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“To a satisfactory business partnership.”
Gleb hates every minute of this, and his disapproval is written all over his face as he watches Regina direct a smoldering glance in my direction. He has witnessed many meetings like this and knows they end with my companion being fucked senseless before being sent home in the early hours, and he will think this is no different. Regina obviously thinks so too, because the lust in her eyes is focused solely on me as I stare at her with a deepening gaze.
We finish our drinks in silence, and I nod toward the elevator. “Our car is waiting. Shall we?”
Regina nods, her chest heaving and an excited flush to her cheeks as I take her hand and guide her toward the elevator. Outwardly, I am the perfect host, but inside I am burning with revenge. Regina is my key to unlocking this mystery, and I will use her for information. She doesn’t know it yet, but she has been invited here for a very good reason and it will be interesting to see if I was right.
* * *
The Excelsior hotelis the venue for the charity gala, and the paparazzi are out in their entirety tonight. As our limo stops by the red carpet, we exit the car and take our positions in front of the giant backdrop advertising the event. I’m aware our photographs will be immediately posted online with various reporters casting their opinion on our presence.
Regina looks stunning next to me, holding onto my arm as we pose for the photographs required for this evening. Killian is determined to raise awareness for the charity and solidify his position as the most generous benefactor in society.
She is loving the attention, which surprises me because assassins usually prefer to remain hidden in the shadows. She is an exception to that as she stands in full sight and dazzles, relying on the fact nobody would suspect a sweet innocent woman who is one of them.
Her occupation affords her the perfect cover, and she definitely doesn’t do it for the money they pay. She does it to pass through airports undetected and leave before anyone even suspects she was involved.
As we walk into the main reception, she whispers with excitement. “Thank you for inviting me, Alexei. I just want to say I don’t hold what happened when we last met against you. I know it was only business, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to make it up to you.”
It amuses me because she is completely unaware that I’m using her for information, but I just smile. “Business is one thing, but pleasure is a different one entirely.”
I note the hope flare in her eyes as she rewards me with a seductive smile, and it irritates me that these women are so easily manipulated. She would forgive a threat to her life in the hope of ending up beneath me later tonight. It reminds me that I am so done with these vultures and casually glance around the room in the hope of seeing the one person I am aching to be around.
She will be pissed, I already know that, but business always comes first, and my business is protecting her whether she approves of my methods or not.
CHAPTER31
SERENA
Mom is quiet beside me as we travel in the third car toward the event.
“Are you okay, mom?” I ask, placing my hand on her arm in a gesture of support.
“It’s strange being back here.” She says sadly. “It’s as if Australia was another life. There are so many memories surrounding me here, and most of them are bad ones.”
It hurts me knowing mom is suffering and I don’t really blame her. She accompanied me back here for a visit, so she wasn’t left alone to deal with the shit Stoner’s death caused.
His death was ruled as natural causes. A heart attack brought on by excessive living. He was buried and aside from me and my mother, the rest of the mourners were business associates and staff. Mom kept her delight in his passing well-hidden and played the grieving widow in public, but was more like her old self in private.
We discussed her future, and she decided she would rather move back home and find a house somewhere exclusive and enjoy her life as a single woman for once. She doesn’t want to be part of our world anymore and we are welcome to use her home as an escape from it. I fully understand that and am helping her choose the perfect place, although she has her sights set on Los Angeles because she is now accustomed to a hotter climate.
“Do we have to stay long?” She says with a sigh, and I reply sharply, “This is Killian’s evening. We will stay as long as he wants us to.”
She smiles. “You are so loyal, Serena. You always put family first. You are a true Vieri.”
“Of course.” I shrug. “It will always be that way.”
For some reason, her words anger me because she was a Vieri once. She knows how it works, but my argument is no longer valid given the example of my own father and now my aunt.
The car stops at the red carpet and mom exhales sharply. “Let’s get this over with.”
I am helped from the car by Connor, who I still haven’t apologized to enough for deserting him at the airport. He is a true loyal soldier though and carries on as we did before, but I still feel bad about the shit he suffered as a result of letting me slip through the net.
It’s only because I pleaded with my grandfather to reinstate him as my bodyguard that he is here at all and I know I have a lot to do to make it up to him because despite acting as if he has a stick up his ass most of the time, he is loyal to me and probably always will be.
We pose for photographs and then head inside, and mom says petulantly, “I hate these things. I haven’t missed them at all.”
I choose to ignore her comment because she is seriously pissing me off now and I will be happy when she is settled into her own home, and I can go back to being her daughter from afar. It strikes me that mom was always irritating. Always complaining and being critical of our lifestyle. My brothers escape it most of the time and I truly believe she is a little scared of them. I am the one who bears the brunt of her disillusionment, and it can be hard to endure after a while.
