He frowns. “Is that anyway to speak to your father?”
“You sold me off for your own selfish reasons so I think I have the right to be angry with you.”
“I’m here to work with Nikolai. I suggest you change your attitude.”
“You’re only working with my husband to avoid getting killed because you know you’re out of options. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
“That’s enough,” Nikolai says. His tone speaks to no disagreement. “I hired a chef to make us a nice meal for tonight. Let us not waste it.”
We all settle in the dining room. Nikolai sits at the head of the table while I sit to his right and my father sits directly across from me. It takes everything inside of me not to scream. Not to run. Just the sight of my father fills me with so much anger that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get rid of.
“So, Nikolai, when will my debts be paid off?” My dad digs into the steak before him. His chews are loud and impolite while the sauce covers his mouth. He never did have manners.
“When you work for me for an extended period of time. I have some jobs for you to do. That will help pay them off.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of we work together and I get a cut of your earnings. That way I can pay off my debts faster. I’m not some lackey. I’m Ivan Koslov. I don’t do petty work.”
“Yet, you were fast to sell your daughter off when you needed money,” I snap, unable to help myself. Nikolai gives me a hardlook but otherwise doesn’t comment. I lower my gaze to the table. The food before me doesn’t even look appetizing given how much my stomach is in knots.
“I was desperate. You have to understand. But I’m a changed man now. I’ll work to pay off my debts but I won’t do petty jobs. I’ll get a cut of your earnings, Nikolai. This way we can be in power together. You always wanted us to work together initially.”
“And you declined,” Nikolai says. “Saying that you didn’t want to work under me.”
“Which is why I’m proposing we work side by side. I’m not beneath you. That’s a good deal, don’t you think? I mean, you married my daughter without my consent. How do you think that makes me feel?”
I glance at Nikolai and see how tense his jaw is. Clearly, he doesn’t like what my father is saying either.
“You got my daughter in the end,” Ivan continues. “So it’s only fair we work as equals.”
Nikolai slowly nods and extends his hand. “Deal. Equals.”
After shaking my husband’s hand, my father gives me such a smug look, it makes a piercing hot anger course through me. “See, Irina? I’ll be in your life still. That should make you happy. I know you’ve missed me.”
“Missed you?” I hiss. “I hate you!” And before I can stop myself, I pick up my fork and throw it at my dad’s face. He jerks back, barely avoiding getting hit in the eye. “You are terrible. You’ve betrayed me and yet act like I should be grateful to you. I’ll never love you again!” This time, I pick up my knife.
But Nikolai’s hand clamps down on my wrist. “Irina, stop. Get control of yourself.”
“And you.” I whirl around on Nikolai. “How could you do this to me? You said you would protect me and yet now you’re going to work side by side with the man who’s cut me so deep, I’m notsure I’ll ever recover. I know you’re doing this to keep the peace. But who cares? What about me? What about what I need? You’re being selfish too. You’re not doing this for me.”
“That’s enough,” Nikolai says. His tone is hard but I don’t care. I’m done caring. “You need to sit back down, Irina. You’re acting immature.”
“I’m only eighteen. I think I’m allowed to act a little immature.” I try to pull my wrist away but Nikolai doesn’t let me go. “You’re hurting me.”
That finally makes him release his fingers. “Irina, stop this.”
“I want you to make my dad suffer. I want you to punish him. Not reward him. It’s not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair,” Ivan says in the most condescending voice imaginable.
That’s when I see red. I run around the table and before I can stop myself, slap my father across the face. He jumps to his feet, indignation covering his features, as if he has the right to be angry.
“That’s enough,” Nikolai says. “Ivan, get out. We’ll talk about this later when Irina isn’t here.”
Ivan huffs but to his credit, he does leave. He probably doesn’t want to piss off Nikolai again now that he has the advantage.
“What are you doing?” Nikolai asks. “You embarrassed me tonight.”
“You don’t get to say that to me. Not after what you did. You’re going to work with my father. The father who betrayed me. How do you think that makes me feel?”