Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
KAYLANI
Sleep eluded me as I stared out my window.
Stars were scattered across the sky but none of the elusive shooting variety. Still, I made a wish. The same one I’d whispered in the dark for years.
Not to be a Mikhailov.
To be free.
To make my own choices.
To keep Goran safe.
A flutter of panic always followed him leaving. Tonight, I finally understood why.
It wasn’t fear for myself.
It was for Goran.
The beach had been a reminder of the dangers of our world. And I was terrified that one day he would take a bullet meant for me. His protective instincts overrode his self-preservation, and I would be the one holding his body as he died in my arms.
I reached for my phone on the nightstand and opened the text thread from last night.
K: You awake?
Sexy AF: I am now.
K: Sorry.
Sexy AF: Don’t be. Are you okay?
K: Yes. No. IDK.
I bit my lip, staring at the glowing screen.
K: I have a competition in Florida in two weeks. Think you can come?
Sexy AF: Miss me already?
K: Please, you should be so lucky.
Sexy AF: LOL!
K: Maybe I should just steal you from Nathaniel permanently.
Sexy AF: I thought you already had.
My body heated. I rolled onto my side and typed what I really wanted to say.
K: I wish you could hold me.
Sexy AF: I am. Don’t you feel my arms wrapped around you? You fit against me perfectly. You are a great little spoon.
I closed my eyes and let his words fill my mind, a smile spreading across my face in the dark.
Sexy AF: Are you sure everything is okay?
K: Yeah. Much better now. Get some sleep.
Sexy AF: So bossy.
K: You love it.
Sexy AF: I really do. Goodnight, Lani.
K: Goodnight.
I held my phone like it was really him.
My body remembered the barn. He had steadied me without trying to fix anything. His eyes told me I was worth a few broken rules.
At some point, I fell asleep. When I woke, it felt like only minutes had passed.
It was shaping up to be a long morning, and it wasn’t even nine. I locked my phone and set it face down on my desk just as my office door opened.
Nathaniel leaned against the frame, two coffees in hand, already dressed like he owned the building—which he did.
“Morning, sis.” He sounded far too chipper for my mood. “Tell me you’ve got the Anderson acquisition mock-ups ready. I need to approve them by tomorrow at the latest.”
I straightened. “They’re right there.” I pointed to the drafting table. “I was going to come see you as soon as I cleared my inbox.”
He crossed the room, and I joined him, snatching a coffee straight from his hand.
“These look great,” he said.
“I adjusted the color palette and tightened the rollout copy. The test market found the others too distracting.”
“Agreed. Send me the digitals. I’ll sign off so we can get started.”
It felt good to be appreciated, to contribute.
Father had given me a job in his office, but then gave me nothing to do. I sat at a desk and looked pretty. A perfect summary of our dynamic.
I loved my father, despite everything. He was my dad, but his views belonged to another century. Accepting Nathaniel’s offer had fractured our relationship. Still, I refused to live my life as a decorative, fragile knick-knack locked behind glass.
Nathaniel took a sip of coffee, his gaze lingering.
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
“You’re not bouncing,” he said. “That’s suspicious.”
I smiled tightly. “Didn’t sleep well.”
“Yeah. That seems to be going around. Goran said the same thing the other day.”
The comment landed heavier than he knew. I forced a neutral expression onto my face. I didn’t think that Nathaniel suspected us, but if I blinked wrong, he would.
My phone buzzed and I welcomed the distraction—until I saw the name and groaned.
Father.
Nathaniel grimaced.
“With a reaction like that, it can only be dear old Dad. Put him on speaker. I want to hear what he’s demanding today.”
I hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen, then tapped the button.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Kaylani,” he said coolly. “Preparations for Saturday’s dinner are underway. You will be there at five sharp.”
There was no hello or a how are you. It was all business and demands.
“I already told you I have a conflict.” I didn’t really but wanted to avoid this dinner like the plague.
“You will cancel it. This dinner is too important for whatever trivial thing you’ve scheduled.”
“I don’t appreciate being ordered around like a child,” I said firmly.
Silence. Then a sharp exhale like I was frustrating him.
“Then don’t act like a spoiled one. You will be there.”
Rage surged through me, and I couldn’t stop my retort.
“I’m not one of your acquisitions. You don’t get to order me around. I don’t even work for you anymore.”
“And yet,” he said smoothly, “you live rent-free under my roof, drive my cars, and spend the money I placed in trust for you. Do you not?”
The words are like a slap as he pressed his metaphorical thumb. “I’m your child, I didn’t realize that I’d be required to pay you back for things you give me. I wouldn’t have taken them if I’d known.”
“Enough of this,” he snapped. “This discussion is over. You will be there. Or else.”
The call ended.
My hands shook as I stared at the phone, then up at Nathaniel.
“Sometimes I really hate him,” I whispered.
“Sometimes?” Nathaniel scoffed. “I hate him full-time. He should be grateful you haven’t cut him out completely, like Titus and I have.”
“How did you do it? How did you live with him treating you like you were…”
“A piece of shit? I stopped being surprised by him. Then I built a life without him.”
I leaned against the desk, heart racing. I knew exactly what this dinner signified. A sale. I was nothing more than a thoroughbred in a parade before a race. The only question would be, who would pay the most for my hand in marriage? Hell, Father might even want me to prance like one of the horses.
Nathaniel crossed his arms.
“I say don’t go. But if you do, I’ll assign Goran to your detail. You need someone there who has your back besides Mother, and one who has a weapon.”
My breath caught, but luckily, he didn’t notice.
“And no, this isn’t a debate.” He was already typing out the text. “Done. He’ll be there.”
Nathaniel stepped toward the desk and pulled me into a quick hug. It was rare for him, but I soaked up the brotherly affection.
Moving back, he placed his hands on my shoulders.
“He’ll keep pushing until you tell him to fuck off.”
I nodded.
Nathaniel crossed the room to leave.
“See you later, sis. Great work on Anderson.”
The door closed, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I sank into my chair and closed my eyes. My phone was still warm in my hand, and my heart pounded with a truth no one else knew.
Nathaniel thought he’d given me protection. He had no idea that he had provided my husband, who would be forced to stand by while men vied for my hand.
Fuck.
I had already made my stand against my father, even if no one else knew it. But I didn’t know how to announce it to the world without it costing Goran his life or tearing my family apart.