Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 158: Let’s play a game

Braelyn’s POV

There was a subtle shift in the room the moment Mikhail walked in with the others. I barely registered anyone else, my attention went straight to the girl beside him.

I honestly never thought a ginger could look that... delicate. She had soft curls the colour of burnished copper and sharp green eyes that didn’t miss much, despite the way she held herself like she was trying not to take up space. At first glance, she looked fragile. Too fragile to be standing in a room like this.

"Wait," Lucien drawled, already grinning, "Mikhail, you finally have a serious girlfriend?"

He wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to get on Mikhail’s nerves. I watched the girl closely as Lucien spoke. She tried to hide it, but I caught the way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes flicked to Mikhail as though she was waiting for him to say something. Anything, desperately searching for a sign.

Her gaze swept the room, landed briefly on Lucien, then shifted to me. Something sparked in her eyes when ours met: surprise, maybe curiosity or recognition.

Mikhail scoffed, and I saw the colour drain from her face.

They were clearly involved. That much was obvious. But whatever they were... it was complicated. She looked young. A student, maybe. Mikhail wasn’t much older than Lucien, and he was only a year younger than him. Twenty-seven today, if I remembered right.

"You’re always the loudest in the room, Lucien," Mikhail sneered, shooting him a warning look that went completely ignored.

"I prefer Killian in public," Lucien replied smoothly.

I forced a smile. He really was insufferable when he wanted to be. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The teasing didn’t stop. If anything, it escalated.

"Well, well," Benji chuckled from his seat near the fireplace, clearly enjoying himself. "So this is the girl, huh? Finally bringing your girlfriend around, Mikhail. But I thought she had black hair?"

My interest sharpened instantly. The girl stiffened, and the discomfort on her face made my stomach twist.

"I didn’t see anything wrong at the anniversary party," Benji added, and laughter followed.

Lucien clicked his tongue. "I thought it was the politician’s daughter, the blonde one. Heard they were pretty close."

The girl visibly shrank back. I tightened my grip on my glass, resisting the urge to smack Lucien upside the head. Mikhail stayed silent, letting them talk, which affected my image of him. Why did he let his friends make fun of his girl? Or wasn’t that the case? Casper failed miserably at hiding his amusement. A faint blush crept up her cheeks, noticing my every detail.

She glanced at Mikhail again, almost pleading now for him to shut it down or to correct them. But he only hummed lowly, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it over a chair.

"Don’t start," he said, calm and vague, before walking away to take a seat.

If I were her, I would have wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

"That’s not really an answer," Xander added from behind them, clearly joining the sport.

Lucien looked delighted. "Exactly. Casper, say something. Since someone here is suddenly mute."

Casper strolled past the girl (who was still hovering awkwardly near the door) and took his seat. "Black hair, blonde hair, ginger... does it really matter?" he shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal how promiscuous Mikhail was.

His eyes lingered on her.

From that moment on, I was certain of one thing: Mikhail was a problem.

He didn’t say a word, but I noticed the tension in his jaw, the way his shoulders tightened. The girl eventually moved and sat a little distance away from him. Just like that, the room settled, conversation shifting to business and recent corporate moves.

I joined in here and there, sipping my drink until Benji, clearly bored, decided to stir things up again.

"So," he asked, scanning the room, "what are we doing, birthday boy?"

I’d finished my first glass and was feeling pleasantly light-headed. Lucien noticed immediately. Despite being fully engaged in the conversation, his attention kept drifting back to me.

"If you’re uncomfortable, say the word," he murmured quietly. I shook my head. He was enjoying himself, and honestly... His friends were entertaining.

From their banter, I pieced together how they all knew each other, Lucien, Mikhail, and Casper knew each other from the university. Ivan was Lucien’s cousin, which explained how he fit in. Xander and Benji were closer to Ivan, but chaos seemed to be the common thread binding them all.

"I don’t remember inviting you," Mikhail replied dryly when pressed again.

Apparently, Casper had let Mikhail’s birthday slip to Lucien, who told Ivan, and from there... it spiralled. Whatever they were planning, they were all in on it except Mikhail.

The atmosphere stayed light. Drinks flowed with the conversation and little pastries disappeared with time. There was no cake, strangely enough, but no one cared.

Karis was Xander’s wife and a well-known designer who fit effortlessly&74, into their circle, maybe because she had known them for longer. Adelina, the girl Mikhail brought, and I were the only newcomers, both of us quietly distracting ourselves with food and drinks while still paying attention to the conversations.

"Are you two really an item?" Casper suddenly asked Lucien while I was sipping my cocktail and I almost choked at the sentence.

My spine stiffened as every head turned toward us. Xander and Ivan exchanged knowing looks. Almost everyone in the room knew I was married to Raphael.

Did they really think...?

Lucien didn’t hesitate. He grinned like he’d been waiting for this exact moment.

"Yeah," he said easily, reaching for my hand. "Braelyn stole my heart the first moment we met."

My heart skipped traitorously. Heat rushed to my cheeks before I could stop it. I shot him a glare, and he leaned in just enough to whisper..

"Careful. Blush any harder and they’ll think I mean it." That only made it worse.

Mikhail rolled his eyes, disinterested in whatever games Lucien was playing and sparing me from embarrassment. "I was actually expecting the other guy to be here. The one who exists solely to annoy me. Kyle, I think." he mentioned. Kyle was one of Ivan’s friends.

Mikhail acted like he was annoyed by their presence, but I could tell from his faint smirk that he didn’t hate it as much as he claimed.

Thank God for the distraction he caused. I released a breath of relief. Lucien clicked his throat in response. He was looking forward to me losing my cool.

"Kyle’s dealing with some private matters," Ivan casually chirped.

"I don’t know if that makes me happy," Mikhail said dryly. Then he looked at Ivan, a faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "You’re asking about my relationship, but I thought you were engaged. Why didn’t you bring her?"

Ivan’s expression flickered, just for a second before he smiled again. "My fiancée’s Bertha is a top designer and Karis’s best friend. She is awfully busy nowadays."

An awkward silence followed which was quickly broken by Benji again. Benji was basically acting as the host.

"Why don’t we play a game? It’s past midnight," he suggested with a grin.

Mikhail shut it down immediately. "No."

"It was nice having you all," he added flatly ready to leave the room. "Rooms are prepared. We should sleep."

"I think it will be a fun idea." Casper supported the idea shockingly. Mikhail groaned, a frown etched on his handsome face.

"I have an important meeting tomorrow," Mikhail argued.

"I thought the meeting was being postponed to later in the day. Let’s hear what Benji has to say." Xander chirped innocently , putting Mikhail in a bad spot.

"Why don’t you vote?" Adelina blurted. Mikhail shot her a glare that clearly said I’m trying to save you.

"That’s a good idea. It is a game of poker with a bit of spice. All in support, can you signify?" Benji explained, and instantly everyone raised their hands, except for Mikhail and Adelina.

I didn’t want to raise my hand, but knowing how much Lucien was enjoying this, I joined the crowd.

"When you say spice what do you mean by spice?" Adelina asked and Benji smiled mischievously. "Let’s say truth and dare are involved in this." He shrugged like it was nothing.

Truth or dare, what was Benji thinking? I had a very bad feeling about this.

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