AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Natalia shakes her head like she doesn’t agree. Part of me thinks she’s going to argue with me, try to get me to back down. Honestly, it probably wouldn’t take much convincing. I’m exhausted. Instead, she hands me a towel from the shelf behind her. “Good luck, boo.”
I grab it and walk back into the dining room with my held head high. On my way, I snag a handheld vacuum from a closet and then go back to the table to tidy up.
Thankfully, Viktoria has moved further down the table to talk with a group of people. I may not want to slink away and hide from her, but that doesn’t mean I want to talk to her if I don’t have to.
Kirill is at the other end of the table, too, sitting next to Arnov. The two men seem at ease with one another. My vibe from the evening is that the people in this room are allies. I don’t think I need to worry about anyone staging an attack against anyone else, but with Kirill, I guess it’s hard to know.
I vacuum up the glass and then shift to drying off the table. I have to rearrange the centerpiece and everyone’s plates, but not a single person offers to help. They just sit back and watch me work.
Including Viktoria’s father, whose attention on me seems a little too pointed to be sincere.
When I glance over at him for the third time and catch him still staring, he smiles and leans forward. “How hard does Kirill work his maids?”
Is he phrasing it like that on purpose? If so, gross. If not… still gross, somehow. The overly made-up woman sitting next to him isn’t even listening. She’s glancing down at her phone under the table.
“We have a large staff here,” I say diplomatically, “so no one is overly burdened. Mr. Zaitsev is very fair.”
Even if I’d never spoken face to face with Kirill in my life—even if we’d never slept together—I’d say the same thing. He may be a criminal, but he’s a good boss.
Leonid leans in, his voice low. “Does he rotate through the maid staff or are you all on at the same time?”
“I’m sorry, sir—I guess I’m not sure exactly what you—”
“My daughter isn’t fond of you,” Leonid interrupts. “She isn’t as subtle as she thinks she is.”
Kirill is still at the other end of the table. Everyone near me is engaged in conversation or not paying attention. I’ve never felt so alone in a crowd before.
“Oh, well, I don’t—I haven’t had much contact with your daughter. On my end, there are no hard feelings.”
He chuckles. “Of course not. You’re the one fucking her fiancé. Why should you care what she thinks about it?”
My heart leaps into my throat. I look into his eyes, and he’s staring back at me with a straight face.
It’s odd: listening to Leonid’s voice, I’d assume he was a charming man. But looking in his eyes, there isn’t a hint of kindness. Nothing warm or inviting. There’s just darkness.
I remember what Natalia told me.Could-make-us-all-disappear kind of trouble…
Viktoria tried to take me out with her car. What kind of hellfire could her father rain down on me?
I shake my head. “No, I’m not… I haven’t done anything with—Mr. Zaitsev is my boss. I wouldn’t—”
“Don’t lie to me, sweetheart,” he tuts. “It’s embarrassing for you and insulting to me. Honesty is the best policy, don’t you think?”
My heart is thundering in my chest. Kirill is twice as big as Leonid, and certainly more powerful. But he has never made me feel like this. I’ve never actually felt unsafe around him.
But right now, I’m positive Leonid could squash me like a bug without so much as a second thought.
I’m trying to find the words to deny everything, to somehow fix this and protect myself. But a hand lands on my back.
I let out a small yelp and jerk around. When I see Natalia standing there, I’m so relieved I could cry.
“You’re needed in the kitchen,” she says, her eyes wider than usual. “Next course is up.”
Get the hell out of here, her face is saying.
She doesn’t have to tell me twice.
Without looking at Viktoria’s dad, I gather up the towel and vacuum and hurry back towards the kitchen with Natalia at my side.
