Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Genevieve
Today was the day Richmond had to present the office with what he discovered and how he fixed it and frankly, I didn’t feel sorry for him.
After Collin was dismissed, Rose mentioned overhearing him telling one of the interns how he thought I must’ve lured Collin into the bathroom and played victim.
He said a couple of things about how I always tried to flirt with him when I was a receptionist, which was very odd because his assholery started the moment I declined going to lunch with him.
Caroline had insisted I report the matter to HR, but I refused. I’d long learned Collin was a kid with an overgrown ego who craved attention in any shape and form, and I wasn’t going to give it to him.
There was also the mild case of Kazimir charging Collin with assault, insisting he be added to a sex offenders list and blacklisting him everywhere.
The revelation came as a shock to me, and the men in the office didn’t hide the wide berth they gave Kazimir.
Reporting Richmond’s statement to HR was bound to trigger a series of events I didn’t want to discover, and I wouldn’t want to be known as the girl everyone avoided.
However, to my disappointment, Richmond had noted the same errors Anna and I pointed out and claimed to have fixed them in a newer model.
“As usual,” Nikolai said when Richmond was done presenting. “We’ll send samples to the staff and expect feedback. I hope you did everything you claim you did.”
Richmond was as white as a sheet but he nodded, his gaze darting to Kazimir who looked bored out of his mind.
The meeting was dismissed and Kazimir left the conference room with Nikolai for his next meeting in his office.
Thankfully, this did not require my presence but he had insisted I hang around.
I’d been avoiding him since I ran into Svetlana at the boutique, spending most of my time in Caroline’s office and only working in mine while he was away.
If he noticed the distance, he didn’t say, but I was thankful for the lack of confrontation because what would I say?
“I ran into your friend at the mall and she told me you frequently changed women, so I headed home and looked you up, found out she wasn’t lying and now I’m mad? Jealous? Hurt?”
It sounded stupid even to me. And even worse, I was yet to figure it out as Anna advised.
She’d brought up the topic again, reassuring me it was fine to want a man for what he can provide, as she was certain Kazimir was keeping me around for something too.
Despite that, I still couldn’t bring myself to accept the situation.
I knew I was an adult and free to have sex with whoever I wanted and for whatever reason I wanted.
However, this was a situation I had gone into with a very different mindset and motive: to lose my virginity and have sex with the man I had the biggest crush on before dying.
If it were left to me, I’d only have sex with a man I loved and one who loved me back. I wouldn’t jump head first and think later.
But here I was, very much alive and living with the consequences of what was supposed to be a one-night stand, and even worse, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop.
And it was all my fault. I can’t be mad at him for the nature of our relationship when I was the one who threw sex at him on the first encounter. He probably thinks that’s all I want.
So what do you want?
The question I couldn’t answer resurfaced as I made my way to Caroline’s office.
I was drawn to Kazimir, but I was also scared of him, and I knew I was yet to scratch the surface.
The man controlled an entire crime ring, blew off a man’s fingers in front of me, tried to fuck me with a gun, and somehow presented himself as the perfect businessman to the public.
I knew there was more beneath the surface. I also knew I would find my answers when I dug deeper, but for some reason, I was hesitant.
“The boss has a visitor,” Caroline said as I entered her office.
“Well, he’ll have to wait. He’s in a meeting.”
“She.”
I lifted my eyes. “Sorry?”
“The visitor, it’s a she.”
We both stared at each other for a while.
In all my time working for Kazimir, the only time he had a woman looking for him was if she was a part of a team. A woman has never come to see him on her own.
“Where is she?”
“On her way up. Sylvie tried to tell her the boss was busy, but she said she was special.”
“Special?” I repeated.
“Yup.” Caroline leaned back. “It’s why I called you out. I’ve got to say, I’m anxious to meet her.”
As if on command, a knock rang on Caroline’s door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, revealing Svetlana in a gorgeous silk shirt and dress pants, paired with heels that took her height to six feet or above.
“Hello, Genevieve,” she greeted when she saw me. “The receptionist said to drop by here before proceeding to Kazimir’s office.” “Hello.” She acknowledged Caroline like she was just seeing her.
I recovered from my shock faster than I thought possible, clearing my throat and slapping on a fake smile. “The boss is currently in a very important meeting and has requested not to be disturbed.”
“Nonsense,” she scoffed. “He’ll see me.”
“Do you have an appointment?"
She gave me an incredulous look. “I don’t need one.”
“Svetlana, I know you share a very close relationship, but this is a very important meeting. Do you think you can wait a little?”
Her brows widened briefly when I used her name, but she recovered immediately, glancing at her watch.
“I’m sorry, dear, but I don’t wait.” She turned back to Caroline. “Was there another reason I had to stop here?”
“Only to know if you had an appointment and sort you out if there was a mix-up,” Caroline replied.
“Alright then. I’ll just head in.”
I hurried after her as she left the office, catching up with her before she reached Kazimir’s office. “I’m sorry, Svetlana, but I can’t let you in. It’s an important meeting.”
She studied me through the bridge of her nose. “I know you’re trying to do your job, dear, but trust me, Kazimir won’t like it if he found out you kept me from entering his office.”
Maybe it was her tone, or maybe it was the condescending way she was currently staring at me, but something in me shifted, taking the politeness out of my voice. “He won’t like it if I let you storm into his meeting either.”
Her lips tipped. “Let’s see.”
She pushed past me with a force I didn’t expect a woman as slender as she was to possess, entering the office before I could recover.
I hurried after to prevent the chaos, but she was already in.
