Four days after I brought her back to the mansion, things returned to normal. At least for me, anyway. I went back to work, burying myself in files all day long. We hadn’t seen each other or had a conversation of any sort.
This time, my distance wasn’t on purpose. I actually planned to go see her—maybe even tease her a little—because deep down, I knew I missed her. But I hadn’t gotten the chance yet.
A territorial dispute with a rival organization had kept me busy. The Bratva had tasked me with fixing the problem in a short period of time.
While doing that, I was also working with Konstantin on how to deal with the Italians. Rocco Alessandro Romano thought that I’d forgotten about what he did to me. But he was wrong. I hadn’t. Instead, I was cooking something dangerous in the silence.
Revenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.
He’d better watch his back because he wouldn’t see me coming.
I was in my room that night reviewing some files with Konstantin when the door slammed open, and she barged in.
“We need to talk!” she barked, storming in like she owned the place.
I raised my brows at her audacity.
Konstantin locked his jaw but said nothing.
Celine halted in front of the couch we were seated on, hands on her waist. “Now.”
I met Konstantin’s gaze and motioned for him to excuse us. Without hesitation, he stood up and walked away, closing the door behind him.
“What do you want?” I asked her, my voice calm and collected.
“I want us to talk.”
I seemed composed on the outside. However, on the inside, my cells had come alive at the sight of her in that oversized shirt. Mine. The hem kissed her mid-thighs, revealing her smooth, fresh, and alluring legs.
The top three buttons of the plain shirt were undone: not too much, but enough to showcase the skin above her breasts. Tempting.
And just like that, all the restraints I’d been clinging to for weeks began to shatter. Everything about her tonight was sexy: her amber eyes, her glistening skin, and the dark curls that fell past her shoulders.
“What am I still doing here, Artur?” She glared at me. “I mean, you know I’m not a threat to you and your organization, so why won’t you let me go?”
“You wanna leave, then leave.”
“Bullshit!” she snapped. “You know I can’t!”
“Then stay put!” I raised my voice a little higher than normal.
“Why, so you can ignore me all day and act like I don’t exist?!”
My brows arched in amusement as I slowly rose to my feet. “That’s what this is about?”
She swallowed hard, realizing she’d overshared her true feelings.
“You feel neglected?” I set down the file in my hand and began walking toward her.
“I…I– didn’t—I didn’t say that,” she stuttered, clearing her throat.
“But you insinuated it.”
“Don’t try to change the subject.”
My lips curled into a sly grin. “I think I know why you’re here.”
“This is pointless—I’m leaving.” She tried to turn around, but my hand snapped out.