Dread pooled in my stomach, and I froze. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to use the poison again.”
“No.”
“Yes, you will,” he countered, his grip tightening.
“I don’t have any more pills,” I lied.
Renat studied me. “Don’t play games with me, Alessia. I hate games.” He moved back to his desk, sinking into his leather chair. “You’ll poison someone for me,” he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “Someone the boss trusts. Someone we need out of the way.” His words hit like a punch. “Matvet.”
Matvet? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I can’t,” I said again while shaking my head to make the point.
“You can, and you will.” He leaned his elbows on the desk. “Don’t make me regret letting you live, Alessia. Do as I say, or I’ll ensure the boss finds a reason to kill you.”
My mind raced. Renat was the spy. “You are against your brother?” I pointed at him.
“Half-brother.” He corrected me. “And enough with that look. Go do what I instructed.”
“You know I won’t. I’ll never do it again. I don’t care what you’ll do to me, but I will tell the boss I poisoned the food. I’m not like you people.”
He smirked as he picked up his phone from the table. “You know,” he said casually, “you should know who you’re dealing with by now.” Without hesitation, he made a call. “Kill her.” My heart stopped. He picked up a book from the table and tossed it at my feet. “Tragic,” he murmured. “Looks like your friend won’t publish her second novel after all.”
I stared at the book, then back up at him, horror crawling through my veins. “What... what are you doing?”
“Your word, Alessia. That’s all it takes to save her.”
“No, you can’t—” My voice cracked. My chest tightened as the meaning hit me. Did he just order Carina’s death? “Fine, I’ll do anything else, just… Renat, please.” I stepped closer, my hands shaking, but he didn’t even glance up at me.
“You can’t do this.” My voice broke again, higher this time. My breath came fast. “Okay … I’ll do it. I will poison him.” The words tore out of me, my throat aching. “Just don’t kill her. Please, I’m begging you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rodion
I sat alone in thesitting area of my quarters, the faint tick of the old clock grating on my nerves. My fingers drummed against the sofa’s armrest, eyes locked on the laptop on my lap. The door creaked open, and I looked up, expecting Alessia, but Matvet walked in. Alessia has been avoiding her maid duties, hiding instead.
Matvet stood in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside. “Boss,” he started. “Alessia knows something about the poison.”
That I already knew.
“Yes. I’m aware,” I muttered. My eyes stayed fixed on the door. I wasn’t a fool. One look at a person, and I could read through them. When she served me food that night, I saw the shift in her eyes and the weight behind her fake act. I knew she was planning something. But it never occurred to me she would poison the food.
Matvet hesitated. “Should we question her?”
The question hung in the air as rage tightened my chest. Because of the attack, they seized the chance to sabotage my shipment. They planned to spark chaos here while the rest destroyed my billion-dollar cargo. And they used her.
“Go bring her.”
Matvet nodded and left. The moment I was alone, I marched upstairs to my room. I needed my phone. I had a lot to deal with, and when I scrolled through the messages, Dmitri’s message got my attention.
I was about to dial his number when the door creaked open, and there Alessia stood. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. Redness rimmed her eyes, and her lashes carried the telltale signs of tears, but I didn’t care. I dropped the phone on the bed and took a step toward her. Instead of confessing, she stepped back. Her chest rose and fell as if she were fighting to stay calm.
The door clicked shut, the sound of it trapping her. She couldn’t even look into my eyes because she wasn’t ready to speak. If she thought this was a game, she wouldn’t win.
“Do you want to talk?” I asked. “Or do you want to find out what happens when I start talking?”
Her eyes flickered with something unspoken, but she didn’t respond. She was shaking, and I hadn’t started with her yet. Her silence sent anger surging through my veins. I was barely holding on to calm. Hell, I had been willing to play along for a while, but not anymore.