conference room. And besides, what insight can a woman give that would be of use? It would be better for her to gossip and not meddle in a place she does not belong." The Italian leader addressed the last sentence while looking directly at Sophie.

He has the audacity-

A small smile graced Sophie's face, an unsettling one in fact. She slowly walked towards Leonidas before stopping in front of him and tilting her head to the side. The other leaders stared at the situation in confusion, looking between Leonidas, Sophie, and Alexi. What they didn't notice was the smile on Alexi's face that mirrored his wife's.

Alexi knew something was wrong. Sophie had two ways to deal with situations like this; become a rabid animal or use her motherly tone. What she was doing at that very moment was neither. She did not have the emotional control to not react to statements like the ones Leonidas has spewed out; she did not care to. She's doing something else, Alexi thought, she has to be.

Sophie got close and comfortable in Leonidas's personal space, and for a man who has claimed to have a poker face, he did not hide the surprise on his face when Sophie moved her face inches away from his. Sophie lifted her hand and started tracing up Leonidas's arm reaching his neck and then jaw. When her fingers were laying atop his chin, Leonidas was a goner and looked like he was a magnet attracted to a metal.

Alexi was on the brink of losing the little ounce of control he had when Sophie clasped Leonidas's chin in her hand and pulled him down to her eye level. Her smile grew even larger and more wicked as her and the Italian leader's noses were on the brink of touching.