Chapter 2 #2
He shrugs. “Alexander’s talent for public manipulation is the only talent he has.
It’s impressive in the way a magician is impressive—distracting, a bit entertaining, but ultimately irrelevant once you see how the trick is done.
” He turns to face me fully. “I don’t fight in the press.
I never have. And I don’t intend to start. ”
He regards me with a stare that’s almost skeptical, as if he’s trying to see straight through to my soul.
“Why are you here, Lyra?”
“Because you invited me.”
“No, not here as in tonight. Here, as in the Volkov world. Why did you apply to this company? Something tells me it wasn’t for the money.”
I find myself wondering if he’s asking because he already knows the reason and wants to confirm it, or because grilling people on the spot is just something he does.
Either way, I tell him the truth. It’s a simple truth, not one worth hiding.
“It was the Irina Volkov Foundation. I wanted to work with children’s programs. That’s what I’m good at—building events that actually move the needle, connecting donors to causes that matter, and making people care about kids that don’t have anyone fighting for them.”
“That’s exactly why I want you back.”
His tone suggests he’s not going to take no for an answer. And I’m not even sure that’s what I want my answer to be.
I open my mouth to speak just as the door swings open, and Laura Volkov emerges.
Laura is in her late fifties, gorgeous and beautifully put together. Her ash-blonde hair is in a perfect chignon. Her baby-blue gown flows around her, making her look almost ethereal.
But it’s her posture that I notice more than anything, the way she carries herself. She’s poised and confident, like she’s had decades of training on how to maintain perfect composure, even in roomfuls of killers.
She is, by any measure, a formidable woman. And right now, her gaze is pointed at me like a blade.
“Julian,” she says, her voice measured, every syllable precise. “I need a word with you about what happened in there.” Her eyes flick to Julian, then back to me. “But first, I need her gone. I didn’t like her when she was engaged to Alexander, and I certainly don’t like her now.”
“She’s not going anywhere,” Julian says without a moment’s hesitation. “Whatever you have on your mind, you can say it in front of her. She’s part of the organization again.”
I open my mouth to object, to tell Julian that I haven’t agreed to anything of the sort. But Laura doesn’t even acknowledge me, let alone give me a moment to respond.
Instead, she narrows her eyes at Julian and takes a step forward. She’s in total matriarch protection mode.
“You humiliated your brother in front of every partner and donor this company has—in front of the press. And that’s to say nothing of our other associates present.”
I keep my mouth shut.
“Alexander humiliated himself already in the way he ran this company,” Julian curtly replies. “Tonight was the night he finally went too far and paid the price. I corrected his fuck-up.”
“You corrected it by firing his companion, seizing his position, and parading your little…” she pauses, her attention on me again. I can sense she’s deciding just how diplomatic to be.
Laura clears her throat, tucking away whatever barb she might’ve had ready, and turns her attention back to her son.
“Julian, I understand you have… desires. But pulling some girl from New Orleans off the street and putting her at the center of a Volkov event is beneath this family. That’s what I said to Alexander, and that’s what I’ll say to you. ”
“Some girl from New Orleans?” I repeat quietly.
Laura doesn’t look at me; her attention is still on Julian.
“Your father would be appalled. This woman was your brother’s fiancée. She is a nobody from nowhere who somehow managed to worm her way into this family and has yet to understand that she’s not wanted, nor does she belong. There’s a word for women like her, Julian. And that word is—”
“Choose what comes out of your mouth next very, very carefully, Laura.”
I’m a bit surprised by the use of her name, but she is his stepmother, so it makes a certain bit of sense. His tone is ice-cold, making it clear there’s no love lost between them.
Laura purses her lips, whatever insult she was about to let loose dying on her tongue.
“You married into this family,” he reminds her.
“My father loved you, and I respected that. But my father is gone, and your authority in this company died with him. Whatever influence you’ve been exercising through Alexander ends tonight.
” He pauses. “If you’d like to continue attending foundation events as a guest, I suggest you remember your place. ”
Laura’s expression changes. It’s not a dramatic change, but something in her cracks at Julian’s words, rage and helplessness flashing across her features in equal parts.
Alexander is her son, and he was just removed from power. There’s nothing she can do about it. And she knows it.
“This company isn’t the only place Alexander has power.”
“He won’t have a seat on the council for much longer either,” Julian replies. “So enjoy what little scraps of authority you have before that’s stripped away, too.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Laura retorts, regaining her composure. “And make no mistake—you’ll pay for tonight.”
Laura flashes one more hateful glare in my direction, then turns to leave. Before departing, however, she levels her gaze at me.
“If you keep trying to worm your way back into this family,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper, “I will make sure you regret it. And that’s not a threat, you little piece of bayou trash—that’s something you can pencil in to your little day planner.”
With that, she strides back through the doors without waiting for a response, her heels clicking against the marble floor.
I exhale sharply as soon as she’s gone.
“Tomorrow morning,” Julian says. “My office. Eight o’clock. We’ll discuss your position.”
I should say no. I should tell him that he doesn’t get to decide my future like that, without my say. Not to mention that every survival instinct I have is telling me to get as far away from this family as possible.