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“No, Regina. This was not a date; it was a business transaction. You may now leave.”
Her eyes glisten with a mixture of tears and anger and she is wise to say nothing at all and follow Gleb from the room. As I watch her go, there is an ache in my heart because my little stunt may have cost me a lot more than I am willing to pay.
CHAPTER33
SERENA
Ihad to get away. That was too cruel. Why did Alexei bring that woman here, of all places? He must have done it to upset me, but I don’t know why.
Surely, he realized that even seeing him with another woman would wound me deeply, and yet he did it, anyway.
Mom is silent beside me as we head to the restroom and as soon as the door closes, she says wearily. “That was intense.”
“What was?” I play it cool, and she stares at me with concern. “It appears that Mr. Romanov is playing a game.”
“I wouldn’t know?” I shrug, reapplying my lipstick as if I couldn’t give a fuck what Alexei does with his time.
“That woman.”
“His date.” I hate even saying the word and mom nods. “There was something I didn’t like about her.”
There is an awful lot I don’t like about her, mainly that she was sent to kill me, but I say nothing and attempt a smile.
“She means nothing, mom. Sheisnothing, so I suggest you forget about her. Women like that don’t last long in our world, and I doubt you will ever see her again.”
“Sarah.”
We glance up as the restroom door opens and my heart falls when I see my aunt enter.
“Giselle.” Mom kisses her three times and smiles.
“You’re looking well.”
My aunt shrugs. “It comes with being a widow. I’m sure you will soon feel the same effects. I’m sorry for your loss. Joe was a good man.”
Mom nods, rewarding her with a shaky smile.
“He was the best. We were so happy.”
I stare at her in surprise because it’s as if she wants everyone to believe they were deeply in love, and I note the flicker of rage that lights in my aunt’s eyes and wonder if there’s something I’m missing.
Mom shakes her head. “I came back with Serena to start again. I’m thinking of buying a house to be near my children. I’ve missed them so much.”
She tries to disguise it, but I note the irritation in my aunt’s eyes, and I can sense the tension between the two women. It’s as if they are playing a game that I don’t know the rules of and every sentence they speak has another meaning entirely. It’s almost in code and I am fascinated to watch the events unfold.
“Then I wish you luck, Sarah.”
My aunt says with an insincere smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should really address the reason I came in here for.”
As my aunt heads into the cubicle, I notice the triumphant gleam in my mom’s eyes before she replaces it with a soft look directed at me.
“Come. We should mingle. There are many people I need to catch up with. It’s been so long.”
As we leave the restroom and head into the reception room, I try desperately hardnotto search for Alexei in the crowd. I really don’t want to watch him with another woman because it hurts too much and I wish I could just slip away and head home for an early night instead, alone with my misery.
As we make our way through the crowd, mom is stopped by a family friend and as they chat, Gleb appears by my side.
“Good evening, Serena. You are looking particularly lovely tonight.”
