Kira sighed. One day, she hoped he would see her as a partner rather than a nuisance.
“My brother’s not even here. He’s making me do all the fucking work.”
She smiled but hid it. Kira didn’t mind him having a bad day. It felt like payback.
“You proud of your work?”
Kira turned back to him. “Huh?”
“It’s all because I had to marry a Morozov.”
She scoffed. “You can’t be serious? None of them even looked at me.”
“They normally don’t look at me either, and yet I can’t get away from them. Don’t act coy, Morozov. You know the power you possess.”
“Do I?”
“Everyone is at your beck and call.”
“Not you.”
“Lucky for me, I’m immune.”
“Howunluckyfor me.” She pressed a smile to her lips.
Maxim was not amused. “It must rile you most extremely that I am not under your thumb.”
Kira scoffed and bitterly asked, “Who hurt you?”
Maxim opened his mouth to bite back, but his name was shouted from down the hall. Lazar had just entered the house, and with Trina on his arm, they came strutting down the walkway. Maxim took hold of Kira’s hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, pulling her and getting great satisfaction when she tripped.
Kira met Trina with a broad smile, happy to find another woman at this party whom she could befriend. She was beautiful, with dark skin, curled, puffy hair, and perfectly accented highlights. She wore a dress just as tight as Kira’s, but far less revealing, which only made Kira self-conscious about her own outfit. Though she had seen many other women wearing less, to see such a conservative outfit made Kira feel like a whore. Mainly because she wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Maxim,” Lazar began. “We have a meeting down the hall. Kira will be safe with Trina.” He kissed Trina’s cheek and whispered sweetly, “Don’t corrupt her. She’s innocent.”
Maxim only glared at Kira in warning before they left, and the girls stared after their men as they stood silently in each other’s company. Thankfully, Trina broke out with, “So sorry we couldn’t attend the wedding. My father passed away the day before. It was horrible timing.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. None of us is sorry.” She giggled. “You understand.”
Kira nodded, though she didn’t. She loved her father despite the expectations he put on her and the way he treated her brothers. Yakov was a ruthless man, but he cared for his family. Some may say that’s controlling, but Kira saw it more as love.
“How is Maxim treating you? He is a giant sweetheart.”
Kira snorted, but then tried to fix it, but Trina heard it.
“What? He can’t possibly be bad to you?”
Kira hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t talk to anyone about this, but she was bursting at the seams.
Trina nudged her to the side when a group walked by. “I have known Maxim for fifteen years. He is a big softy.”
With a sigh, Kira admitted. “He doesn’t trust me. He keeps me at arm’s length and won’t believe a word I say. I feel like I’m being blamed for something I didn’t do. Has he had his heart broken? Has he been betrayed before?”
Trina stared down the hallway after the two brothers, chewing the inside of her lip. “Let me talk to him–”
“No, please. He’ll think I’m conspiring behind his back.”
