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Sergei’s brow lifted back at his brother. “Why should I?” The question was asked with genuine curiosity. Did his family not know him better?
Precisely two hours later, Sergei arrived at the airport to see Fredericka off and the sight of her swollen eyes and red nose almost made him smile, and the temptation became harder to resist when she glared up at him, snapping, “What part of ‘you don’t need to see me off’ did you not understand?” He shrugged, saying, “I had time to spare.”
The boarding announcement for her flight sounded before she could reply, and Fredericka’s heart became so heavy it was a miracle she could still bear its weight without struggling. She gazed up at the Russian billionaire, a part of her unable to believe how much he had managed to make himself important to her at so short a time.
And he wasn’t even her boyfriend, dammit!
“So...” Fredericka gnawed on her lip, her voice trailing off as her mind turned blank. She suddenly couldn’t think of anything to say or, more to the point, she couldn’t think of anything worth saying other than ‘are you okay with me leaving just like this?’
The Russian billionaire’s lips curved in a gentle smile. “Take care of yourself, da?”
His words had her torn between bursting into tears and wanting to smack the smile off his face.That was all he was going to say? Really?Fredericka swallowed hard. “D-don’t promise you’re always gonna call.” Her tone was brusque, but the way it shook at the end killed her. “We both know you won’t. K-knowing you, you’d be too busy working and flirting you’d forget me in a blink.”
But Sergei only chuckled, saying nothing.
Frustration filled her, and she choked, “I mean, who am I to you, right? I’m probably just a nuisance.” As soon as the words came out, Fredericka wished she could bite off her tongue.I’ve hit rock bottom,she realized sickly. She had become what she swore she would never be – one of those clingy girls who acted like they couldn’t survive one second without a guy at their side.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and told herself there was still time to change. In fact, Florida wasthebest solution right now. Over two thousand miles of distance would teach her how to be happily single. Her move might even pave the way to a new romance and—-
Fingers cupped her chin, cutting through her thoughts as it made her look up, and her gaze clashed with amused dark eyes.
She immediately forgot all about finding a new romance as her thoughts were once again consumed with despair. He was so beautiful and sophisticated, dammit. Of course he would forget her, and it would hurt so bad!
“You should go now,” the billionaire advised softly, “if you don’t want to miss your plane.”
And oh my God, now he was acting like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her!
“I really am a nuisance to you, aren’t I?” Fredericka couldn’t help choking out.
“My favorite nuisance,” he murmured gallantly.
“Ha!” She blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay, thinking that jokes were half meant. She may be his favorite, but he said it himself. Shewasa nuisance to him.
“A uniquely adorable nuisance,” he continued as his hands settled on her shoulders, “who’s about to miss her flight if she doesn’t get moving...right now.” And with that, he turned her around so she would be facing the queues.
And then she felt it, a tiny nudge from behind, as if the billionaire was urging her to get on with it and leave.
Fredericka walked away without a word.
When she heard him say ‘take care,pchelka’, she neither allowed herself to slow down nor look back.Talk to the effing hand,she thought numbly. She boarded the plane in a daze. Wasn’t the Russian billionaire unusually callous in his treatment? Even if he wasn’t as unaffected as she was by their parting, couldn’t he at least...pretend?
An assortment of delays had the plane taking off nearly an hour later, and as the force pushed her back against her seat, she told herself firmly,It’s over.That was that for her and the Russian billionaire. Plopping the plane’s headphones in place, she randomly chose a music station to listen to, and a jazz cover ofClose to Youstarted to play. For some stupidly sentimental reason, the lyrics reminded her of the Russian billionaire, and her eyes started to tear up.
Oh no, this couldn’t be happening. She was an adult for God’s sake, and she couldn’t be crying over someone she wasn’t even in love with!
But despite everything, a lone teardrop still managed to track down her cheek, and it heralded the torrent of tears that followed soon after. Fredericka weepily asked the stewardess for a box of tissues and spent the entire flight crying and blowing her nose as quietly as she could.
Thank God she hadn’t told Alyx she was arriving tonight,Fredericka thought as she crumpled another ball of tissue and pushed it down inside the vomit bag. She didn’t think she was ready to handle all of Alyx’s questions. Right now, she just wanted to wallow in self-pity.
Time dragged ever so slowly, but when the plane finally landed, it still felt too soon. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand one last time, she inhaled several times and told herself she could do it. In Florida, she would be just one step away from being state’s attorney. That was her ultimate goal, and that was something to be happy about.
Sobe happy, Fredericka Spears.
Fredericka got to her feet, and when she stepped out of the plane, trusty black legal bag in hand, the first thing she saw was the achingly familiar figure of Sergei Grachyov. The Russian billionaire stood a few feet away from the stair car, a pair of opaque shades dominating his gorgeous face. In his pin-striped suit and with a dozen of bodyguards surrounding him, the billionaire made a tremendously breathtaking sight, and Fredericka couldn’t blame how the other passengers tended to slow down to get their fill of him.
The old woman behind Fredericka loudly cleared her throat.
Oops.Turning red, she forced her shaking legs to move, feeling all the while that she could topple any second.Was it really him? What was he doing here? What did this mean?The questions swirled inside her mind even as cold sweat enveloped her body. She felt so out of control, with the way the Russian billionaire’s presence had made her mood swing violently like a pendulum. From the pits of despair she now found herself in the throes of bliss, and that it was because ofhimwas infinitely terrifying.
