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“I’ll think like a nurse when I’m on the clock.” I snarked with a soft scowl, not wanting to admit my older brother was right, like always.
Sighing in defeat, Greg shook his head softly at me before giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I’m heading out of town for a day or so for a case. So, I was just popping by to see him for a bit before leaving.” There was some hesitation to his voice as he looked at our father with sad eyes.
Greg probably hoped for the same thing I did. Hope that we would come in one day and our father would be awake and alert in his bed, not comatose.
Any day now though.
“Any news on our rogue men?” Maybe a change of subject will help lighten my mood. Well, hopefully it would.
“One is dead, one is still in the wind, and the other is tied up and being ripped into as we speak.” Greg reported to me flatly as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “The rest are good though, we made sure of it. The three that swapped sides only did so out of greed from the looks of it.”
I knew having moles and leaks were a danger when working with people. I just didn’t think I would have to deal with them this soon. Well, at least the three who went rogue didn’t do it because I was a shitty leader. Granted it still sucked to have it happen, but my stepmother was currently richer than me by far.
“Is the one we have captured spilling anything useful?” I started to grow tired of being a step or two behind my stepmother. Hopefully with my leaks out of the picture, I would get that footing I needed.
“Hanna hasn’t reported anything to me yet, but we’ll keep you posted, like always. Just, don’t think about it too much right now, you have a lot going on today.” Greg assured me with a soft smile, nudging my shoulder softly with his.
Sighing, I ran a hand through my long locks and looked at my father with sad and regretful eyes for a moment before looking out the window.
Greg’s question broke the brief silence and prevented me from going down a dark rabbit hole. “Where’s Nikolai? I thought he’d be with you.”
“I actually have no fucking clue.” I grumbled in response. I was feeling pissy and icky with everything after talking with Greg.
For the first time in our marriage, I really had no idea about his plans or location. And with this foul mood, I didn’t like that fact one bit.
My mood soured more whensheshowed up out of nowhere with an unsavory accomplice. “What are you doing here?” Might have been a stupid question, but I saw no reason for her visit with Ivan in tow.
“Your husband has yet to teach you manners, I see.” My stepmother snarked back as she came to a stop a little ways from me with her arms crossed. “Maybe he’s as incompetent as everyone says if he can’t control a simple girl like you.”
Luckily for her, I wasn't one to make a public scene. Otherwise, I would have slapped her across the face for insulting Nikolai. “Yet he’s more successful and powerful than you, so I guess that makes you very incapable of handling anything and helpless. Keep talking bad about my husband and you’ll find your tongue at the bottom of the ocean.”
I’ll settle for being a mouthy bitch instead. “You still think you’ve won with carting me off to the bratva? Well, news flash, not everyone is an insignificant little piece of shit floating around in the sewer like you. Some people actually know how to be decent with others and play well with them.”
Perhaps she thought arranging me to Nikolai would be the end of me given his past reputation, but she was dead wrong. I wasn’t six-feet underground or locked away in some dreadful basement. I flourished with Nikolai, because of Nikolai.
“Enjoy it while it lasts. Your kingdom was doomed before you knew it.” The cocky smirk on Lady Qing’s face was too much for my comfort.
It could have been a ploy to get under my skin, but it looked and felt too real. Victory was in her grasp, and she rubbed it in my face.
Had she won? No, she couldn’t have. Was I clueless about something huge under way? Did she have something planned or done already? What did she mean with her words?
I can’t let her win. I refuse to let her win.
