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NIK’S TENSION ESCALATEDas Daria allowed him entry into her apartment. Had he really expected her to say ‘yes’ outright? Perhaps, the Daria he thought she was – the flighty, impulsive one – would have, but maybe she wasn’t really like that. Maybe the real Daria was this beautiful, composed young woman standing in front of him, her face giving nothing away as she directed them to the small dining table.
Nik waited for Daria to take a seat before lowering himself to the chair adjacent to hers. “The apartment is to your liking?”
Daria swallowed her disappointment at the words. She wanted to hear more about what Nik had said at the door, but she couldn’t quite make herself be the first one to bring it up.
Finally, she said, “It’s perfect.” She meant it. The apartment’s interior had been designed with a feminine flair. The furniture, a pleasant mix of luxurious and cozy, wonderfully complemented the ivory walls and gray marbled floor.
He raised a brow. “Not too small for Magnolia Everest’s daughter?”
Daria bit her lip as she wondered what exactly he knew about her. More importantly, how had he known about such things?
She thought about how all the frogs she had dated had liked to say things about her, and the thought that Nik had heard about those things hurt. She could have put a stop to them spreading lies about her, but she had always been stubbornly romantic. She had wanted her love story to be a grand one, wanted her fairytale prince to know without her saying a thing that all of those things had been lies.
Seeing that Nik was still waiting for an answer, she slowly shook her head. What was the point of explaining now when she knew he wasn’t ready to believe her?
Nik’s frustration grew at Daria’s unwillingness to explain. This was just another act, he told himself. Daria Everest was doing it again, using a new strategy to manipulate his interest in her.
Sensing Nik’s disapproval at her unforthcoming answer, she hurriedly changed the subject, asking, “Are you sure I haven’t inconvenienced anyone while I’m staying here? And that I really won’t need to pay anything?”
“You haven’t. This is just one of the serviced apartments owned by the company, and their sole purpose is to provide accommodations for professionals who have expressly flown in to work with us.”
“I see.” Daria was having a hard time adjusting at the way Nik referred to his ownership of multimillion-dollar-apartments with a matter-of-fact tone. It was such a far cry from how she imagined him.
Nik’s gaze narrowed. “You’re looking at me oddly. Why?”
Because...I love you and I know you think I’m a gold digger and a nymphomaniac? It was a funny thought, but it was also depressingly true.
“N-nothing.” She had to swallow several times, gulping down every urge to cry. I love you. She really, really wanted to say that. I’m sorry, I love you, I won’t ever hurt you again, won’t ever lie, so please take me back.
Nik inhaled sharply. Daria still hadn’t spoken a word, but dammit, the way she was looking at him right now—-
All the emotions he had forced himself to bury, all the memories he had forced himself to forget – everything that encapsulated their time in Teleios came rushing back.
And that was when he knew.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Daria started in her seat. He had changed his mind. She dug her nails hard into her palms. He had changed his mind. She couldn’t look at him now, knew if she did the tears she didn’t deserve to cry would start.
Lowering her head, she asked quietly, “What about?”
“I no longer want a fling.” Before she could answer, he stated in a hard voice, “I want you to be my permanent mistress.”
Her head jerked up at the words, and his lips twisted at the surprise in Daria’s gray eyes. “Believe me, you’re no more shocked than I am. But I only had to see you now, and I realize that your body’s become an obsession. I want your cunt. I want the exclusive right to fuck it.” The crudeness of his words was deliberate, and when Daria’s gray eyes became dull with pain, he had to remind himself everything he saw right now was just an act.
It had always been an act, always will be. Why the fuck couldn’t he get his mind to remember this?
Leaning back against his seat, Nik gazed at her with cold, dark eyes. “So now it’s your turn to negotiate. What do you want in return?”
Daria desperately clung to her control as Nik’s insulting words echoed in her mind. Her heart battered her chest, beating hard for reasons it was no longer sure of.
Up, down, up, down—-
She loved Nik. She knew that now, accepted that now. But God, she hated the way loving him was also making her weak. Any self-respecting girl wouldn’t have let Nik finish speaking. Any self-respecting girl would have thrown Nik out of her place the moment it became obvious he was hell-bent on demeaning her.
Up, down, up, down-—
