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“Us?”

“Yes, us,” I repeat. “You + me. Vadim + Alma. What happens to us?”

“Nothing has changed.”

“Since when? Since you found out I didn’t betray you?”

“What do you think?” he murmurs.

He slides a hand behind my back, trying to pull me close, but I resist.

“I’m serious. Would you have left me if Lily had done it?”

“No.”

“If I had been involved?”

His answer comes immediately, without the slightest hesitation. “Yes.”

“Ouch,” I mutter. “Don’t hold back.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to get over you betraying me.”

He gazes at me in silence, then gently brushes away the strand of hair falling across my forehead.

“You have to understand, Alma. My company is my whole life. I have no family, and few friends I truly trust. King Productions is my greatest pride; it’s everything I’ve accomplished. I’ll never let anyone jeopardize it.”

I nod, my throat tightening slightly.

“What’s going on in that little head of yours that you’re not telling me?” he whispers.

“I thought… that it was over.”

He wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on top of my head. It’s a tender, protective gesture that warms my heart.

“No, Alma, it’s only just beginning.”

How can I resist those words? His inner strength, his light, his shadows, his breathtaking looks? Why fight him when all I want is peace? I wanted to hate him but right now, nothing else matters or even exists. Just him and me.

With Vadim, it’s different. It’s undeniable. It always has been.

He’s already gotten under my skin, so what’s the point in fighting it?

28

Alma

Monday morning.

I head to Kate Monroe’s office, nervous but determined to clear the air. I’d like an apology, for starters. And I have the distinct impression that’s not something she gives freely.

“Come in!”

I enter her lair and find her sitting behind her glass-topped desk, a cup of tea in her hand. An image of Meryl Streep as the tyrannical monster in The Devil Wears Prada flashes through my mind. Kate takes off her glasses and stands up slowly, not a hint of emotion on her icy face.

“Alma, you’re back?” she says, as if she had nothing to do with my departure.

“Hello, Kate.”