AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t feel well,” I said.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. After I hung up with Ivan last night, I spent the rest of the night crying quietly into my pillow. When I woke up this morning, my eyes were raw and puffy.
He grimaced at me. “Yeah, you look like shit. Put some makeup on. There might be pictures.”
I shook my head. “I don’t feel well. I’m not going with—”
Suddenly, he leaned in close, his words ripping out in a harsh whisper. “Unless you want me to go spend my new free time with your little friend instead, you’ll get out of this bed and do exactly what I say.Now.”
I knew it was bullshit. Ivan has Jorden. Mikhail and Alexander have been lying to me about holding her captive to control me. If I wanted to, I could have told Mikhail to fuck off and pulled the covers over my head. I could have gone with him and then ran at the first opportunity. The control they had over me is gone now. I’m free.
Except I promised Ivan I’d wait. I told him that I trusted him and I’d let him try things his way.
So, reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed, stepped into my dress fit for a garden party from a patriarchal wet dream, and did as Mikhail said.
A few hours later, I’m still doing as he says.
I give him a pointed look and smile. “How is this?”
“Much better,” he says approvingly. “You’re not half bad when you put a little effort in.”
“Wish I could say the same,” I mumble.
He snaps his gaze to me, annoyance burning in his eyes. Then our waitress reappears with our drinks and the name of her perfume on a tiny square of cardstock. I ignore her and take a sip of my iced tea.
If she actually wants him, she can have him.
Besides, there’s more than enough going on around us for me to focus on instead. The world is big, but the world of rich, privileged socialites in this city who can afford to go out to lunch in the middle of a weekday is small. The room is filled with people I half-remember from my old life. People I’ve seen at fundraisers and weddings who don’t know a damn thing about me beyond the name of my stepfather.
Some glare, though. At least a handful of women in this room must have been at Ivan’s party the night he and I met. And now, it is painfully clear they can’t believe I’m sitting here with Mikhail Sokolov instead.
Mikhail places both of our orders without asking me what I want. Just as the waitress leaves, a couple takes her spot. The guy is my age with a trendy haircut and a pink and green plaid polo tucked into his trousers. But the girl is young. Ridiculously young.
“Mikhail! Hey, man. How’s it going?” the guy asks. His arm is around his date’s waist, holding her close like he’s worried she might run off.
Mikhail stands up and shakes the man’s hand. “Geoff, how have you been?”
They fall into an easy conversation about business or world domination or the size of the sticks up their respective asses or something. So I smile at the girl.
“Hi.”
She gives me a tight-lipped smile and a nod. That same instinctual radar that warned me away from Mikhail all those years ago pings again.
Something isn’t right here.
I smile a little wider, trying to communicate to her that I’m a safe space. I’m friendly. “What’s your name?”
“Lucy.” She folds her hands in front of her nervously and now, I’m convinced she’s no older than seventeen.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cor—Cordelia.” I correct myself clumsily. Mikhail is too busy snickering with Geoff to notice. “Are you two here together?”
She purses her pale lips and nods once.
“Dating or—?”
“Engaged.” She holds up a small hand with an oversized diamond. The ring is gorgeous, but it looks like costume jewelry on her thin finger.
“Oh, wow. Congratulations.”
