Chapter 16
ANTON
Viktor steps out of the driver’s seat just as Liliana turns and dashes off.
The driver, who ran after her with me as backup, moves to give chase.
“No.” I hold up my hand to stop him, watching her go.
She’s not going to talk to me. Nothing about her attitude is welcoming or encouraging. It reminds me of how we met, when she walked into the vacation home upstate all nervous and cold and caught off guard. Bewildered, even. Underneath all of that, though, she stayed stubborn and independent.
She hadn’t wanted to stay back then.
She doesn’t want anything to do with me now, either.
I furrow my brow, hating that letting her go this time feels like defeat, and I wonder what’s going on. I can’t be the only one missing what we shared. It felt too good, too right. I refuse to believe I’m the only one who wants more of what we found in each other’s arms.
Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s some kind of rejection I don’t want to endure.
But it’s not. Something in her gaze hints at a secret—a fear, something I need to figure out.
“I’m sorry, sir. If I’d known she was important…”
I turn at the sound of Markus’s voice. He exits the passenger side of the car, shaking his head and genuinely looking sorry.
“But you didn’t know,” I say, turning to get in the car with my men.
“No,” Markus agrees as he gets into the back when I gesture for him to get in with me and Viktor while the driver takes the wheel again. “I didn’t know that you have a, uh, woman in your life.”
I huff as the doors close. The warmth of the backseat soothes me, but it does nothing to chase away the question of why Liliana ran from me. “You saw the same thing I just did. She ran from me. She wanted nothing to do with me. Can’t say that makes her a woman in my life.”
The driver hesitates, glancing in the mirror. “Want me to track her down?”
I shake my head. I am nowhere near quitting on her, but this is a game I’ll need to play carefully.
To my surprise, Markus answers for me. “No need to track her down. I know exactly where to find her.”
“How?” I give him all of my attention.
“She works at that bakery.” Leaning forward a little, he points at it as we are driven past it. “Her parents, the Baranovas, own it.” He shrugs. “I think the mother fell and the father’s been helping her at the rehab place.”
I raise my brows, not expecting a rundown of her whole family.
“I’ve been talking with her the most. Her and the other worker, some mouthy woman named Jenni.” Markus smooths down his tie. “Between the two of them, I’ve been getting some payments on the loan we made them.”
I blink. “Loan? They owe the Bratva money?”
Markus nods. “Yeah.” Then he smirks and glances to the side for a second. “You can thank your son for that business.” He says it wryly, more annoyed than amused.
“Why, because he dated her?” I hate asking that, but I can’t go back in time and change that my son had her first.
“Yeah.” Markus frowns. “I forgot that he dated her, actually. He never talked about her often and wasn’t loyal.” He shrugs again.
“What exactly was the loan for?”
“Medical bills, I guess. Plus old appliances and renovation work on the place drained them too. Or the parents just lack that business sense, you know? Anyway, Roman set them up with an account, and now they owe.”
I groan, knowing what’s coming. “And let me guess, Roman fucked it up?”
Markus nods. “It’s like he didn’t even look at the document at all. So, after the fact, I had to take over and protect your business.”
“Can he do anything and not fuck it up?” I mutter. I already know the answer, and I refuse to waste another thought on it.
For the rest of the ride, I get more details from Markus about Liliana. The bakery. Her coworkers. The parents. Everything.
Long after I’m dropped off at my building, I keep digging into everything I’ve learned.
I’m thorough with anything that captures my interest, and Liliana is no different.
She snared me for a couple of nights of lust almost two months ago, and the way she’s stuck in my mind now is closer to obsession.
I spend a couple of hours going through everything I have on her and this bakery.
Viktor had already gathered a fair amount when he arranged to pay for the cars after she skidded into mine.
Further back than that, a cursory background check had been run on her when Roman shared an apartment with her for a while.
None of these details ever came to my attention before, and they wouldn’t have.
He never introduced me to her. I never met her while she was with him.
And because the loan for this bakery is a minor account, so far beneath the big deals and arrangements I personally oversee, I’d never have needed to know that one specific bakery owed the Bratva money.
On any given day, we handle countless loans, bribes, and favors.
So many cogs turn in this business that it’s no surprise I never knew Liliana owes me anything.
And that bothers me.
I lean back in my chair, alone in my office, and sip my drink.
I don’t want to see Liliana as someone to do business with.
I just want her.
Earlier, I tried to delude myself into believing that one more time would do the trick.
Now I’m not so sure. Without my knowing, more links have formed between us. She owes my Bratva money. Her family is indebted to me. That makes her a business partner, but I want to explore how she can be a partner in other ways.
