36. Brooke
I spend the next day in bed trying to process the way my life has erupted into this nightmare. I wake up sad and empty and then dive head-first into anger when I realize it’s not Wilson I’m most hurt by. It’s Lev and what he is doing to me after the connection I thought we had made. Not just on the night we met, but again last night at the auction when he was open and candid with me.
How na?ve could I be?
This has only ever been a means to an end. Or so he keeps telling me.
It hurts, but somehow, my fighting spirit hasn’t diminished with the hopelessness of the situation.
No, my inner fight girl is determined not to make any of this easy on him.
And just the thought of making things hard on Lev is enough to raise my spirits and put a spark back into my step.
To further raise my spirits, I give myself a mani-pedi on the chaise lounge using the nail scissors and nail file I found in the bathroom along with a pretty pink nail polish. I may be backed into a miserable corner thanks to a particular Russian mobster who I can barely stand to look at right now, but I can at least rock some sexy nails while I’m stuck there.
In the afternoon, my rising mood is further bolstered when Elsa texts me with a picture of her and her daughter.
I miss you guys.
We miss you.
Some days I wish I never left.
You sound homesick.
I ache to tell her the truth. To ask her what to do.
The new job is pretty demanding. My boss is a bit of a tyrant.
Are you sure you’re okay?
Other than wanting to poison the CEO’s coffee, I’m really good.
Actually, get rid of that message… they might subpoena it for evidence.
He’s that bad?
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I mutter to myself as I type back another message.
He makes Satan look like a rookie * devil emoji *
* laughing emojis *
We’re all thinking about coming to NYC in the next couple of weeks. Let us know what dates work for you.
I will check with work. Crazy hours.
I feel bad for lying. And I know I can’t keep putting my friends off. They’ll know something is off. But I can’t afford to get them caught up in this mess. Until I figure out what to do, I have to keep them as far away from Lev as possible.
Kind of hard to hide a husband when they visit, though, Brooke.
Gotta go, your goddaughter is demanding boob.
After we sign off with a million kissy-heart emojis, I jump in the shower and try to push the events of last night out of my head and focus on the good things in my life. Like my friends and my adorable goddaughter.
Again, my spirits rise, and I start to believe that I can actually do this. I can marry the monster who is forcing me to, and not fall apart because of it.
But as I’m stepping out of the shower, there’s a knock on the door, and it’s Enya. Her sweet face appears in the doorway. “Mr. Zarkov would like to see you in his office.”
And immediately, the hair on the back of my neck bristles.
Let him see that this is not going to be easy for him.
“Please tell the pakhan that I have other plans and regretfully decline his invitation.”
Enya looks unsure. “Other plans?”
“Yes, important, pressing plans.”
She frowns. “He’ll want to know what they are.”
“Tell him I’m washing my hair.”
She looks confused. And, of course, she would. She doesn’t know that her boss is forcing me into marrying him and that I wouldn’t piss on him if he were on fire because of it.
“It will make him mad,” she whispers.
“Then he will have to deal with it and learn to control his emotions. And if he gets angry with you, tell him he can take it up with me.” I take her hand and give her a warm smile. “It will be alright.”
She leaves, and I close the door behind her, telling myself I’d better brace for impact. Because I have a feeling when the Lev receives my decline, the whole house will shake.