AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He walks us to the door, and I hold onto the frame. But I can’t hold on for too long because he overpowers me.
“You’re impossible to like.” My arms fall down the length of his back, where I feel his muscles tensing. I close my eyes to ignore the sensation my stomach makes when he touches me.
“That’s all right,” he says as he takes me to the dining room.
Three new faces stare at me. I’m already humiliated.
Mikhail pulls out a chair and sets me down. He takes a seat next to me. Many of the men surrounding me clear their throats.
“You must be Sloane Koziov,” one of them says. Half his face is hidden by the bulk of his beard, but his bright green eyes pierce mine. “I’m Gabe. This is Mason and Oliver.”
Oliver looks really young, maybe fifteen. His skin is light, and his face is round. His suit is too large for his body.
I smile. “It’s nice to meet you all.” Looking around, I find familiar faces. Adrian, Lev, and Dimitri sit across from me. Max sits on my other side.
“I went through the system and found three nearby buildings that can be taken over for the right price,” Oliver says to Mikhail.
Mikhail takes the plate that was in front of me and switches it out with his own. His portions are nearly double the size of mine. He takes a container out of his pocket and puts a couple of pills on the napkin by my water. Then he pushes my hair to the side and pulls me closer to him.
“Eat,” he demands.
I stare at the pills, wondering if they’re drugs. Seems like something he’d give me.
Mikhail senses I’m hesitant. His fingers start to tap on the handles of his chair before he loses his patience with me. “I swear, Sloane, I will hand-feed you if I have to.”
“I’m not taking those pills.”
“Why?” he asks. “You need the vitamins because you decided starving yourself would be fun.”
“I wasn’t starving myself. I didn’t have the stomach to eat. I’m sure you know why.”
The arrogance of this man is sky-high. In a strange way, I can tell he’s trying to take care of me, but it was his actions that made me feel the way I did.
He grabs my hand and puts the pills in my palm. “Swallow them.”
I look around the table and notice everyone watching us argue. Not wanting the attention anymore, I take the pills and down them with water.
“You guys are having fun,” Gabe mutters.
“Send it to me, Oliver. I’ll talk to the owners about making a deal,” Mikhail says, continuing the conversation and ignoring Gabe’s comment.
“Sure thing. Also, Mom told me to tell you the charity event has doubled in guests who plan on attending.”
Mom?Oh my God. How old is Mikhail? Is this his son?
“Tell her to double the catering then.”
“Can’t you tell her yourself? You never talk to her anymore.”
He has a son ...
“Oliver, did Aaron ever get back that money he owes me?”
The men chuckle. “He got half. He’s working on the rest.”
“I told him twenty-four hours. It’s long past due,” Mikhail says.
I take a bite of the food. It feels good to be able to finally eat. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep it down.
