He pointed at the seat in front of his desk. “Sit.”
This time I sat.
He looked at me for a long time without speaking.
“Are you going to punish me now?”
He pursed his lips and continued to study me. He was less upset than I expected him to be, which should have made me feel better but actually made me more nervous. It was suspicious. I needed to play the part of besotted lover instead of runawayteen, but I didn’t know what that looked like when it came to Axel.
I looked down at my clasped hands. “I heard you shouting at Axel.”
“You went behind my back.”
I swallowed, choosing my words carefully. “I know. Can I explain what happened?”
He gave a careless motion with his hand.
I tried to imagine how I would act if I had feelings for Axel and then worked to spin the most plausible story I could. “I don’t think he noticed me at first. He kept to himself, but I noticed him, how well he drove, how polite and respectful he was, and how protective he acted toward both me and Aunt Lena. I found time alone with him just so I could try and talk to him.”
His brows furrowed. “And?”
I tried to imagine pursuing someone like Axel in real life, and I couldn’t imagine him doing anything except ignoring me. “He wanted nothing to do with me.”
That made my uncle frown harder, which made me press on. “He told me later it was just because he was fighting his own feelings while trying to be loyal to you.”
That got me a nod, so I continued my story, making it up as I went. “I wore him down. Asked him questions. Joked with him. Made him laugh, but that’s all we did. I thought I had all the time in the world.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m willing to send you to Canada, but not without the protection of marriage.”
How did I explain that the person I would need protecting from was Sergei? “Sergei scares me.”
He looked at me sharply. “If you think Axel is a safer option, I’m afraid you’re sadly mistaken.”
“I don’t want to go to Canada if I have to marry Sergei.”
He shook his head, almost in disappointment. “You remind me of your father. He made too many decisions with his heart. He was never able to put the business first.”
Axel had told me to appeal to my uncle’s business sense. “Well, I think it’s a bad business decision to send Sergei to Canada.”
He leaned back in his chair and looked almost amused. “Why?”
I worked to keep the emotions out of my voice. “Sergei is a brute, even here in Russia. How do you think that will go over in Canada, where everyone is so polite? He doesn’t know how to do anything other than threaten people with a bad time. He doesn’t have working knowledge of the English language, and that’s going to be a huge handicap for him.”
He thought about my answer. “I had the same thoughts.”
I couldn’t believe he was actually agreeing with me. “Why him? Is there something special about him that you need in Canada?”
He shrugged. “Lena was the one who suggested we send him. She thought you’d be happy with the idea of him as your husband.”
That sent alarm bells up my spine. I knew she didn’t like me, but this was a low blow even for her.
“The language barrier can be quite frustrating. I’d worry that he’d take his frustrations out on the business.”
My uncle pinched his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “Did Axel tell you to say this?”
“Axel doesn’t tell me anything about your business, but I notice my own things. Sergei drives faster and more recklessly when he’s annoyed. He shoves people around when he’s upset. And I generally don’t feel safe around him.”
“He wouldn’t touch you.”
