Chapter 32 Ivy
IVY
Settling in takes time.
I knew it would, but knowing and living it are two different things.
The first few days pass in a blur of introductions, half-smiles, and staff bustling around like they’ve trained their entire lives to be the perfect version of polite to their guests-turned-new masters.
I expected disdain, cold shoulders, maybe even outright hostility considering who I am and the baggage I dragged through their doors yet again, but Maksim’s staff surprises me. They bow their heads, address me with respect, treat Leo like he’s some kind of little prince.
Leo eats it up, of course. He’s fascinated by the idea of having people who bring him snacks on command or who patiently sit through his endless questions about the house.
The way he runs down the wide halls like he’s found himself in a castle makes me want to believe this could be a real home for us.
The inner circle, on the other hand, is another beast altogether.
I get along fine with the twins, and even Andrey has come around to greet me politely each morning when we all sit together for breakfast.
The real problem is Matvey.
He watches me constantly like I’m a bug under glass, his mouth always pressed into a line that says he’s remembering every mistake I’ve ever made.
I don’t exactly blame him. He was the first one to suspect I was hiding something.
The first one to find the signs that I might be planning to betray Maksim.
And even though it all worked out in the end, I never gave him the full truth. I never earned his trust back.
So today, I find myself looking for him.
I spot him in one of the sunrooms, sipping something dark from a ceramic mug while hunched over a laptop propped up on the table in front of him. His posture is horrible, bent at an odd angle that can’t at all be good for his heath.
Lettie hums beside me, determined to shadow me for the day while Leo is in a session with the tutor Maksim set him up with early this morning. Before I can open my mouth and greet Matvey, Lettie swoops in and settles herself on the cushion next to him
“Hello there,” she says, giggling when he jumps and practically spills his entire cup. She leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees, chin propped on her hand. Her lashes flutter so obviously that it has me cringing from three feet away. “You’re Matvey. Right?”
He eyes her up and down warily. “Yes…?”
“A little birdy told me you’re super, duper smart. You’re the tech guy, right? The one who controls all the computers?”
He blinks a few times at her, eyes darting over to me for a brief moment before coming back to her. “Yes?”
Lettie grins. “Wow, that’s so cool. I love an intelligent man. They’re so hot.”
Matvey goes red. Bright red. I stop dead in my tracks, unsure whether I should intervene or watch this car crash unfold right before my eyes. I’m half tempted to, considering I kind of owe him for helping save me and my child’s life, but then again…
Matvey strikes me as the kind of person who doesn’t get out much. Especially when it comes to getting laid. Always trapped behind a computer screen doesn’t spell well for a love life no matter how good-looking and cutely nerdy you may be.
Maybe my sister can be good for him, break him out of his shell a little and keep him from obsessively focusing on me.
“I… uh… thank you?” he stammers, clearly wishing the ground would swallow him.
Lettie smiles slowly and wickedly. She leans in so close, her breath nearly fogs his glasses “Tell me, do all Russian men have a brooding aura, or just you? Because honestly, it’s very intimidating. And definitely super hot.”
My jaw nearly drops.
Oh, Lettie. Let the man breathe first.
Matvey sputters words that don’t at all make sense—a jumble of Russian and English all smashed together as he frantically sets his cup down before he spills what’s left in it.
He lifts a shaky hand to fiddle with his glasses, a soft noise escaping him when my sister reaches up to tug them off his face.
“Much better,” she teases.
His ears are scarlet now, and the sheer panic on his face nearly makes me laugh.
Before I can, a dry voice cuts through the room. “Are you done torturing him yet?”
I turn to look over my shoulder, spotting Lev leaning against the side of the doorway. There’s an amused gleam in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. It makes him look far younger than I ever thought possible.
Lettie jumps to her feet, coming over to offer her hand to him for a formal handshake. “Ah, and you must be Lev. Maksim’s right-hand man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
He raises a brow though he takes her hand in a firm grip. “And you must be Ivy’s sister. The one trying to find herself a Mafia husband.”
Behind us, Matvey balks.
She grins like he just handed her a compliment. “Oh. So, you’ve heard. Does that mean you’re interested in putting your hat in the ring to try your luck at being one of my suitors?”
Something like a laugh escapes him. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to commit to something like that. Best of luck to you, though.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. “Who says I need luck?”
He lifts a single brow, watching her with that steady, assessing gaze he always has. “I’ll give you this, you’re persistent.”
She winks. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I roll my eyes so hard it hurts. My sister, in Russia for less than a week, is already setting her sights on two of the most dangerous men in the goddamn building. Next, she’ll be hitting up Roman, and that is a can of worms I absolutely do not want to get involved with.
Especially since Katya seems like the protective type of older sister regardless of there only being a difference of seven minutes.
Lev eventually pulls away from my sister’s antics and nods his chin toward me.
“Walk with me,” he says.
I follow, grateful for the out. We end up in one of the quieter hallways where the noise of my sister tormenting Matvey fades behind thick doors.
“How are you holding up?” Lev asks.
I hesitate, though not because I’m intimidated. I appreciate the way he looks at me without judgment, how he hasn’t treated me like a traitor since day one even though he has every right to. It makes me want to be honest with him.
“It’s not easy. I know none of you trust me. Hell, I don’t blame you,” I admit.
He tilts his head, waiting.
“I do regret it… selling Maksim out like I did. I did it for a good reason, but I should’ve tried to work with you all once I was free. I was… Mikhail terrified me, having my son at his mercy. I felt trapped.”
Lev studies me for a long moment. “You did what you had to do. None of us can call you wrong for what you did.”
Something inside me eases. His words don’t erase the guilt, but they dull the sharpest edges of it.
“Thank you. I appreciate your saying that, Lev.”
He nods once, then his gaze hardens into that familiar look I’m used to seeing him turn on everyone else. “But let me be clear. If you try that shit again, if you betray him—or any of us, for that matter—you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
I meet his eyes. “If it ever comes to that, I won’t resist when you come to kill me.”
For the first time, something like approval flickers in his expression. He pats my shoulder once, awkwardly, before stepping back. “Good.”
Then he turns on his heel and strides away, straight back toward the sound of my sister’s laughter.
“Poor Matvey,” I mutter under my breath, picturing Lev pulling him out of Lettie’s clutches.
Later, I find Maksim in his study.
He’s seated behind his desk, papers spread out in front of him. His face is tense, the set lines around his mouth only smooth when he looks up and sees me.
“Hello, Milaya.”
I smile and cross the room.
He takes me in his arms, pulling me down onto his lap and cradling me like I’m something precious. I soak in his warmth, delighting in the sound of his steady heartbeat thrumming under my ear.
His finger hooks under my chin, lifting it just enough to press a kiss to my lips.
“Ya tebya lyublyu,” he murmurs.
I wish I knew what that meant.