“You are. But why shouldn’t you also receive some financial gain for your trouble?”
“How much?” I ask, my breath catching. I had no idea this was part of the plan…
“A million,” he gives me a small smile still tapping on my leg in the most comforting way. “And once your father is no longera threat to you, you and I will decide together if we’d like to terminate the relationship or not. And if you still want out, I’ll let you go with money in hand.”
My mouth drops open.
This is…
This might not be the biggest mistake of my life after all. “Why would you do this?” And why would Katarina have run if this was the arrangement?
Something didn’t quite make sense.
“I am here for your protection, Sasha.”
I give my head a small shake, like I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Because I don’t. None of this sounds right.
If Ryker’s been clear about one thing from the beginning, it’s that his plans for me have nothing to do with what I want or need.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ryker
Sasha has hardly saida word the entire afternoon.
I’ve got to be honest, most women lose me when they start telling me all about their feelings and why I should sympathize with them.
But Sasha has done none of that.
Instead, she’s remained stoically by my side, her face frozen in lines akin to deep loss.
It tears at my gut, the way she’s willing to soldier through while clearly in distress.
I’ve got my arm around her, because I’ve been half afraid she’ll trip and fall in the dress, and half afraid she’ll bolt if I let her go, when my lawyer appears in the entrance of the sunroom.
He looks at me and I nod back, before I turn to Dimitri.
He whispers in his wife’s ear and then rises. Ava touches his arm and then pushes up from her chair as well.
I know Ava had a successful career before she married Dimitri, and I can tell by the shrewdness in her eyes that she’sseen a lot of life. I see her whispering to Dimitri, her bright blue eyes not wavering from mine.
She sees right through me. You can bullshit a man, but a woman like that…. She can sniff out an ulterior motive from a mile away. Fuck.
I’m not a man who gives into fear and I don’t flinch now. But I understand that whatever she is saying to Dimitri is not good for me.
He gives a single jerk of his chin and then starts across the room toward me. I look down at Sasha where she stands at my side, her hands clasped tightly together. “We need to step out for a minute.”
“Why?”
“Contracts.”
“What kind of contracts?”
I keep my face blank. “Your money, for one.” I sold her the,this is for your benefit line, knowing full well she’s desperate for money.
She gives a nod and lifts the hem of her dress. Taking her hand, I help her into the adjoining living room where the contracts have been spread out on a coffee table.
The lawyer waves us forward and I sit Sasha on the couch, keeping my face even, and my features blank. “Sign here.”
