At least he’d confirmed my parents were alive. They were okay. I could listen to him for now, but only because of that sliver of hope.
“I heard you stabbed Renat,” he continued. “That was good. You should stand up for yourself. Don’t let anyone hurt you.”
The statement caught me off guard, and I raised a brow. “How did you know?”
Salva smirked. “Matvet is a close friend of mine. I believe he’s been nice to you?”
Still staring at him, I tried to make sense of the situation. Matvet? Salva knew him?
“Wait, hasn’t he been good to you?” Salva asked, his brow furrowing. “That asshole—”
“What do you want?” I said, cutting off his rambling.
Fishing something from his pocket, he stretched it to me.“These capsules can make anyone lose consciousness for twenty-four hours.” He met my gaze. “It’s simple. Make sure the boss takes one tomorrow evening during dinner, and then leave the rest to us.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, unsure if I’d heard him right.
“This is the only way to get you out. Matvet is involved. He knows the plan. All you need to do is make sure the boss takes one, and we’ll handle the rest.”
Was I supposed to make Artur take the pill? I had seen enough to understand what was going on here. But if that was their plan, I wasn’t sure I could follow through with it. I couldn’t do this.
“I... can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “There must be another way. But I won’t do this.”
Salva’s tone shifted cold. “Your father—”
“Then let Matvet do it,” I snapped, the words escaping before I could stop them. “If he’s on your side, let him do it.”
Salva’s face hardened. “You’re his maid, not Matvet.”
My mouth opened to respond, but before I could speak, I heard footsteps.
“What’s going on here?” Artur’s voice echoed from behind us, and I stilled.
Salva wrapped the pills up and pulled me into a hug. As our bodies pressed together, his fingers slipped into the dip of my V-neck dress and tucked the pills just beneath the edge of my bra. “It’s okay. Calm down,” he whispered as if trying to comfort me.
I didn’t know what was happening. Artur’s footsteps grew closer, and Salva pulled away from me.
He gave me a sly smile. “If you like the idea, find me downstairs later. I’ll play you a song that will cheer you up.”
After a wink, he left without another word.
Artur watched me in silence, and after what felt like an eternity, he took a few calculated steps toward me. The closer he came, the more I felt my life slipping through my fingers.
“Speak up,” he demanded.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered.
Artur gripped my chin tightly, forcing me to meet his eyes. “If I have to, I will force the information out of you,” he warned. “And trust me, you won’t like it.”
Fear coiled in my stomach, but there was no way I was telling him about the pills. Talking to my father gave me hope and courage.
“No—nothing,” I stammered, swallowing hard.
His gaze narrowed, and he gripped my chin harder. “Your eyes tell a different story. What did Marco’s brother say to you?”
Marco’s brother? Salva was Marco’s brother?
Who the hell was I even dating? The weight of the revelation hit me like a punch to the gut.