An annoyed sigh leaves me. “I’m tired of proving myself in general. I don’t take my position lightly. I never have. Even when I was a teenager.”
He nods once, agreeing.
Lev studies me. His eyes catch something on my face and soften by a degree. “Don’t let her make you doubt yourself. You brought them here for a reason. It’s good that they’re under our protection. You’d never be able to focus otherwise.”
“Yes, I know,” I answer.
He stands. “We’ll talk more about it in the morning with the rest of theKrug.For now, go back to bed. I’m sure your wife will be pissed if she wakes up and finds you missing. She strikes me as the type to not like you working so late.”
“She isn’t my wife yet,” I say.
“She will be,” he returns.
The corner of my mouth twitches despite my mood. “Yes. She will be.”
I truly love the sound of that.
32
IVY
Settling in takes time.
I knew it would, but knowing and living it are two different things.
The first few days pass in a blur of introductions, half-smiles, and staff bustling around like they’ve trained their entire lives to be the perfect version of polite to their guests-turned-new masters.
I expected disdain, cold shoulders, maybe even outright hostility considering who I am and the baggage I dragged through their doors yet again, but Maksim’s staff surprises me. They bow their heads, address me with respect, treat Leo like he’s some kind of little prince.
Leo eats it up, of course. He’s fascinated by the idea of having people who bring him snacks on command or who patiently sit through his endless questions about the house. The way he runs down the wide halls like he’s found himself in a castle makes me want to believe this could be a real home for us.
The inner circle, on the other hand, is another beast altogether.
I get along fine with the twins, and even Andrey has come around to greet me politely each morning when we all sit together for breakfast.
The real problem is Matvey.
He watches me constantly like I’m a bug under glass, his mouth always pressed into a line that says he’s remembering every mistake I’ve ever made. I don’t exactly blame him. He was the first one to suspect I was hiding something. The first one to find the signs that I might be planning to betray Maksim. And even though it all worked out in the end, I never gave him the full truth. I never earned his trust back.
So today, I find myself looking for him.
I spot him in one of the sunrooms, sipping something dark from a ceramic mug while hunched over a laptop propped up on the table in front of him. His posture is horrible, bent at an odd angle that can’t at all be good for his heath.
Lettie hums beside me, determined to shadow me for the day while Leo is in a session with the tutor Maksim set him up with early this morning. Before I can open my mouth and greet Matvey, Lettie swoops in and settles herself on the cushion next to him
“Hello there,” she says, giggling when he jumps and practically spills his entire cup. She leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees, chin propped on her hand. Her lashes flutter so obviously that it has me cringing from three feet away. “You’re Matvey. Right?”
He eyes her up and down warily. “Yes…?”
“A little birdy told me you’re super, duper smart. You’re the tech guy, right? The one who controls all the computers?”
He blinks a few times at her, eyes darting over to me for a brief moment before coming back to her. “Yes?”
Lettie grins. “Wow, that’s so cool. I love an intelligent man. They’re so hot.”
Matvey goes red.Brightred. I stop dead in my tracks, unsure whether I should intervene or watch this car crash unfold right before my eyes. I’m half tempted to, considering I kind of owe him for helping save me and my child’s life, but then again…
Matvey strikes me as the kind of person who doesn’t get out much. Especially when it comes to getting laid. Always trapped behind a computer screen doesn’t spell well for a love life no matter how good-looking and cutely nerdy you may be.