Is that why she got so scared, thinking I’m stalking her?
I furrow my brow, musing over it all. It seemed more like she was hiding something. I can’t shake this hunch that she doesn’t realize her loan is through the Bratva, but that seems unlikely. It’s not like she’s clueless. She’s sharp and smart. And she knows Roman belongs to me.
I sigh, tired of having too many questions and not enough answers.
Nothing is settling right with Liliana, and I brace myself for focusing on her completely. I will see her again, dammit. It’s just a matter of deciding how to keep her from running again.
I plan to head home, but before I can get up, Roman knocks and enters my office. It’s late, for him. This is the prime hour when he’d be gearing up to party and act like a moron.
I raise my brows as he comes in, all smiles, which doesn’t bode well for either of us.
When he tries to look charming like that, it means he’s in the mood to ask for something.
He’s not getting anything from me, which sucks for him.
Meanwhile, I’ll have to endure his whiny presence, which already aggravates me.
“What do you want?” I ask it blandly, expecting it and beating him to the punch.
He chuckles. “Oh, come on. That’s not the only reason I ever come to see my father.”
“Right. What is it this time?” I can’t help my cool, dull tone. The sooner I get rid of him, the sooner I can go back to obsessing over how to approach Liliana.
He shrugs. “I was in the area and figured I’d stop in.”
I’m not asking him the same fucking thing three times in a row. I stare him down and he breaks.
He winces, then smiles too brightly. “I’m kind of hoping you could float me a little funding.” When I say nothing, waiting for him to elaborate, he frowns. “I’ve been working so much lately.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“And my girlfriend is so patient with me. Maeve is perfect. She’s not complaining about the long hours or anything, and I’d like to treat her to something special. You know? Get her a little something to show her off tonight at the club.” He tacks on another smile. Like that’s going to work.
On the topic of girlfriends, I am curious though. I tilt my head to the side and watch him. “How come you never brought your last girlfriend around? I don’t recall meeting her over the holidays.”
“Oh.” He chuckles awkwardly for a couple of seconds. “Her. Um, yeah…” Shaking his head, he smiles wider. “My ex was just in the background while I moved on to something better.”
Real classy.
“You wouldn’t have wanted to meet her. She wasn’t anything special.”
I clench my jaw slightly.
Liliana, nothing special?
“She was so simple. Not elegant or even…” He shapes his hands in the air while he grimaces. “She was overweight and frigid. Not really any fun. I was just with her to pass time.”
Silence spans between us as I watch him.
I’m seething. That he’s so cruel. So judgmental. Criticizing others is human nature, but the wicked righteousness he brings to it sickens me. He’s never done anything to deserve praise or wealth. He’s never tried to accomplish a single thing, just waited for it all to be handed to him.
Liliana is a sexy, sensual goddess, and I can say so with certainty after having her all to myself for those two nights. For Roman not to see what a good woman she is…
I let out a long breath.
Your loss, my gain.
Although that thought rings true, it doesn’t smooth out the irritation that my son had her first, and for longer than I have.
But that no longer matters because I’m determined that she will be mine. And unlike my son, I know when to appreciate something good and rare.
“No.”
Roman frowns. “What?”
“No.” I stand and grab my jacket to pull on.
“No…what?”
“No, I’m not giving you a single fucking penny to spend on your new girlfriend. Or anything else.”
He gawks at me. “Why?”
I roll my eyes, in no mood to lecture him. “Because you haven’t earned it. Contrary to what your mother tells you, and as far as I’m concerned, you haven’t earned anything from me.”
“Yes, I have.” He huffs as I round my desk to leave, like I’m being ridiculous. “I’m your son.”
“Don’t remind me,” I growl.
“I’m your heir,” he adds, far too smugly for my liking.
I grab the front of his shirt and pull him in close to snarl in his face. “Don’t. Remind. Me.”
He squirms, panicked.
“And don’t assume I can’t name someone else in your place. Someone who actually works for my approval.” I release him with a shove.
He staggers back, looking caught between crying and shouting. He’s never learned to regulate his emotions, and I’m losing faith he ever will.
“I do. That’s all I do. I try to impress you, but Mother’s right. It’s impossible!”
I turn to glare at him as he heads for the door, caught in the urge to let this tantrum play out. “All you do is stand around and expect to have whatever you want.” I snap my fingers. “Just like that.”
He sulks, scowling furiously.
“Keep it up, and one of these days you’ll face the consequences of your laziness and stupidity.”