The Crippled Mafia King’S Forced Bride
EP 3
I stare at my second in command for a few seconds and then burst out laughing
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
You are out of your mind
Maxim/Second in Command
Am I??
Maxim/Second in Command
And what does the therapist say? About your leg
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
He expects me to be able to regain up to eighty percent of its use
Maxim/Second in Command
What does that mean?
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
It means crutches in the worst-case scenario. A cane in the best
Maxim/Second in Command
That’s good. How much time are we talking about? A month?
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
*Grind his teeth*
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
At least six more months of physical therapy
Maxim/Second in Command
Shit, Rodion
Maxim/Second in Command
We can’t wait that long. We need something now, or we’ll have riots
I look out the window and sigh. Maxim is usually always right.
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
You’re saying it’s either me having two functioning legs or a wife? I won’t be walking any time soon, Maxim
Maxim/Second in Command
Well, in that case, we’re getting you a wife until you do
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
That’s ridiculous. I can’t blackmail a woman I don’t know into pretending to be my wife for six months, especially one who has no connection to our world.
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
She’ll probably be scared shitless. No one will buy that
Maxim/Second in Command
Watch this
Maxim says and thrusts his phone into my hand. The video is grainy, probably because it was taken years ago, but the lighting is good and I can see the inside of a room with several teenagers sitting in a semicircle, their backs to the camera
The only person whose face is visible is a dark-haired girl sitting cross-legged before the audience. The camera zooms in, bringing her unusual features into focus. Someone in her family must be of Asian descent because there is a slight tilt to her eyes, which makes them appear cat-like. I wonder what she looks like now.
？？？
Can you do Mrs. Nolan?
？？？
When she talks about her cats?
Natalia Grey/FL/14 year old
Again?*groan*
Natalia Grey/FL/14 year old
How about someone new? Maybe a politician?
There is a collective sound of displeasure and several teens shout
Natalia Grey/FL/14 year old
Mrs. Nolan!
She Shakes her head then smiles and closes her eyes. When she opens them a few seconds later and starts talking, I find myself pulling the phone closer, completely in awe.
She’s speaking, but I don’t pay attention to the actual words. I’m completely absorbed in watching the mimicry on her face, the way her right eye trembles slightly when she speaks, how she accentuates the words. All of a sudden, it’s like she’s a completely different person.
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
How old is she in this video?
I ask without removing my eyes from the screen
Maxim/Second in Command
Fourteen. Amazing, isn’t she?
In the video, someone shouts another name and points to a girl sitting at the end of the semicircle. Natalia Grey laughs, closes her eyes in concentration, and then starts a new act. Again, she takes on a completely new persona, her posture, the way her hands move while she talks. The girl on the side watches her, then laughs and covers her face with her hand. Natalia replicates the motion to the detail, even the way the girl’s shoulders rise a little while she laughs. I don’t think I ever witnessed something like that.
Maxim/Second in Command
As you can see, there shouldn’t be any problems with her pretending to be anything you need her to be
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
You are serious about this?
I still find this idea of his completely idiotic.
Maxim/Second in Command
Desperate times require desperate measures, Rodion. We need to shut down the rumors, and we need to do it now
Maxim/Second in Command
In that case, the wife it is.
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
I slam the laptop closed
Rodion Ivanov/Pakhan/ML
Shit!
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