I rubbed my eyes, telling myself that the look of fear and disdain on her face didn’t matter. Her trembling voice didn’t also matter.
Deep down, I knew the fire in her eyes had already begun burning through my control.
Emika was starting to affect me in ways that I didn’t want to admit, and it unsettled me.
Chapter 9 – Emika
“Really, Grandpa? A Mafia man?” I barged into his office, my blood boiling with rage.
Behind his desk, he stared at me for a second, reclining in his chair. He returned his gaze to the two men seated in front of his table and said quietly, “Leave us.”
They rose to their feet and left the office without a word. I stepped forward into the cozy, arms across my chest.
“What is the meaning of this?” he began, his voice laced with disdain and displeasure. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you some manners?”
“Manners?” I derided his words, shaking my head in disbelief. “That’s rich coming from a man who sold me out to a cold-blooded murderer!”
“You will watch your tone, child!” he barked, eyes flashing with instant fury.
“You endangered my life!” I banged my hand on his table, my voice matching his in a fit of rage.
Silence.
He glared at me, seething at my outburst and utter disrespect. But I didn’t care. I was too pissed to even think about the consequences of my actions.
“Did he hurt you?” he asked, his voice dropping back to normal.
I watched his scowl deepen, and his fingers curl into fists. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that the mere thought of Adrik hurting me infuriated him. However, I knew better. This old man didn’t care about anything or anyone but himself.
“No,” I answered. “He didn’t hurt me.”
I could’ve sworn that he let out a discreet sigh of relief. There was no strong evidence to back up my claim, so I guess I was seeing things.
“Did he attempt to hurt you in any way?” he asked me.
My brows drew together, knowing that he wouldn’t dare. I wasn’t sure why, but deep down I just knew he wouldn’t. “No.”
He rubbed his eyes, then combed his fingers through his hair. “So lemme get this straight. You barge intomyoffice, interruptmymeeting, and accuse me of endangeringyourlife when you’re, in fact,notin any kind of danger?” The words tumbled out in a quiet rush.
He was missing the point, and that only pissed me off even more. But I couldn’t afford to yell anymore.
I drew a deep breath, then asked calmly, “Did you know he was a Russian Mafia boss?”
His expression softened by a whisper. “Oh. I must’ve forgotten to mention it.”
My eyebrows rose, and I pulled my head back in shock. “You…you forgot to mention it?” I rubbed my forehead in confusion. “How do you forget to mention something like that?” My voice rose a bit higher this time.
“Take a seat,” he said with the calmness of a man in control.
“How could you do this to me?” I began rambling on and on. “How could you pair me up with a monster?”
“Emika!” he growled, his eyes latching onto me.
I flinched at the sound of his voice, and mine trailed off into silence.
“Sit. Down.” The words were spoken calmly, one after the other.
I obeyed.
