Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
Sage
Nic has barely spoken a word to me since I snuck out. It's like the intimate moment on the driveway never happened. Like he's angry with me for defying him. Which I can't blame him for. Still, his coldness burns me. Especially as he still insists on guarding every room I'm in.
Nic and I are already tense by the time he escorts me to the dining room for dinner.
It's not just the sneaking out. It's the waiting for him to touch me.
It's all the tension that being promised to marry someone else brings.
We're balancing on an unstable pile, and I'm not sure whether I should be angry, or horny as fuck.
Horny is currently in the lead.
When we finally make it to the dining room, everyone else is already seated.
Anton sits as usual at the head of the table, but everyone else is oddly out of order.
Freddie sits on Anton's left instead of Nic.
Victor is still on Anton's right, but there is a spare seat next to him that is usually occupied by his brother.
Supposing I'm meant to sit next to my fiancé, I start towards Victor.
A scoff comes from next to me and Nic narrows his eyes at me as he takes the choice away, sliding in next to Victor.
Unfortunately for me, that only leaves one other spot. The place between Freddie and a smug as fuck Alexei Rushkoff sitting on my other side.
Whoever has done the seating arrangement is getting a kick in the head.
"Are you okay?" Freddie whispers to me, ignoring the greetings and conversation going on around us.
"Fine," I say, but it comes out as a hiss. Freddie's brows jump to his hairline.
"Right. Forget I said anything then..." Freddie says, but he seems to lose his train of thought, his words slurring off as he focuses on something else.
I narrow my eyes, noting there is one other seat that's left empty.
A place is set next to Nic, across from Alexei. And someone is coming in to fill it.
The doors to the dining room open with a flourish and we all turn to look.
Frowning, I watch as the most beautiful woman I've ever seen strides in and confidently takes the seat next to Nicholas.
Like she's been personally invited. Like she's not at all out of place.
She's wearing a red top with puffy off the shoulder sleeves, and jeans, but she looks ethereal.
Her blonde hair hangs down her back in straight lines.
Her smile is wide, her lips framed with blood red lipstick.
She shakes out her napkin, flattening it on her lap, and her blue eyes sparkle as she looks around the table.
I follow her gaze to find I'm the only one who seems able to take their eyes away from her. Vic is choking the life out of his fork as he glares at her. Freddie's jaw practically unhinges from his face and Anton purses his lips.
Everyone is looking at her.
Even... Nic.
My heart drops out of my chest onto the table, where it feels like a knife is slicing me. As if my desecrated heart is about to be served on a platter.
The person who did the seating arrangement is now getting an axe to the fucking throat.
"Princess." It's a tiny, quiet breath that only I hear.
My head jerks to the left and my breath catches.
There is one person in the room not looking at her. Alexei Rushkoff. And he's looking at me.
He gives me a small smirk and then deliberately clears his throat. "Ahem!"
The others snap back into motion, taking Alexei's cue to stop fucking staring, as they go back to their conversations as if the world didn't just stop for a second.
But I'm still stuck staring at the bombshell wondering who, what, when, where, WHY?!
"You must be Sage," the blonde smiles at me. And fuck it comes across as genuine. She looks like a threat, though, so this is very confusing for me.
She is undeniably beautiful and confident in the way she carries herself. It's not surprising she commands the attention of a room.
"I've heard a lot about you," she says, still attempting to draw me into conversation.
She pats her hand across the table, unclenching Alexei's fist and laying her palm on the back of his hand. His body visibly relaxes at her command. I can smell the intimacy between them from here.
With one quick glance at Victor, I confirm he's still glaring at her like he's going to slit her throat with his butter knife.
"Uh... yes." I recover not at all smoothly. "Sage DeMarco. And you...?"
"Isla. Isla Lenkov. But you can just call me Isla." She smiles again and I swear it's like sunshine radiates out of her skin.
"What the fuck are you doing in my house Isla?" I say.
Freddie nearly chokes on his drink, spitting whiskey across the table.
He coughs in the aftermath, to the point where Uncle Anton has to pat his back to make him stop.
Victor's shoulders perk up and he grins.
It's almost comical. The way he straightens with excitement.
I can feel Anton's heated stare boring into my back, but there's no way I'm turning to look at him.
Isla just raises her brow, patting Alexei's hand again like she's his master, telling him to stand down. She releases her hold on him and faces me. "I'm just another guest. A Rushkoff family friend. We go way back. Don't we, Victor?"
