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“And risk my mother’s wrath and your brother’s retaliation?” Alina huffs wearily. “No, I’m not going to run away again. I promise. I just wish you’d been honest with me from the get-go. We could have both saved ourselves a lot of trouble.”
“I honestly thought you knew,” I tell her. I turn slightly in my seat. “I’m going to give you my complete honesty from now on, so listen carefully.”
“What?”
“This isn’t what either of us wants, but we can make it work for our families’ sake. Life with me doesn’t have to be miserable. I said I would take care of you. And I meant what I said about wanting for nothing. Don’t think of this as a marriage, but a partnership.”
“A partnership?” she echoes. “You really are all business, huh?”
“We officially have less than three months left until our interview. Until then, will you work with me on this?”
“That’s a funny way of asking me to get to know you.”
I sigh. “Alina…”
“Okay,” she says lightly. She chews on the inside of her cheek, appearing to contemplate everything I’ve said. Eventually she replies, “Okay. It’s not like I have any other choice.”
“From here on out, you’ll accompany me wherever I go. To work, to business meetings, everywhere.”
“So you can keep an eye on me?”
“That, and because we need to seem like a convincing couple when our interviewer finally meets with us. It’ll raise red flags if we show up and can’t stand to be in the same room together.”
“What makes you think I can stand to be in the same room as you now?”
“Fair. You’ll just have to get used to me.”
“Sounds daunting.”
“So, what do you say? Truce?”
Alina gives me a tired smirk. She sticks her hand out to shake. “Truce, but only because you askedsonicely.”
I shake her hand and nod. The stakes are too high. This is probably as good as I’m going to get, so I’m going to take her at her word and roll with it.
Chapter 11
Alina
“Asecurity exercise?” Merrybell shriek-whispers.
“That’s right,” Pyotr replies unapologetically. He types away on his computer, drafting an email. “I thought I sent you a memo. Ben’s a newer member of my security team, and I needed to test his performance. I gave Alina instructions to elude him at the first given opportunity.”
I pick at my fingernails, nibbling on my bottom lip. I don’t feel great about lying to Merrybell, but I can’t very well tell her the truth, either. What would she think if I told her I tried to run away from Pyotr? I doubt that’d go well.
“I’m sorry,” I say for the millionth time. “I really didn’t mean to worry you.”
Merrybell gives me a soft smile, waving a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’m not angry withyou.” She gives Pyotr a pointed glare. “Next time, a heads up would be greatly appreciated.”
“Like I said, I thought I sent you a memo.”
His personal assistant huffs. I can’t believe she bought his lies. I think it’s because Pyotr is so strait-laced and flat on his delivery that no one would ever take him for anything except at his word.
“I have documents to photocopy,” she says. “Is there anything else you need?”
“That’ll be all, Merrybell. Thank you.”
She exits, but she doesn’t go too far. A desk of her own sits just outside the big glass walls of Pyotr’s corner office.
