Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Daisy
My body was still quivering with the aftershocks of my orgasm when guests started to arrive, and it didn’t matter what I did to try and stop it; it kept on trembling.
Every time I thought I had it under control, I’d remember the feel of his hands and mouth on my skin, and a mini-orgasm would rip through me again.
I stayed where he had left me, on my back in the middle of my bed. The only time I had moved was to pull the blankets over my nakedness. That was around the time the music had started and the first guests had arrived.
An hour ago, maybe more.
Was he out there with the taste of me still on his lips?
Did he have me on his fingers still? I knew Ilya.
It was the kind of thing he would do. Hold his fiancée's waist and shake hands with fingers that had so recently been inside of me.
Just like he had made me cum whilst telling me how worthless I was.
Or maybe he really did care for Marguerite? He was going to marry her, after all. There had to be some feeling for her.
Surely he wouldn’t greet his guests, his fiancée, and her family with me still on his fingers? Would he?
Yes, Ilya was a heartless monster.
Tonight had proven that to me. And I hated myself that I had cum for him anyway. It would have been easier if he had fucked me. I could have gotten over that. But to have him touch me so expertly whilst saying such hateful things made me feel dirty.
It made me feel worthless.
Which was exactly what he wanted me to feel.
A giggle sounded from outside my door. Right outside. A woman’s laugh that she tried to hide. Instantly the laughter was cut off, broken by a whisper. Almost like whoever was out there was trying to be discreet.
My interest piqued, I yanked on the clothes Ilya had thrown around my room in his hurry to get me naked and under him earlier, and tiptoed to the door.
Ilya had told me to stay in my room, that he would knock if he needed me to watch Alec, but opening the door wasn’t against the rules, was it?
Especially when I spotted Alec’s back, his shirt already untucked from his pants as he hurried towards the back of the apartment and towards the guest bedrooms.
Instantly my interest was piqued. Throwing one glance behind me towards the party, I had a second to wonder where Ilya was in all those glamorously dressed people, and then I went after my son.
I caught up with him a second too late. He had already opened a closed bedroom door and stepped through by the time I reached it.
And right there, her slinky red dress hitched up around her hips, was Marguerite. The man who was kissing her wildly was not my Ilya.
"That’s not my papa." Indignant, Alec barreled forward, his little fists clenched, and that’s when they saw him. Faces flushed, they rounded on him. The man, his blond hair falling into his eyes, grabbed at his arm and dragged him further into the room.
"Little shit saw us." Roughly, he shook my child. "If he tells—"
Sliding from the chest of drawers, Marguerite smoothed her dress down her legs. "He won’t say shit, will you, you little shit—"
I moved on instinct, rushing across the room to block the slap she aimed at my son's face. "Don’t you—" Roughly I tossed her away so she landed in a heap next to the bed. "—dare touch him."
Never in my life had I ever been so angry. Tugging Alec into my side protectively, I wrapped my arms around him and glared at her.
I’d known there was something rotten about her; Alec had as well.
"Does Ilya—" I began to say, when she opened her mouth and screamed, smashing her head against the wooden bed frame over and over again.
Completely confused, I stayed rooted to the spot. What the hell was she doing?
"Ilya!" she screamed so loudly that the music was abruptly cut off, and the sound of feet running towards us had me turning towards the door just as Ilya appeared in the doorway.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Quickly, his eyes scanned the room, taking in her prone form and then where I was shielding Alec.
An uneasy silence fell.
"She was in here with—" I began to say and fell silent. The man was gone. I couldn’t even see him in the crowd. "She was in here with another man."
Ilya's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
I swallowed hard. I knew that quiet, calm voice better than anyone. It meant he was furious.
"She’s lying!" Marguerite screamed, pushing herself up from the floor to tower over me. Next to me, Alec shrank back, hiding his face in my leg. I tightened my arms around him, desperately trying to shield him from the ugliness that was about to come.
"I followed Alec in here. I knew you wanted him at the party, so I was going to bring him back, and then she came in and attacked me." As if to prove her point, she touched the rapidly forming bump on her temple where she had smashed her face against the bed frame.
"She told me to get out." Rushing forward, she tried to hide her face in Ilya's chest, only he stepped away.
"What do you mean she attacked you?" His eyes darted between the two of us. "Why would Daisy do that?"
"Because she wants you, Ilya." The angry words ripped themselves from Marguerite's painted mouth. "You have to see it. You can’t be that blind. She is in love with you."
Ilya's eyes darted towards me, an indent between his eyebrows.
"Daisy is not in love with me," he said with a sigh. But his eyes kept flicking towards me almost like he wanted to ask me if it was true. I kept my lips tightly shut. "She is Alexander’s nanny. An employee. Whatever you think you know, Marguerite, it’s wrong."
She lifted her chin, her shoulders straightening. "She’s not just his nanny, though, is she?" Her voice was rising to a fever pitch. "I had my father look into her when I first saw her here, and do you know what I found out?"
I could do nothing but stand there. My throat working as I tried to swallow down the bile rushing into my mouth. She was about to out me for the entire party to hear, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
"I thought it was strange that she was so comfortable around you both," she continued. "It wasn’t proper how she looked at you." Marguerite was on a roll now, her words meant for the audience that had gathered, and she was going for maximum damage.
"And you looked at her too." Her chin wobbled dramatically.
"You thought I didn’t see, but I did. I could tell you wanted her.
