My heart drops into my stomach. "What the fuck are you doing?"
A second later, a ping echoes from my own phone on the counter. I grab it, my eyes widening as I look at the banking app notification. He took every single dollar from the bank account I helped him open weeks ago and transferred it into mine.
"What the fuck did you just do?" I scream. "That is your money!"
"If you still cannot get over your stupid, arrogant pride, if you are so blind that you think I am only standing in this room because you’re going to transfer me ten million dollars by the end of the contract period, then I will prove otherwise to you!"
"What are you talking about, Viktor?"
"I am going to work myself to the bone," he promises, stepping into my space. "I’ll work every day, every night, until every single cent of those ten million dollars is back in your bank account before a single dollar reaches me or the auction housestake their cut. And I will not touch you until I do. I do not view myself as your slave, Valentina. Why do you refuse to believe that?"
Without waiting for me to answer, he turns on his heel and storms down the hallway, slamming the door to his room.
His words echo long after he leaves, repeating over and over again until they deafen me.
Insecure.
Insecure.
Insecure.
Chapter Fifteen
Valentina
It has been five days of absolute silence in the penthouse, and five days of torture at the office.
True to his word, Viktor has buried himself in work. He has started networking aggressively, leveraging the connections he made during our cross-corporate events. He has more security consulting contracts than ever before. But he doesn't run them by me anymore.
No. He runs them bySarah.
I never in my life thought I would feel this much animosity toward my own assistant. Sarah is a sweetheart. She is a miracle worker who literally works herself dry for me, never letting me down a single time in three years.
But every single time I see Viktor running to her for advice, asking her to help him network, or reading over his new contracts with him, I feel rage so violent it could literally make me sprout horns.
And Sarah, of course, is more than happy to help him during her lunch breaks. Just like every other person in this company, she seems to have total heart eyes for him.
He is gone all night now, working private security. Yesterday, he informed me that he would be working through the weekend too.
Is it really because of his promise to me? Or is he just frustrated? Maybe he's finally realizing he doesn't need to beg for my touch when the world is full of women who would gladlyopen their legs for him. Maybe he's taking girls out on dates. Maybe he's taking Sarah out.
Fuck.
The murderous violence that crashes through my veins at that thought is indescribable. My hands fist so hard my manicured nails bite into my palms. What can I even do? Tell him no? Command him to stop? The stupid little contract explicitly states I control his schedule, but I will be absolutely fucked if I stoop that low.
By 1:00 PM, the walls of my office feel like they are closing in. I can't focus on anything. Viktor hasn’t had lunch with me in five days, let alone dinner, since he’s out all fucking night doing God knows what.
I push back from my desk, grab a stack of random files just to give myself an excuse, and walk out to search for him.
As I approach Sarah’s office, I catch the gravelly rumble of his voice. The door is slightly ajar. I stop in the shadows of the corridor, my chest heaving as I look through the gap.
Viktor is standing over Sarah’s desk, his massive frame clad in a charcoal button-down that strains against his back. He points a blunt finger at a clause in the contract in front of them.
But Sarah isn't looking at the contract. She is twirling a pen between her fingers, leaning forward so her blouse dips to expose her ample cleavage.
"You know, Viktor, if you're working the gala on Saturday night, I'm actually off duty," she flirts. "I could show you around the city afterward."
I don’t hear Viktor’s response, but it must not have been harsh, since she’s still giggling up at him.
