BWWM: Chosen By The Russian Mafia (A BWWM Billionaire Mafia Romance) (BBW Alpha Male Pregnancy Short Stories) by Serena Vale Read Free Book Online Page B

gave a gentle puff of the lips.  “Well, my supervisor told me that this would be a first.  I’m beginning to see what he meant.  But before we begin answer me something… who is that?” she asked, gesturing to Abram.
    “That is Abram Fyodorov.  He will be your opposition in this case.”
    She shook her head.  She’d been doing this job too long to not know when someone was lying or even worse, when they were telling a half-truth.  “That’s not what I mean.  I mean, who is he really?”
    Alexi shifted in his seat, “He is my former father-in-law.”

Chapter 3
    Regina felt a chill when the judge entered the courtroom from a side door.  Like any man who sat behind the bench he wore a dark flowing robe that distinguished him as the man to be reckoned with in these proceedings.  He wasn’t an old man as she had envisioned, but perhaps just the right side of fifty.  His hair was long enough to touch his shoulders with a thin beard that masked his chin and both were of a jet black color.  He wore a few wrinkles and his face had the kind of sternness that she would have associated with bullying school principals.
    She, Alexi, and Abram all stood as the judge entered into the chambers and silently sat in his chair behind the elevated bench that faced them.  She watched as the judge opened up a notebook and scribbled a few marks inside of it before turning his eyes to them, which she saw were cold and as silently dangerous as icebergs.
    “Be seated,” he commanded.
    She sat with Alexi and Abram too reclaimed his chair.
    “I am Judge Utkin,” the court’s master said simply.  “I will be presiding over these affairs until they reach their conclusion.  As this matter involves the financing of several parties with ties to military contractors and possible criminal allegations I would prefer to keep this matter as informal as possible.  Do the plaintiff and defendant agree to these terms?”
    Abram stood.  “The plaintiff will agree to this, your honor.”
    She stood, “The defense will agree to this as well, your honor.”
    The judge turned an eye to her and she felt the weight of his stare, like he really could have crushed her with a single look.  She’d seen that kind of glare before in other judges and in other lawyers but she stiffened her back and didn’t let the brunt of his scowl show.  If he was surprised that she could speak Russian he didn’t show it.  “Very well, court will then officially begin.”   He banged his gavel.  “At this time, both parties may make their opening statements.”
    Regina sat as Abram spoke his piece.  She turned on her pocket recorder and took in everything that he said while simultaneously pulling a small notepad from out of her briefcase and scribbling notes on it as he went, looking for ammo that she could use to blow holes in his case. 
    Abram Fyodorov’s case was simple enough to structure.  He was the representative of the people back in Russia that Alexi had supposedly offended with his business practices.  The foundation of his case was the people that Alexi had pissed off wanted him back home to face full justice, which she was able to translate as: murdered out from under the eye of the rest of the world.  He of course threatened Siberian prison as the “soft” punishment for Alexi but she recognized it for what it was: smoke screen.  No, she was certain that the threat of prison was only for the eyes of the public.  If Alexi was taken back home then the real dangers would begin.
    The basis Abram was using for Alexi’s extradition were equally simple.  Alexi’s company had dispensed money that belonged to other parties and had been sunk into projects for which that capital had not been designated for.  People turned angry and blamed Alexi for it, but because he was on U.S. soil he was protected from being extradited because the charges seemed groundless, even to a public defender.  Despite that, there were people in Russia that