The room leaned toward laughter, but no one dared make a sound. He thought he had embarrassed me—he had no idea.
“Careful, Sergei,” I began, reclining into my chair. “I knowyourAchilles’ heel wears actual heels and carries a frying pan.” I let the words sink in for a moment so he’d get where I was going with this.
He swallowed hard, shifting in his chair.
“I know how she…‘keeps you in line,’ and her methods are quite efficient too.” I edged closer, placing both hands on the table. “Imagine what she’d do to you if she found out what happened six months ago while you were away on a ‘business trip.’”
Gradually, that ugly smirk on his lips vanished until all that was left was fear and embarrassment.
The others had no clue what I was talking about, but that son of a bitch did. And he’d do anything to hide his dirty little secret.
Sergei’s wife was an abuser who never missed a chance to beat him up. He once tried to fight back but ended up in the hospital. He claimed he was jumped by a gang of thugs from a rival gang.
Of course, that was the best lie he could come up with—the weak bastard couldn’t let people know his wife was the one who’d battered his face with punches.
He was so reckless that, despite fearing her, he still had the guts to sleep with her sister six months ago. He lied to her, saying he was going on a business trip, when in reality, the plan was to hook up with her at her in-laws’ place.
If she ever found out that he betrayed her in such a horrible way, she’d put a bullet in his fuckin’ head.
He must be wondering how I knew all of this, and at the same time, he pleaded with his eyes, begging me to spill his secret.
“What’s that saying?” I asked, a satisfied smirk on my lips. “A man who can’t control his own house shouldn’t speak of others’ affairs.”
His forehead glistened with sweat, his eyes blinking rapidly in a bid to appeal to my conscience.
I leaned back in my chair, eyes cold as ice. “Mock me again, and I’ll make you the next talk of the town.”
Silence swallowed the whole table.
“Anyone else wanna stick their noses in my business?” I asked, eyes shifting across their faces.
No one said a single word.
“Good.” I adjusted in my chair, grabbed my glass of vodka, and drained it down my throat in a single shot. “Now, what’s the conclusion?”
They shot hidden glances amongst them, and after a moment of hesitation, they filled me in on their plan to handle the trespassers.
Everyone at the table hated my display of power and authority, but none of them could question me. They knew that I’d just threatened Sergei with something personal—something onlyhewas supposed to know.
They thought it wise not to get on my bad side in case I knew something personal about them—some dirty secrets they were willing to die with. They were right to think so because I knew everything about each and every one of them seated at this table.
I had them all in the palm of my hands and could easily crush them should they cross the line. That’s what power was all about—having something to use against those around you. It didn’t only command respect; it proved how high up the ladder I was above them.
And they knew never to mess with me.
Chapter 15 – Blair
I sat on my bed with my legs pulled up in front of me and my arms wrapped around them. I was wearing a V-neck that draped loosely over my body, with sleeves that swallowed up my hands. My hair was disheveled, my eyes looked dimmer than the lights in my room, and my heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
In my mind, I hoped this was some kind of nightmare that I would soon wake up from. But reality struck me like a dagger to the heart—this wasn’t a dream. It was a much bigger problem and also a game-changer—one capable of ruining my life for good.
So here’s the deal: I missed my period by a week. Yep.
At first, I didn’t panic at all because I thought it was just a normal shift in my body. I’d experienced these shifts a couple of times before, and they were caused by stress.
I figured this was the most stressed out I’d ever been my whole life—the kidnapping, the auction, the pressure not to blow my cover. It was too much, enough to have triggered this shift.
I mean, I’d experienced them under lesser stress before, so why would this be any different, right? Boy, was I in for a big surprise! And not the good kind.
