1 Prologue - I

Alina held two glasses of Kahlua in her hands. She carefully carried them over to her friend and tasted one in front of her before taking a seat by her side.

"Then make Karina, how have you been?"

Karina, always the shy one, blushed. "I am good." She gulped.

Alina caught the movement and how cryptic the answer seemed. Her friend and adopted sister was being awfully shy, more than usual and it made her little.

"Is it your marriage with Ivan?" Alina asked, leaning in. "Is he troubling you?"

Karina has been the one to propose a marriage between the two and god forbid if it had been someone of her choice who har been pestering her little sister and best friend.

Karina would never say anything which only made Alina worry more. Both of them have been taught the same things, but it had been with the grace of her husband that Alina found herself standing up for herself more than anyone could in the bratva.

"No.." Her friend whispered. Her hand reached out and she pushed the glass away from her before it landed on her stomach.

Alina frowned at her actions efore it hit her. "Dear God, are you…"

Karina nodded.

She gasped. "You're pregnant!"

A small yet bashful smile appeared on Karina's face, and she nodded, putting another hand on her flat belly. "I am."

Alina reached forward and roped her cousin in a hug. "Oh my God! I am so happy! I'm going to be an aunt!"

"Yes, you are going to be."

She pulled away and cupped Elena's face. "Congratulations, my dear cousin. This is so big!! Did you tell my parents yet?"

"No, I wanted you to be the first one to know. It's just been a week of pregnancy and Ivan was a little hesitant on telling a lot of people."

"Ah, I understand." Alina did, she had also done the same. "You should try telling people from the third month. That's when I did. By the fourth one, it would be visible anyway."

"About that.." Karina gulped again, "would you like to be the godmother of my baby?"

Godmother?

Alina remembered when her parents had brought Karina to their family. Her sister had lost her parents in an accident, so her parents decided to bring the child in and raise her as their own. That day, she had received a sister and for her nothing could have ever crossed that level of happiness.

Until today.

Her sister and best friend had thought of her as important enough to name her as the godmother of her first born.

"Yes," She whispered, feeling her emotions in her throat, "I would love to be the godmother of your child. I cannot tell you how.. how much that pleases me."

Karina mimicked the same emotions, her own eyes getting misty. "My husband is going to ask about the same. We could not think of anyone else becoming the godparent of our first child. You are someone I would trust with my life."

It was a different kind of feeling to hear that from a sister. It brought the feeling of being successful enough to establish a relationship where one could share their woes and happiness a second thought. Alina had succeeded in establishing that relationship with her little sister.

She reached for Alina's hand. "Why must you make me cry—"

"Mrs Ivanov,"

Alina turned around to see one of her husband's men at the entrance of the parlour. "Yes?"

"Your presence has been requested in the office." He looked at Karina. "Mrs Orlov's too."