Isla gives him a saccharine smile and Victor goes back to looking like he's trying to work out how to plot a murder.
"Right," I say. "How long are you staying?"
"Is that code to ask when you can kick me out?" she laughs.
I just raise my brow in challenge.
"She's fucking staying," Alexei seethes.
Tension brews in the air. Ever the diplomat, Anton chimes in to dissolve it. "Of course, she is. Excuse my niece. She means well. Shall we serve the entrée? Quickly." Anton addresses that last bit to our staff.
Entrées are placed and the guests devolve into quiet and polite chatter. Victor and Anton chortle between each other, while Nic turns to introduce himself to Isla, pulling Freddie into the conversation.
"Well, well, well. Look at the way your bodyguard is watching her," Alexei says, grinning as he leans closer to me.
I clench my jaw, trying to ignore him. But of course, he's right. Nic is conversing with Isla, his whole focus on her being.
"He's assessing her as a threat," I bite back.
"Oh, she's a threat," Alexei chuckles. "To you."
Without thinking, I react first, kicking Alexei's leg under the table.
He jolts and makes a whimpering sound, before he turns a heated look my way. "What the fuck?"
"Next time I hit your crotch, fucker."
Alexei's utensils clammer down onto his plate, and everyone stops to stare as he shoots to his feet. They look predictably alarmed at his outburst. Especially since, from the looks and the little gestures, Isla is here specifically to calm him down.
I do my best to copy their shocked expressions.
Alexei stares devils at me until he looks around the table and must realize that he doesn't have the support of the room. That he looks crazy as hell.
He sits back down, his knee bouncing while the rest of the table tries to move on with conversation. They still shoot him glances every now and again, but Alexei being crazy isn't news, so everyone does move on eventually.
"You set me a trap," he says without looking at me.
"Nope," I smile. "I just really want to fucking kick you."
His utensils clammer down again and I struggle to stifle my laugh while Isla does her best to calm him, running her hands over her face and looking very ashamed.
"Playing with fire, aren't you?" Freddie whispers from my other side, smirking at me.
"He's just so easy to bait," I say, smiling back.
Freddie chuckles. "Too easy." He clears his throat. "And you are right. Nic is just assessing the threats. For as long as I've known him, he's only had eyes for you."
I turn to him in shock, nearly dropping my own cutlery, but Freddie just stares ahead like he hasn't just dropped a bombshell on me. I'm jolted out of my shock when the entrées are cleared and the main is served.
"Before we eat, I have an announcement," Victor says.
Ugh, I'd just picked up my fork to eat. I settle it down and smile politely. Alexei is the only one at the table radiating with tension. Does he not know whatever surprise it is that his brother has in store?
I like that.
Victor stands, his chair scraping across the floor.
"Sage DeMarco," he says, and that's when I realize he's moved and is now standing behind me. Freddie reluctantly pulls his chair back a little to give Victor room. His lips purse like he's displeased, but also like he's not going to interrupt this display either.
Victor pulls my chair around to face him.
"You deserve much more than what I presented you with when I first arrived," Victor says.
"Wha-"
Victor drops to one knee.
Shit.
"Fuck." My thoughts are echoed as both Alexei and Nic speak the word in time.
A new ring box is presented in front of me, clasped between Victor's hands. It's-
"Tiffany!" I let out a delighted squeal.
The reaction causes a scowl from most everyone around the table. Except Victor, who smiles, and does he...? He... yeah, he has tears in his eyes.
Oh, shit.
He opens the turquoise box and presents me with a pear-shaped diamond that has to be at least seven carats.
My jaw drops. It's fucking gorgeous.
"A girl like you deserves a ring every bit as beautiful and unique as she is. We may have skipped a lot of steps, prekrasnaya devushka, and I know we've already done this once. But... Will you marry me, Sage DeMarco?"
My eyes widen. Sure, we've been "promised" for a while now. But, with the intent of getting to know each other. Discussions of peace and drawing out our time together so our families can mingle.
Not... not with wedding planning.
And not with a ring.
My heart jackhammers, and I turn my tortured eyes on Nic, who looks just as pained as I feel. Victor is still smiling when I turn back to him, but now with a noticeable tic in his jaw and a twitching eye.
I hesitate. For the first time, I want to take this back. But still, I say, "Yes." And then nearly choke on a swallow.