“I’m so sorry, I tried to—”
“Hello, gentlemen.” She flashed a bright smile, revealing a clean set of porcelain teeth.
“Svet.” Kazimir nodded at her, his eyes shifting beside her to me.
“I told her you were in a meeting.”
“It’s okay, Miss Sinclair.” His voice hardened. “I’m sure Svet here has a good reason for interrupting my meeting.”
Svetlana smiled, walking towards him with an extra sway to her hips. “Depends on your definition of good, but I do consider my reason important.”
She stopped when she got to the table, lowering herself into the seat next to Kazimir.
As usual, Nikolai’s face was the picture of amusement, although I did notice a slight difference when Svet sat opposite him, but it didn’t dim the laughter in his eyes.
Kazimir, on the other hand, didn't look amused, but he also didn’t react the way I expected. Instead, he shocked me beyond words.
“Gentlemen, let’s finish this some other time.”
If I didn’t catch my jaw in time, I would’ve heard it hit the floor with the loudest thud.
The men—including Nikolai—rose from their seats while Svetlana dropped her bag on the table, making herself more comfortable.
I didn’t know what to make of the scene, but I was full of questions.
I made to leave the room as the men exited, figuring whatever Svetlana had come to discuss would not require my audience, but I was barely out the door when she called me.
“Genevieve, dear, would you mind getting me a cup of coffee?"
When I turned, her smile was taunting and her eyes gleamed with triumph.
“Have mine,” Kazimir said, shifting his cup to her, but she pouted, shifting it back to him.
“And die of caffeine concentration overload and no sugar? No thank you.” She turned to me with her saccharine sweet smile. “I’m sure your assistant here knows how to make a latte; all assistants are good baristas.”
Kazimir didn’t say anything, so I nodded, forcing a smile. “Coming right up.”
My blood boiled over and my hands shook so much I had to curl my fingers into fists to steady them.
Caroline found me at the coffee station, her eyes filled with questions.
“Nikolai said to reschedule the meeting. Did he cancel it for her?”
I nodded stiffly, fighting the urge to not exchange sugar for salt.
“Woah. Who is she?”
“I don’t know, Caroline, but you can go in and ask her.”
“Woah.” She backed up. “Easy, tiger. I thought we were all hungry for gossip.”
I let out a loud puff of air, willing my features to relax. “I’m sorry, I’m just in a mood.”
“She’s a bitch?”
“Said all assistants were glorified baristas and asked me to go fix her a latte.”
Caroline gasped. “And the boss?”
I felt the dying fire flare back into life inside me. “He just sat there.”
“Wow. I mean, I know he’s all scary and stuff, but he never lets people talk down on employees.”
I bit my tongue to keep the words at the tip from spilling.
“And he did seem very protective about you when Collin…”
“Appears there’s a hierarchy to things and Svetlana happens to be at the top of the food chain.”
“You need help with that?” She looked at the machine I was currently squeezing.
“Nah. I can take care of one rude visitor.”
Caroline nodded, but she didn’t walk away while I fixed the coffee.
If it were a different person, I would’ve thanked her for the offer and happily handed everything over to her with the excuse of a bathroom break, but this was far more than a rude guest.
She was trying to make me as uncomfortable as she did at the boutique and assert whatever dominance she was after. I would sooner see my casket than give her the satisfaction of winning.
I covered up the coffee and headed back to the office without saying a word to Caroline.
I felt her eyes burning into my skull as I walked, and I knew she would have questions later, but I’d deal with them later.
If I was able to navigate days of grilling in the days following the employees' hangout and Kazimir leaving with me after beating Collin to a pulp, then I was sure I would survive another session of she and Rose picking my brain apart over a rude guest.
When I opened the door, Svetlana had her feet on the table while Kazimir watched her with a look close to irritation.
“Here’s your coffee.” I settled the steaming cup next to her on the table and turned immediately.
And again, I barely made it to the door before she called me back.
I turned to find her dramatically dabbing at her tongue. “This is too hot. Do you think you can get me some water to cool off?”
I glanced at the barely steaming cup and then to Kazimir, who pretended to have no idea what was happening.
“Of course. Will be right back.”
Caroline was still out, fixing a cup, when I grabbed a bottle of water and made my way back to the office.
At this point, every part of me that was confused by her actions in the boutique and felt she was trying to help despite her mode of delivery was all sorted out.
She was a bitch, and her sudden appearance here barely a week after the boutique told me she knew exactly what she was doing.
Maybe she was a friend trying to get promoted to something more, or maybe she wanted to stake her claim; whatever it was, I was done being humiliated.
“Here’s the water. I hope you enjoy your coffee.”
“One more thing, Genevieve—”
“Miss Sinclair is my assistant and not a server.”
She bristled under Kazimir’s tone, her bravado suddenly falling apart.
“I just needed a sandwich.”
“Then I’m sure you know where to get one,” Kazimir replied, his tone as hard as the lines marring his features. “You’re yet to tell me the reason for your visit, Svet.”
Despite the anger I was feeling, I was mildly relieved to see Svetlana grappling for words and trying to regain her composure.
Kazimir finally turned to me, his voice softening slightly. “You can leave, Miss Sinclair.”
I was mildly grateful to him for stepping in, but the thought did not make me giddy. It took him two tries to step in, and I was grown enough to know that no woman acted that way around a man if they didn’t have some form of relationship.
He cleared out an important meeting for her, asking everyone including Nikolai to leave, and now he let her act out a little before calling her to order? There was definitely something more.
It also wasn’t lost on me how he repeatedly called her Svet.