“Not really. Everyone is so pretentious.”
“You must be…”
Her shoulders straighten, and she presses her lips together, her nose scrunching in disapproval when her eyes land on someone she knows across the room. “Sorry, I have to go. Thank you for distracting me for a bit.” She pauses for a second, then Kat reaches out, and her fingers trace my arm gently. Her eyes lock with mine. My skin ignites as though touched by flames. My heart beats faster, and I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath. For a second, we aren’t here. We’re completely alone. Everything is silent. All the noise, the guests, the music, the party…it’s gone. There is only her.
Then, just as quickly as I bumped into her, she’s gone.
A wave of panic rushes through me as I spin to follow her. But she’s disappeared between the bodies of guests, slipping through the crowd.
She can’t just leave like that. I want to talk to her longer. I want to know more about her. I want to dance with her.
What the hell, Yulian? Pull yourself together.
I take a deep breath, fighting an intense rush of emotions that I don’t really understand. What the hell just happened?That was pure attraction, like I’ve never felt before. It was as though our bodies spoke words our minds didn’t even process.
Staring into the crowd, I search for her, but in the sea of masks, it’s impossible. She’s vanished.It’s better this way. I’m not here to meet someone. I’m here to work. To keep my family safe.
If I had carried on talking to her, I would’ve completely forgotten what I’m doing here.
But still, my eyes are searching.
Groaning, I clench my jaw and force myself to start looking for Artur instead. But he’s gone, too, and if I don’t get it together, this whole night, sneaking in here, putting myself at risk—it will all have been for nothing.
With one last desperate glance over the crowd for her, I drag myself to the bar to get a shot of something to clear my head.
Then it’s back to looking for intel.
I’m here for my family. Nothing else.
Chapter 2 - Katerina
Artur is shining in his new role after taking over from my uncle, and this party is an all-out declaration of his power and wealth.
He’s playing this part to perfection. Clearly, my uncle made a name for himself here because people are falling all over Artur, and it’s a bit nauseating to watch them gushing like that.
And as soon as they realize I’m Katerina Krolik, sister to the great and powerful Artur Krolik, they come gushing over me, too. My younger sister, Marie, isn’t here. She’s lucky. She got out of it. And my other two brothers obviously don’t have to deal with the same shit I do as a female. Abram and Fabi look like they’re having fun, gloating in the overflow of power they have since Artur took over.
I guess it would be a fun party if I weren’t spending theentire nightfending off constant suitors, flirting, and fighting for my attention.
It’s not even genuine. I can feel how fake the niceness is. They know who I am. They think I’ll put in a good word with my brother for them.
I glance at Artur, pleading silently with my eyes locked onto his, but he ignores me and doesn’t rescue me from the old man who’s literally pawing at me. He’s not encouraging the men to show interest in me, but he’s not saving me from it, either.
He hasn’t intervened once, not even when this married asshole started hitting on me the moment his wife went to get another drink. I glance up and down his tall, lanky body. He’s wearing a black suit; pretty much all the guys here are wearing black or gray.
He steps closer to me and sneakily runs his hand over my waist.
“So, how is it that a girl like you hasn’t been snatched up yet?” he purrs.
“I guess I’m too smart to fall for anything that doesn’t blow my mind,” I shrug, politely stepping away from his touch.
He steps closer again. “I assure you, I know exactly how to blow your mind.”
Scrunching my face, I glare at him.Don’t do it, Kat, just bite your tongue and walk away.
But I can’t.
“I see. So, then, perhaps you can explain to me, do you expect me to be your side chick, or do you plan on leaving your wife and then cheating on me with the next hotter, younger girl who crosses your path?”
