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I am so angry I begin to pace the room and as I catch sight of my reflection, it reminds me of who I am.
I’m nothing.
I’m surrounded by more wealth than I ever imagined and if anything, I should be a dancing a freaking victory dance. The trouble is, at what cost? What is this and what does he expect in return?
Probably what they all expect. Every single disgusting lecherous one of them, and I feel sick as reality hits me hard.
He will discover my secret. I’ve given his snarling dog every detail of my life and he will use it against me. Why am I so stupid?
I never really thought it through, but now he has the facts, it’s only a matter of time before he realizes how worthless I really am and I’m guessing that will be my ticket out of here. He will be so disgusted he will show me the door, and then what? Returning home is not an option, but what if they find me? Force me back there to do exactly what I’m doing here.
To be controlled and told what to do. To work for them and to accept my fate.
The two options weigh heavily on either side of my mind, and yet the third option beckons me like the Holy Grail. I want the third option. I want my dream and I must act cool and be clever about this and work out which of these two options is more likely to make that happen.
CHAPTER 21
MIKHAIL
It’s been a long day. I’ve worked for most of it and I’m weary, so I dress down for dinner in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Tonight, will involve a casual meal in my room with my interesting new hobby and then an evening spent fucking her out of my system. That is the plan. She can’t stay a virgin forever and it’s my intention to have her begging on her knees for me to put her out of her misery.
Yes, tonight my dear little Lilli is going to grow up and become a woman and I am the only man for the job. It’s been at the front of my mind all day. I’ve thought of little else. Wanted nothing else but to experience her soft skin against mine while I stare into her magnificent eyes.
To watch her open up to me and give me her heart. To trust me to treat her with the reverence and care she deserves. When that is done, my mind will be clearer, and I will use her to gain the information I seek because tomorrow we are going back to her home to get that fucking diary.
I wait for her in my living room, the fire burning in the grate a welcome distraction from my thoughts. There are so many of them swirling around my mind. My father’s death, the elusive Iris Mahoney and Lilli’s sister Reggie, suffering at the hands of a man like Carter Lamont. I realize exactly what she will have been subjected to. I’ve been to enough parties like that to know every detail.
Men tear through innocent young girls to sate a thirst for depravity, with no concern for their welfare. They like them trembling before them, fearful and afraid. They want to rip them apart and leave them broken on their knees, the power that gives them an addictive form of pleasure. Imagining Lilli going through the same process is causing me more concern than I thought I’d feel. I don’t usually care what happens to strangers, but somehow my little assassin has crawled into my direct line of vision and won’t move to the side.
The door opens and I glance up as the woman herself enters the room and the scowl on her face makes me smile inside.
Fuck, I’ve missed her today.
“Did I tell you I fucking hate you?”
She snarls and I snap, “Mind your fucking language.”
“You mind your fucking language, asshole.”
She jabs her finger at me in mid-air as she speaks and then glances around, and her eyes widen.
“Oh my god, I love this space.” She runs across to the window that spans the entire circumference of the room and presses her face onto the glass. “Wow, is that the city at night? It’s on fire.”
I am lost for words because she switches her moods accordingly to every breath she takes and her anger with me is instantly forgotten as she stares at the amazing vista below.
I move beside her and whisper, “I love this view. It reminds me of the fight for survival in a concrete jungle.”
“You got that right.” She sighs softly. “You’re like a king up here.”
“I am.” I don’t deny it and then say softly, “Life is fast moving down there. Traffic, crowds, and all kinds of people at different stages in life. Babies, children, and teenagers. Adults, the elderly, rich and poor and those in between. Businesses trying to make it to the next week and people trying to make it to the next day. Crime, happiness, and terror are all happening on those streets and within the buildings and we are staring down as if we are standing apart from it.”
“You are.” She says softly, her hands touching the glass and her smile captivating.
“You are a king, Mikhail. Your wealth and arrogant personality demand it. In fact, I’m surprised there’s not a portrait of you wearing your crown in oils over the fireplace.”
She giggles and I smile. There is something almost childlike about Lilli. She is honest, with no pretense, and she doesn’t care what I think of her at all. She is impatient to be free and yet I’m guessing would hate it to become a reality. She is adjusting to my world and is curious about that.
“Tell me about your life, Lilli.”
