SIENNA:Leave me alone, or I will file a restraining order.
I can’t help but picture him relaxing behind his desk right now while I’m standing here, losing my mind over donuts.
Removing myself from the front of the bakery, I enter the kitchen to get out of sight for a moment.
Inhaling, I do my best to calm my nerves, trying everything in my power to slow my racing heart.
The back door opens to announce one of our daily deliveries, and I welcome the distraction of unloading and organizing when Benedikt Volkov enters the room.
If I wasn’t freaking out before, I am now.
I clutch the edge of one of the stainless-steel tables as he strolls inside.
Even in the kitchen with no one else around to see, the man has a presence that demands attention. Today, the deep-blue tie at his throat is the only color he allows, the shade mirroring his sharp, observant eyes as they flick over me, pinning me in place.
He’s a walking contradiction—refined and polished, yet dangerous in a way that most people wouldn’t catch unless they were paying attention.
I freeze.
Benedikt stops in front of the table I’m holding onto and tilts his head. “You look stressed.”
“Youthink?”
He gestures to my pocket. “Do you have it?”
My fingers tighten around the order slip still in my palm. “If I say no, are you going to call in one of your mafia guys to shake me down for it?”
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Graves.”
I pull out the ticket and slap it onto the counter, but I don’t flip it over. “There. Happy?” He doesn’t glance at it. “Now,get out.”
He leans in instead, dropping his voice low. “This isn’t a negotiation, Sienna.”
“For what?”
“For youworkingfor me.”
My brows slam together. “Idon’twork for you. Nor did Ieveragreeto work with you.”
He straightens his spine. “You might want to rethink that.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Then think of your grandmother, Sienna. Her rent is overdue.”
Ice floods my veins, and my breath catches.
“You’ve been covering the difference. The cost has gone up over the past five years, but she doesn’t know. You feel guilty that she doesn’t stay with you, but she won’t hear it.”
I stare at him, my throat tight.
I’venevertold anyone that.
He continues in a smooth, deliberate tone. “I can make sure she never has to worry about a thing. Thatyounever have to worry about a thing.”
I shake my head. “No… thank you.”
Benedikt exhales, tapping his fingers against the counter. “Sienna, you’re already in this. Make it easy for yourself.”
