I stayed quiet, reaching up to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. My fingertips touched her cold skin. In that moment, the urge to possess her completely—to protect her completely—hit so hard my breathing went heavy.
"I'm fine, really." She switched her champagne to the other hand, shrugged, and forced a curve to her lips. "That line you just dropped, though. Derek's face..." She held it for one second, couldn't keep it in, and laughed almost recklessly. "Honestly ugly enough to brightenmy whole day."
An inexplicable irritation sprouted like weeds in my chest.
How long was this woman going to keep up the act?
Her palm had been ice-cold a moment ago, and now she was cracking jokes about her ex's humiliation. This clumsy pretense made me want to yank her out of this crowd of hypocrites, shove her into the car, lock her in the estate, and keep her there until those eyes—eyes that only ever showed me fire—lost their light completely.
"Go fix your makeup in the restroom." I released her shoulder, voice back to its usual chill. "Your eyeliner smudged."
She paused, then nodded, face flushing, and turned toward the restroom.
I watched her disappear into the crowd, picked up a fresh whiskey, and tried to tamp down the restlessness in my chest.
Soon enough, the politicians and merchants circled back like sharks smelling blood. I half-listened to those old foxes. They flattered my business, probed Bratva's territory, and sized up Vivienne—this sudden variable.
"Mr. Volkov, your fiancée is quite the intriguing woman." An oil baron smiled. "I hear she's a writer?"
"Yes." I offered a polite smile.
"How romantic. I think—"
That's when Vivienne pushed through the crowd toward me. I dismissed the old slick and walked to meet her.
"Nikolai." She lowered her voice, a hint of unease threading through. "Over there, near the backstage entrance. That man deliberately bumped into me."
I didn't turn my head immediately, just swept the area with peripheral vision.
"You hurt?"
"I'm fine, but that guy was sketchy. He even glared at me! He was jumpy, didn't even notice water stains on his jacket—not like a guest at all. Think he's one of your enemies?"
Her tone was teasing, but I sank into thought. Her words carried a whiff of something off. Wrong. My pupils constricted.
Sasha materialized at my side like a ghost. Expressionless, voicejust loud enough for me. "Boss, security list's compromised. We've got a rat inside."
"Sharp little writer. You remember what he looked like?" Vivienne pouted and shot me a look, but she rattled off every detail—down to the mole on his chin.
"Perfect. How many more surprises you got for me, firecracker?"
"Told you already." She turned her head smugly, ears going pink.
My hand on the glass didn't move, but the hand at Vivienne's back gave Sasha a silent command. Lockdown.
"Don't be scared." I leaned in close to her ear, intimate as lovers flirting. "Since they want to play, we'll play big. Smile. Follow me."
I guided her toward the lounge area on the left wing—a visual blind spot, best extraction route for security. Vivienne didn't get it, but some survival instinct written into her bones kicked in. She didn't panic or look back, just played the "I want an excuse to leave" body language like she'd rehearsed it.
"What's happening?" She kept her voice down, fingers digging into my sleeve. "Is there really a bad guy here?"
"You scared? Is there anyone worse than me in Washington?" I casually tucked hair behind her ear, kissed her earlobe. She went scarlet instantly. I shoved down the itch rising in me, positioned her in a safe corner behind the couch, turned, and clipped the earpiece Sasha handed me to my collar.
Minutes later, Sasha's icy report came through. "Three contained. Marchetti's dogs. Came to sniff out Bratva's power map for next year. Had a little 'gift' prepared for you."
I snorted. Marchetti's idiots had been alive too long. Getting bored.
After cleaning up the mess, I returned to the corner. Vivienne was fiddling idly with her clutch chain. When she saw me, she straightened, blue eyes lit not with panic but eager excitement.
