Chapter 29
“Sofiya, finally!”I say when my sister picks up the phone.
She’s been impossible to get a hold of for the last week, and although that happens sometimes, I’m still uneasy after everything that went down while I was in London.
“Sorry, Lizka. I was at a dress rehearsal. It’s been exhausting.”
I put my phone on speaker and place it on the bathroom counter while I hover the eye pencil near my lashes, attempting a smoky eye.
Roman may be taking Katerina as his date tonight, but he won’t be able to take his eyes off me. I’m going to look my best. Roman Vasiliev can eat his fucking heart out because I’m not going to spare him a second glance.
“As long as everything is good?” I pause, pencil in mid-air, and take a breath. “If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me. About anything.”
She sighs. “I know. You really need to stop worrying about me. I’m not a kid.”
I give up on smoky eyes and press the phone to my ear, leaning on the bathroom counter. “Listen, I don’t want to keep bringing this up, but I’m still feeling uneasy about the night Anatoly dragged you to that business dinner.”
She’s quiet for a minute. “What about it?”
“I just… Who were the men he introduced you to?” Anatoly has refused to discuss the dinner with me, warning me to mind my own business, but for my own sanity, I need to know the details. I need to understand what happened.
“I dunno. Some businessmen from St. Petersburg. The only name I remember is the guy who seemed to be the boss, Sergey. He was nice enough, asking me questions about school and the things I liked to do. My plans after graduation.” She gives a little laugh, and I can tell she was flattered by his attention. “But he’s, like, in his thirties or something. He wasn’t flirting, just being polite. I mostly scrolled on my phone because the whole thing was boring.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Was he the one who gave you the wine?”
“Ugh, this again?” she mutters.
“I just need to know.”
“I … I can’t exactly remember.”
Something about her confusion makes me feel sick. One drink shouldn’t wipe a person’s memory. Then again, as much as she claims her friends drink, I don’t think she does.
“I’m pretty sure it was Anatoly, but it’s hard to say. The drinks were flowing. I didn’t want to make it an issue.”
I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming in frustration. “Okay.” I release a tight breath. “I’m not happy he did that, but it’s not your fault. Just don’t go anywhere with Anatoly again.”
She sounds tired when she finally says, “Nothing happened.”
“I know, Sofiya, I know. But you’re my sister, and my loyalty will always be with you. Anatoly and I are working out a few issues at the moment.”
“But the wedding is so soon!”
I press a finger into my temple. She has no idea how aware I am of that fact.
“It’ll be fine,” I tell her. “Time heals all.”
What I really mean is, if luck is on my side, I won’t be walking down that aisle.
I’min a terrible mood after I get off the phone with my sister, but I don’t allow myself to wallow. There’s no time for that anyhow. Anatoly will be here to pick me up soon, and I need to appear as normal as possible.
I descend the stairs, retrieving my coat and clutch from the main-floor closet. Usually, Anatoly waits for me outside in his car, but when I glance out the front window, I can see his Jag parked to the side.
Strange.
Low voices spill from my father’s study, and I turn, walking towards the closed door. As I approach, something about their conversation piques my interest.
“There’s no more money until after the wedding. It’s clearly laid out in the contract.” Anatoly’s voice is low and menacing, but it seeps under the door like poison.
Not daring to breathe, I press my ear against the door.
“With the wedding so soon, what does it matter? We’ll be family in no time,” my father points out. “It’s just that … I’m in a spot of trouble with the yakuza. You know how heated their poker games can get.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
“I know I drink too much; it’s my weakness. But these guys are serious. I only have a week to pay them back, or I’ll lose an eye. How would it look for me to walk Liza down the aisle with an eyepatch?”
“Terrible.” Anatoly laughs. “Maybe you should have thought about that earlier. Tsk tsk, Boris, you’re a pathetic man, but your sins aren’t my problem.”
Dread seeps into my chest. I”m not surprised by Anatoly’s cruel dismissal of my father, but it still chills me to the bone that the man who wants to marry me doesn”t care a bit about my family”s safety. That alone should set off alarm bells in my father’s head, imagining his daughter married to such a man, but that”s clearly not his first instinct.
Still, I know this wedding isn”t going to happen. Either I’ll have to pay my father”s gambling debts using my investment money, or I”ll have to ask for help.
Roman’s face materializes in my mind, and with a calm surety, I know it’s him I’d call to protect my father. To protect me.
Goosebumps rise on my skin at the realization. No one makes me feel like he does—warm, safe, and utterly protected. Even though I pushed him away, I know he’d be there if I needed him.
I draw a deep, shaky breath because, right now, I need to concentrate on what’s happening on the other side of the door.
“But with the wedding so soon…” My father”s voice carries a tone of desperation that makes my heart clench. Even though he’s deeply flawed and selfish, at the end of the day, I don’t want to see him hurt.
“Until it’s official, we don’t have a binding agreement. Unless … you find a way to sweeten the deal for me.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to, whatever you want.”
My stomach churns with disgust to see how low my father has stooped, willing to hand Anatoly whatever he desires on a silver platter. The implication of “anything” sends a chill through me.
There’s rustling inside the room, like Anatoly is rising from a chair. His voice drops so low that I can’t hear a word, no matter how hard I press my ear to the door.
Shit. What could they be saying?
A few minutes later, their voices go back to normal.
My father suggests a shot of vodka in celebration.
“Haven’t you learned your lesson, you idiot?” Anatoly laughs, and it has a cruel edge.
That’s my cue to back up.
I quietly shuffle towards the staircase as if I’d just come down. When the door to my father’s study swings open, I step off the last stair and feign surprise at finding my fiancé in the hallway. “I didn’t realize you were here,” I say to Anatoly.
“I came early. Took the opportunity to visit with your father.”
My father and Anatoly exchange a look I can”t quite read.
“Very well. I’m ready to go.” I try to hide the quiver in my voice after everything I overheard.
His eyes rake over me, sharp and calculating, with an underlying heat that makes my skin burn. He looks at me like I’m a pretty object he’s happy to have acquired, and truthfully, that’s exactly what I am to him.
“You look stunning.” He gives me a hard, possessive kiss that makes me want to puke in my mouth. He probably thinks I’ve dressed up for him, which is definitely not the case.
I”m wearing a sleek, form-fitting fiery red dress, paired with heels that add inches to my already tall frame. Despite her insult, Katerina isn’t the only one who can pull off red. My hair is pulled back in a chic ponytail, highlighting the smoky eye that I finally got right on the third try.
“Thank you.” I try to keep my tone in check.
My father approaches and gives me a small peck on the cheek. “Have fun, dear.” His averted eyes and hollow tone hint that he’s signed a pact with the devil he can’t escape.
Oh, Papa, what the fuck have you done?