I clear my throat awkwardly, suddenly very interested in my water glass. "This is... awkward."
"Only if you make it awkward," Natalya says with a grin that suggests she's enjoying every second of this. She turns to Ilay. "Brother, why don't you tell her how you actually feel instead of just staring at her like some lovesick fool?"
"Natalya," he says again, more firmly this time, his jaw tightening visibly. But she isn't backing down at all.
"No, seriously. You're a powerful man. You run this country." That confuses me but I don’t interrupt her. What is she talking about? "You have politicians and businessmen terrified of you. But you can't tell one woman that you're interested in her?"
Ilay sets down his fork with a clang, fixing a heated gaze on Natalya. "This is not the time or place."
"When is the time, then?" Natalya shoots back without hesitation. "You've been circling her for weeks now. Sendingflowers every morning. Buying her expensive cars. Following her around like a lost puppy. At some point, you actually have to say something."
I finally speak up, desperate to end this. At this point, the awkwardness would swallow me whole. "Can we please not do this right now?"
Natalya looks at me, studies my face for a moment, then sighs dramatically. "Fine. But for the record, I'm rooting for you two. You're good for him. He needs someone who won't put up with his nonsense and actually challenges him."
"I'm not putting up with anything," I mutter defensively. "we're just business partners."
"Sure you are," Natalya says with another wink that makes me want to sink through the floor.
Ilay leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Are you finished now?"
"For now," Natalya says cheerfully, taking another sip of wine. "But I'm staying the night, so we'll have plenty of time to chat later about all sorts of things." I groan internally, already dreading whatever else she might say. This is going to be a long evening.
Ilay speaks again, his voice quieter this time, stripped of its usual edge. "The pie is good."
I look up, genuinely surprised. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," he says, meeting my eyes directly and holding my gaze. "Thank you for making it."
"You're welcome," I say quietly, not quite sure what else to say. Natalya watches us both with a satisfied smile spreading across her face, but thankfully, mercifully, she stays quiet.
For now.
Chapter 12
?
IRIS
The next day crawls around, and I find myself itching to escape the gilded walls of his estate, even if only for a few hours.
I need clothes from my apartment and my friend Jackson texted earlier, asking to meet up since he just got back in town, unfortunately I tell him I'm busy but that I'll see him in two days. It's been a while since I've driven my own car, so at breakfast I ask Ilay to have someone check on it, make sure everything's running the way it should.
He looks at me, something flickering behind those dark eyes. "Why? What's up?"
"I'm meeting a friend of mine," I say casually, reaching for my coffee. "He just got back in town. Figured I'd take my car, but I want to make sure it's in good shape first."
The moment the wordheleaves my mouth, something shifts. Ilay's jaw tightens visibly, a muscle ticking beneath the surface of his skin like a warning. I watch his hand tighten around his utensils, knuckles bleeding white against the silver, and when he speaks again, his voice is carefully restrained, as though he's holding something back by sheer force of will.
"Are you not happy here with me?"
I frown at him, genuinely confused by the sudden turn. "Why would you bring that up? How does that even relate to what I just asked you?"
He looks away, muttering something under his breath before saying, "Never mind. I'll check on your car today. See if anything needs fixing."
I sigh and let it go. "Thank you."
• • •
