The comment affected her smile. It sounded like something Rurik would say, and she was scared to respond. “Yes.”
“Your tits look amazing. I’m surprised your father didn’t make you change.”
She grinned and looked down at herself. They did look pretty good, and she casually squeezed them together before stopping and laughing.
Levka grinned. Seeing her happy was one of the best things in the world. It was fleeting, but over the last month, her smile came easier, and her laughter soon followed. It was like watching a flower bloom. All she needed was a little sunshine and care.
Luerna took out the pins in her hair, letting each curl come out, and Levka simply watched, amazed by every movement she made. The first few phone calls, she was uneasy when caught in his stare. Now she wanted to earn it. He had the power to make her feel brand new.
“I met Adrik’s new wife, Katia Stephanov.”
“Don’t remind me,” Levka hissed. “My father won’t stop cursing your family’s name.”
“I don’t like her.”
“She’s a Stephanov. What’s there to like?” Levka poured himself a drink. “The wedding pulled in a lot of unique visitors at the hotel. I think I made some friends.”
“And what could you possibly want those kind of friends for?”
“I’m gonna get back on top one day.”
Luerna took a wipe and rubbed it over her face. “You men and power.”
He rolled his eyes. “How else am I going to steal you away?”
Luerna’s smile fell, and her hand dropped on her lap. “Levka.”
He waved it away. “I was joking.”
Levka’s infatuation was cute, and Luerna adored it. But she didn’t want him to believe anything could really come from it, but she had no idea how to stop it. It was a risk she was taking to keep him as a friend. Because he really was making her life better.
Luerna moved off-screen to dress into pajamas before she took up the phone and propped it against a pillow lying next to it. She continued to stare at Levka. He squeezed a stress ball, staring at the wall to the right of the screen.
Luerna picked at the blanket. The elephant in the room caused the silence to stretch and the tension to thicken. But she wasn’t going to let it ruin tonight. “You know you never talk about your mother?”
Levka cleared his throat, forcing all the terrible thoughts away, and sat up with his elbows on the desk. “I know, it’s a conscious decision.”
She smiled softly. “Well?”
“She died giving birth to my brother.”
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“He died, too.”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry.”
“I was four, so I don’t have many memories. Alexander was gonna be his name. I remember the tiny coffin. The tombstone. My dad was convinced someone had something to do with it. The hospital was under Stephanov’s control.”
“But that doesn’t mean they sabotaged the delivery.”
“I agree, but my dad vowed revenge. Fought the Stephanovs these last seventeen years. Then I fucked it up.”
Luerna shifted nervously. She was well aware of the reason Levka didn’t marry her sister, and it hung over her head. She wondered if he regretted it, but she didn’t have the right to ask. “I think it’s sweet he never remarried.”
Levka responded with a snort. “Nothing sweet about the number of hookers that he goes through the apartment on a weekly basis. I can barely support the habit.”
“What about you? How many do you go through?”