" Theatrically, she wiped at her dry eyes.
"I thought it was kind of clichéd, the powerful man lusting after the help, but she’s not the help, is she?
" Not waiting for him to reply, she added, "She’s his—"
"That’s enough," Ilya snapped. "We can discuss this in private when our guests have left."
She flashed angry eyes at him. "She’s his mother. Alexander’s birth mother."
A gasp went up from their guests.
"She was paid to give birth to him and then left with a hefty check.
" Eyes darting to me, Marguerite scowled.
"I know the game you are playing, Daisy.
What happened? Did the money run out?" She took a threatening step towards me, and I pushed Alexander behind me.
"Did you think you could come back in here and make Ilya love you?
" She scoffed. "Ilya is my fiancé. Alexander will be my child. You’re nothing but a money-hungry broodmare who doesn’t care about either of them. "
"I love—"
"Tell them I’m lying. Defend yourself." Roughly, she pushed at my shoulders. "I won’t let some jumped-up gold digger take what’s mine."
I shoved her right back. "What’s yours? You were in here with another man. Kissing him. I am Alec’s mother; I won’t ever deny that."
I desperately wanted to look behind me to see Alec’s reaction, but I couldn’t look away from the screaming hellcat in front of me.
"See, you heard it from her mouth. She’s been trying to seduce my fiancé. She’s nothing but a—"
I slapped her, straight across the face, rocking her head back.
"You all saw it. You saw her slap me." Hand to her red cheek, she lifted her tear-filled eyes to Ilya. "I want to press charges."
He didn’t say a word. He just stared at her, and then he shook his head. "No."
A murmur went up from behind me.
"No?"
"I will deal with Daisy in my own way." Half-turning towards me, he scowled. "Go to your room, Daisy. I will deal with you in the morning."
Everyone fell silent. It was like they were all waiting for him to explode, but I had never seen him look so calm.
"I will deal with you first. Who was the man—"
She rushed into his arms again. "There was no other man. There never has been. You have to believe me."
For a second, Ilya looked confused. His eyebrows knitted, and his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Daisy, who did you—"
She cut him off with a screech. "You believe her over me? She’s jealous, Ilya. You can’t believe anything that money-hungry whore says."
"I wasn’t the only one who saw you," I said evenly, my eyes clashing with hers.
He turned his pale eyes on the child sobbing by the wall. In all the commotion, I had almost forgotten he was still here in this room.
"Did you see something, Alec?" Ilya asked softly.
The little boy did nothing but sob into his hands. All the shouting and screaming was too much.
"Like he’s going to tell the truth. The boy hates me. He’s a brat who will side with the slag that gave birth to him."
I didn’t mind being called names. But the venom in her voice when she spoke about my child was too much. How could you hold so much hate in your heart for a child?
"Send her away, Ilya." Marguerite realized that what she had said had gone too far and instantly changed tactics. Sliding her hand up his chest, she pressed herself into his side. "Send her away so we can be a family. If you don’t—"
Ilya's eyes flashed. "Do not give me an ultimatum," he growled out. "I will deal with this mess in the morning. Right now, this party is over." His head snapped to the crowd that had gathered. "Go home." No one moved.
"Leave."
I stared at him, at the cold anger in him, and the realization hit me like a sledgehammer to the gut. He wasn’t going to deal with this in the morning. He wasn’t going to deal with this at all.
It didn’t matter what I said, or did. He was going to choose to marry Marguerite anyway.
"I’ll leave," I whispered.
Ilya's head snapped around to me. "I said go to your room, Daisy." His voice shook with anger.
"No." Taking a deep breath, I set my shoulders and stared right back at him. I knew he hated it when people spoke back to him, but I wasn’t going to back down. Not this time.
Ilya was letting revenge get the better of his judgment, and it was going to destroy him. All I could do was make sure it didn’t destroy me and Alec as well.
"No, I am not going to stay here and watch this shit show." Desperately I looked for Alec, finding him clinging to his father's legs.
Crouching down, I met my son's eyes. "I will make this better, okay? I will—"
Ilya stepped in front of him, blocking my view. "If you leave now, then you will never see him again. I’ll make sure of it, Daisy. Now go to your goddamn room."
"No." It was the only word that would ever shock him. And all that shock was written all over his face. He hadn’t expected me to stand my ground.
"No, I won’t, Ilya. I’m leaving, and you can’t threaten me with my child again. Not this time." I had half turned on my heel when I heard Alec cry out my name behind me. Turning back to him, I met his tear-filled eyes, and felt my heart break.
"Take me with you. Let me go." He struggled in his father's arms. Ilya lifted him fully off his feet. It didn’t matter; the little boy continued to struggle. "I want to go with my mama."
"Is this what you want, Daisy? You want to leave your son for the second time? Is that how much he means to you?" Ilya's words were cruel. They cut deep, and I almost gave in.
"I am not leaving him. I will never leave him. But I can’t—"
"If you leave now, I will make sure you never see him again." Ilya's voice was a low, angry promise.
Ice filled my veins. "Not the first time I’ve heard threats from a Popovitch.
But I’m not a girl anymore, Ilya. I will fight for him.
" Taking a deep breath, I met my son's eyes for what could be the last time. "I will come back for you, Alec, and I will get you out of this hellhole. I’ll be back because even if your papa doesn’t choose you, I always will. "
And then I walked away.