“You looked into her?”

“Of course I did. Vladimir, Igor, and Sergei did, too. You bring a woman out of nowhere and announce she’s your wife and baby mama and think we’ll just nod our heads? You don’t make mistakes, Adrian, so no matter how much you try to convince everyone that you only married her for an accidental pregnancy, I don’t believe it. I’m sure it was all part of a master plan. Now, where was I? Right. The Italian. Even though it seemed normal, when I looked further into him and his parents, I found nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Absolute nada. No normal citizen would cover their tracks that meticulously, would they?”

“No.”

“Exactly.”

“What’s his name?”

“Luca.”

“Last name?”

“Brown. Luca Brown. Ring any bells?”

“No.”

He clicks his tongue. “To me neither. But I’ll find that motherfucker. No one hides from me.”

“Keep me posted.”

“My, my, Adrian. Aren’t you full of love today?”

“Just do as you’re told.”

“And I’ll get something in return?”

“Yes.”

“Fantastic. Love doing business with you.”

I stare at my phone, then focus on Kolya. “Why didn’t you tell me she had an Italian neighbor in your first screening of her?”

“Didn’t seem like it mattered at the time. They were both kids and many in New York have Italian neighbors. I didn’t feel like I needed to go more in-depth.”

He’s right. It shouldn’t have mattered. But after what Kirill mentioned, I have a suspicion that this Luca is even more involved than I ever thought.

There’s only one other person who can tell me the details, even if I have to punish them out of her.

“Let’s call it a night, Kolya.” I stand up and my second-in-command follows.

“Boris sent me a text earlier and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“About?”

“Mrs. Volkov went to the guest house to visit Yan.”

I clench a fist. “You didn’t want to disturb me or were you protecting the little fuck?”

He releases a long sigh. “Both.”

“He knows something, Kolya. He was there and he’s hiding it from me.”

“I know.”

“You finally agree?”

“Yes. He wouldn’t tell me either but it’s obvious. He’s protecting Mrs. Volkov.”

“From me?”

“Yes, sir. You know he’s still mad about how you drove her to the edge of that cliff.”

“So now you’re on his side?”

“I’m on your side. And to do that, I have to tell you things as they are. That’s how it’s been for the past three decades.”

I jam a finger into his chest. “Find out what he’s hiding or I’m torturing him the same day he can get on his feet.”

With that, I leave the office and head upstairs. I don’t bother with dinner, having no appetite whatsoever.

It’s ten in the evening, so Lia must be in Jeremy’s room. I go there, bent on carrying her out and extracting the answers from her skin.

The raging need for more that I’ve felt since I painted her mouth with my cum returns with a vengeance.

Surprisingly, when I get to Malysh’s room, he’s the only one sleeping there. I close the door quietly and set out for our bedroom.

Don’t tell me she’s still with Yan? If that’s the case, I will—

My murderous thoughts and feet screech to a halt in the doorway.

The only light comes from red candles that sit on every surface—the vanity, the nightstands, and even the chairs. The sheets that I didn’t even know we had are red and the scent of roses wafts in the air.

A tray of food is on the vanity, surrounded by more candles and roses.

The setting is similar to last night, but the only difference is the woman standing in the middle of the room, wearing just a bathrobe and lighting more candles.

“Oh.” She lifts her head. “You weren’t supposed to be back for another half hour. I didn’t even put on makeup—”

I charge toward her and grab her by the arm. The lighter falls from her hand to the chair and she faces me, her lips parted and her skin flushed.

For a moment, I want to believe that she’s doing this for me.

For us.

But why would she when she never has before?

There’s only one way to find out the truth.

10

Lia

When I plotted this, I had one thought in mind—get to Adrian.

I didn’t care whether I got his anger or his wrath, as long as he expressed it instead of bottling all his emotions inside as usual.

To ensure I had everything prepared, I brought out the candles, the sheets, and the lingerie I bought a year ago but never had the courage to use. I had to hide them at the back of the closet as if they were some sort of disgrace.

Back then, I was more afraid of the idea of him and didn’t want to fully give in to my feelings or to him.

A part of me still battles that. Still whispers in a corner of my head that Adrian is a monster and there’s nothing that will change it.

However, that part is what made me lose my mind, because I denied something I wanted so much, and in doing that, I screwed up my head.

So now, as he holds me by the arm, the dark gray pools of his eyes shining with malice, I don’t run away.

I stare.

I fall.

I just stay in the moment.

Which isn’t so hard since Adrian is able to confiscate my entire attention by merely being there.

Goosebumps erupt on my flesh from where he’s gripping me. The shadow on his sharp cheekbones gives him a darkened, lethal edge.

He’s such a handsome man with a quiet beauty that creeps up on you out of nowhere and a physical perfection that gets better with time. I might have been a bit infatuated with him for years.

Okay, a lot.

“What do you think you’re doing, Lia?”

I love the sound of my name on his lips. In fact, I love it so much that I may have leaned closer merely to hear it clearer in the tenor of his voice.

Snap out of it, Lia.

“Just dinner,” I say with nonchalance.

“This doesn’t look like just dinner to me.”

“You’re the one who called me earlier wanting a date, remember?”

“Who said I want it anymore?”

I ignore how his words sting, especially since we’ve never really had a date before, but I tamp it down. “Well, I want a date.”

“If by a date, you mean you’ll either answer my questions or I will get your ass red, then fine, Lia. Let’s have a date.”

“And they say romance is dead.”

“Drop the sarcasm. It doesn’t suit you.”

“I think it suits me just fine.”

“Lia…” he warns. “Don’t talk back to me or your ass will pay the price.”

A jolt of excitement goes up my spine and I feign indifference, trying hard not to rub my thighs together. “The dinner is getting cold.”