Chapter Fifteen
Emilia’s POV.
The sight of the bloody tie shattered me more than I liked to admit. I was speechless as Viktor tossed the tie back into the paper box and asked the maid to hand it over to one of his men.
Holding my hand, he led me back to the rooftop.
“Who could it be? First, he went missing. Now, they are sending messages?” I asked as he rested his back on the low concrete barricade and pulled me into him.
“Don’t worry your pretty head, moy zaychik,” he urged, patting my hair down. “My men are on it already.”
“As much as I don’t like him right now, I don’t want anything to happen to him,” I went on.
His hands cupped both sides of my face as he told me, “They want to break you. I’ll break them first.”
My eyes held on to his, letting his promise sink in.
I nodded, and his arms came around my neck, embracing me.
“I am personally offended because my beautiful wife came up here to meet me and gave me a comforting touch I didn’t know I needed. We were having a moment, weren’t we? I might have taken you on this very rooftop,” he explained, a hint of amusement in his eyes as he released me.
My cheeks burned, and I focused on the landscape far beneath us instead, holding onto the metal railing.
“Oh, you think it’ll be better down there?”
My head swerved to him in mortification, and we both burst into laughter.
“How could you think of something like that?” I asked amidst giggles.
“That laugh,” he answered, his expression serious as he gestured to my face.
I was moved beyond words as the understanding settled.
I didn’t need to spend hours with Viktor to know he knew next to nothing about feelings. From the way he related to others to the way he scheduled his things, it was clear he gave no allowance for emotions. He was damn right when he said power and loyalty are the only currencies he dealt with.
But he couldn’t be more intentional about being a good partner to me. The different times he comforted and took care of me flashed before my eyes, and I couldn’t shake the affection I felt for him. This man, who was raised in a world of blood and war, had put my pleasure and comfort over his too many times to count. It tugged at my heart that he was willing to keep learning how to be good enough for me, like he wasn’t already better than I hoped for.
I knew with utmost certainty that the affection I felt for him went beyond gratitude.
“Earth to Emilia,” Viktor called, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry,” I uttered, chuckling. “You know what? The moment doesn’t have to end. Let’s have dinner here.”
He raised a surprised brow.
“Here? Are you sure? It’s quite chilly,” he said, bringing an arm around my shoulder. “We could do dinner inside.”
“Hellooo,” I remarked, pointing to the black cardigan I had over my jeans.
He felt the hem of the cardigan.
“Not exactly the thickest fabric,” he pointed out. I sucked in a breath as his hands went up my stomach. “Besides, you’re not wearing anything underneath.”
“Let’s go inside, then,” I yielded, too embarrassed to keep arguing.
“I’ll ask Mina to set the dining table,” he mentioned, bringing his phone out of his pocket.
“I’ve never eaten there before,” I mused.
