But as I walk away, all I want is to pull her back into my arms and never let her go.
Fuck.
I step into the lobby, trying to slow my breathing. The building feels louder down here. People moving through the marble hall, phones ringing, footsteps echoing. Normal life. Meanwhile I feel like I’ve just walked out of a fire.
The right thing to do would be simple.
Fire her.
Bring someone else in to handle the bride search. Someone neutral. Someone who doesn’t make my brain stop working every time she walks into a room. Someone who doesn’t kiss me like the world is ending.
I drag a hand down my face.
Why the hell am Ithisaffected by her?
I barely know her. A week ago, she was just another résumé in a stack of applicants. Now one kiss has me acting like a reckless teenager.
My phone buzzes in my hand.
I answer without looking, still distracted, still watching the revolving doors spin people in and out of the building. “Yes?”
A soft voice slides through the line. “Well. You sound tense.”
I stop walking.
Alena.
My jaw tightens immediately. I hadn’t even looked at the screen. If I had, I might not have answered at all. “What do you want?”
She laughs lightly. “Straight to the point. I missed that about you.”
“I didn’t.”
She ignores that. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
“For what?”
“For your sudden interest in marriage,” she says smoothly. “You? Looking for a wife. The whole city is whispering about it.”
Cold spreads through my chest. “How did you hear that?”
“Alena always hears things,” she says, amused. “Especially when certain people would love to see you fail.”
My mind goes straight to one person.
My father.
I wouldn’t put it past him for a second.
“You’re calling because?” I ask.
“Because,” she says, her voice turning thoughtful, “I wondered if you’d finally realized you made a mistake letting me go.”
I almost laugh. “Not even a little.”
There’s a pause on the line.
Then she sighs. “Such confidence. I suppose we’ll see how well that works out for you, Aleksei.”
