"Boss, you suspect..."
"Someone's been leaking information. Kieran knows too much."
"Understood."
"And Isabella Vance," I paused, "check all her movements and contacts. I want results within three days."
"Yes, boss."
I hung up and sank into the sofa, closing my eyes. Right now, I didn't know who I could trust.
Noelle? Isabella? Mother?
Chapter Fourteen
Noelle
"Ma'am, Miss Vance left last night," Darya whispered as she brushed my hair.
"So suddenly?" I was taken aback.
"Boss's orders. We don't know the specifics."
I fell silent. Kholod's thoughts were always impossible to read.
After she finished my hair, braiding it into a simple fishtail, Darya led the maids out. I settled into the window-side chaise with a book.
The geography magazine fell open to Norway's fjords, but I couldn't absorb a single word.
Since Isabella's visit, Kholod barely set foot in the master bedroom. I didn't bother asking where he went—perhaps while she was here, they spent their time in her room discussing topics that held no interest for me.
Now she was gone. I should have felt relief—no more witnessing their nauseating interactions, no more enduring that gnawing sense of being replaced. Yet the heaviness in my chest refused to lift.
I closed the magazine and gazed at the melting snow outside. Those cold touches, those possessive kisses—they both terrified and...I shook my head, banishing the tangled thoughts, and headed to the library for geography atlases.
Knock knock. Someone at the door.
"Come in."
"Ma'am, Mr. Dmitri has a message," Darya said, entering with a curtsy.
I set down my book and looked up. "Go ahead."
"The boss says in three days, the Morozov family is hosting a charity gala at the Kinmel Performing Arts Center. You're required to attend."
I blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, ma'am. The boss specifically emphasized that this gala is crucial for the family's image. All of Philadelphia's most important political and business leaders will attend. As lady of the house, your presence is mandatory."
Mandatory. Always mandatory.
"I understand. Anything else?"
"A styling team will handle all preparations. Materials and gowns will be delivered shortly. You needn't concern yourself with the details."
"Fine."
After Darya left, I tried to continue reading but couldn't concentrate. I imagined walking arm-in-arm with Kholod, playing the devoted couple under spotlights—such was my "duty."
