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“You want to practice law, so I got you your offices. This is going to be the starting home of the greatest corporate law firm in New York.” He declares it so happily, and I can’t explain the relief I feel now that I realize I’ve not been taken to be murdered. I turn back to the building and walk toward it. “Is it open?” I ask curiously.
He opens the door. “After you.”
I walk into the carpeted reception area. It’s huge. Ivan starts leading me around. “This is where we can set up two board rooms for you to meet with clients, and then this would be your office. It’s the biggest and gets the most light. I was thinking of putting up some wall-to-ceiling glass cabinet bookcases, dark wood, of course.” He’s rattling the stuff off as though he’s had this planned for years, and not like we’ve just recently discussed it. My stomach turns and tears well up in my eyes.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” he asks with concern. “I can get you somewhere else.”
“No, I love it. I don’t deserve it.” I start to cry, then plaster on a smile. “I’m just so happy.”
Ivan smiles and pulls me to him. “We’ll have to have secret, late-night office meetings just the two of us,” he purrs, leaning down to kiss me deeply.
I throw my arms around his neck, and he lifts me as we kiss hungrily. Desperate to devour each other—as though we are two halves of opposite worlds that somehow make a whole.
He puts me down and rests his forehead against mine. “I told you, I will give you everything you desire. If you want me to burn this world to the ground, I will.”
I look down, sighing softly. “I would do anything for you.”
He kisses my forehead and glances around. “We can get you an L-shaped desk, lots of space. I know you need lots of space to work. I’ve seen how you work.”
I smile and look around. “It’s perfect in every possible way, Ivan. Thank you so much. You will never understand how much this means to me. No one’s ever done something this grand for me. Just…thank you.”
Ivan smiles and kisses me passionately again.
Chapter 24 - Ivan
There’s a spring to my step as I make my way to the family restaurant from my car. Tori is beyond happy, and that makes me happy. Nothing in this world can break my spirit right now.
My Uncles Boris and Grigoriy are meeting me here today to finalize the signing of the contracts. A bright future for my family, a future with Tori, and not even the knowledge that Evgeni has betrayed me weighs me down.
I enter the restaurant to find my uncles talking amongst themselves. They stop when they see me, standing up until I’ve taken my seat.
The waitress comes past. “Whiskey, neat.” I know she knows which bottle is reserved for me. I clap my hands together. “Tell me the good news, guys.”
They look at each other, crestfallen, as though they can’t decide which of them should speak to me first, which makes me hesitant. “Come on, out with it.”
Boris leans forward and taps his finger on the copy of the contract in front of him. “Was this their final offer?”
“Tori vetted it herself and said they’re being very generous,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Why?”
I went through those contracts, and we seemed to be getting a lot, but that didn’t raise any flags for me. Maybe it should have.
Grigoriy leans forward and clasps his hands in front of him. “It’s shit, Ivan. Everything they’re offering is useless shit. Areas where we can’t own the cops, can’t bribe inspectors. These are territories no one would fucking want, not even the damn South Americans. They wouldn’t even run their cheapest shit drugs through these places.”
I clench my fists. “How obvious is this?”
“Obvious if you’ve been paying close attention to it,” Boris says. The implication is there. I take a few deep breaths. The waitress sets my whiskey down and hurries off. I down it and slam the glass on the table. “That fucking bitch.”
I feel like I’m in one of my supernatural story books where the demon has reached through my skin to wrap his hand around my heart and squeeze it until it bursts. Rage and pain course through my body. I trusted her. She made a fool of me. She pretended to care about my family and me. She lured me in like a hopeless idiot. I let her in.
“Fuck!” I yell suddenly, causing everyone to jump. I slam my fist onto the table and get up, walking out without a backward glance.
I get into my car and drive, glancing at the time. I shake my head; I’m not thinking rationally, but this is worse than killing a family member. They’ve gone too far.
I pull up to La Club and step out of my vehicle. The guards look at me curiously, but Luigi comes out and says, “What are you doing here?”
“Where is Alessandro?” I ask, trying to calm myself.
“He’s in the office with Frankie. This way.” He gives me a side eye but leads me in. I fear fucking nothing. They gave me my love back and ripped it from my life. It’s worse than when I lost Mila.
