My jaw worked as I considered what to say. “Yes and no.”
“Ivan,” she hissed. “Why is he still alive then?”
“Because if it’s arranged, she’ll be married off to someone else—someone who could be worse. I need to be careful. Grandmother and Nana already promised me her brother’s heads. I can’t be too greedy.”
She leaned forward and grabbed my bicep in a tight hold. “You be as greedy as you need to be to protect those girls.”
“I need to figure out what he’s holding over her head first.”
My mother lifted her finger and pointed to Jane, still out on the terrace. “That’s what he’s got on her, I’d put money on it.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Poppy
Livingunder Mrs. Cristof’s roof meant I was invited to everything. There wasn’t an event I wasn’t dragged to, and in all honesty… it was nice. It was beyond nice to be treated like a daughter for once and not whatever my mother did. Jane was pampered silly, and I was constantly spoiled. I didn’t know how I was going to go back to regular life after this.
The morning of Audrey and Alexei’s wedding, I fiddled with the engagement ring on my finger.
I had managed to avoideverypre-wedding event. Every dinner, every shower, every brunch. I lied to Mrs. Cristof and said Donovan had made plans for us. I lied to Donovan and said I had a migraine. In reality, I curled up under soft blankets, watched movies, and spooned sugar-free ice cream into my mouth while trying not to cry myself into a dehydrated husk.
But this morning’s event—the actual wedding—I couldn’t avoid.
It was small, intimate, family-only. Mrs. Cristof told me I was family now. Jane was practically vibrating about being there. And the moment I’d asked Donovan if he wanted to come as my date…
“Bring your dog with you.”
That man hadno ideawhere my “dog” actually lived, and even less of an idea that the “dog” was not only going to be at the wedding, but in the wedding party. Little did he know, indeed.
I smoothed a hand over the dress Mrs. Cristof had ordered for me— it was a velvet black number that had one long sleeve, and on the other side, it was completely sleeveless. The slit was high on my thigh, and I wondered if she was trying to play matchmaker in this dress because it was a show-stopper. It wasn’t something I would have ever picked for myself, but it was gorgeous all the same. At least when I looked in the mirror, I could see myself. I wasn’t a stranger.
Mrs. Cristof helped me with my hair and even Jane’s makeup, much to my surprise. When I told her we could manage or at least hire someone, she laughed and said, “I’ve waited my entire life for moments like these. Humor an old woman.”
How could I say no to that?
She piled my hair up high on my head and then ran to her room to grab a pair of gold hoops. They completely transformed the look.
Jane, meanwhile, had been transformed into a teenage supermodel with glossy lips and fluttery lashes. Standing beside the two of them, I almost felt… normal. Loved, even. Like a person worth celebrating instead of a bargaining chip passed around by powerful men.
“Perfect,” Mrs. Cristof declared as she stepped back to admire us. “My boys will be stunned.”
My stomach twisted.One boy in particular.
But I wasn’t ready for the way he’d look at me or the way he would gaze down at the ring on my finger with hatred. I wasn’t ready for the ache in my chest to grow bigger and bigger. It didn’t matter, though, because the car was already pulling around, and Mrs. Cristof was grinning bigger than I’d ever seen her. Apparently, we needed to get there early before the photographer it was going to be a long day.
“Come,” Mrs. Cristof said warmly, touching my arm. “Time to break hearts.”
Contrary to what Mrs. Cristof said, we didn’t arrive before the photographer. We were fashionably late. She was snapping pictures of the men in their tuxes, and my breath caught in my throat when I caught sight of Ivan next to all of his equally handsome brothers.
Jane snickered. “Wow, they’re all hot.”
Mrs. Cristof preened as if she was the one getting all the compliments. “Thank you.”
Jane giggled, and I shook my head. At least this was an event without the tabloids. That was a relief. I could escape the limelight for once and just blend in. It was even better not to have the spying eyes of Donovan’s party here… Especially when Ivan caught sight of me.
His eyes dragged over me from head to toe, a full-body sweep that hit me like a physical touch. His jaw flexed. His nostrils flared. His hands tightened at his sides, the tendons in his forearms going rigid beneath the tailored black tuxedo. My reaction to his was visceral. I wanted nothing more than to close the space between us and feel his hands on me the way his eyes were.
My heart hammered.
