“Then where are we going?”
I didn’t respond, just guided her through the crowd as we headed toward the front door. Six of my best men showed up out of nowhere, forming a perimeter around us. Each had their hands subtly reaching for the guns in their holsters.
By the time we stepped outside, the convoy was already waiting, ready to move out.
“I still don’t understand why we’re leaving,” she grumbled. “The party’s not yet over.”
She didn’t give a shit about the party. The only reason she was complaining about leaving so soon was because she didn’t want to return to her gilded cage.
“Get in the car,” I said once. Flatly.
She slid into the backseat, grudgingly, and I closed the door behind her.
“Make sure we’re not being followed,” I said to Sergei in Russian.
He nodded.
I walked around to the other side of the vehicle and got in.
The door closed behind me.
Was it the champagne or the exhaustion from what she’d heard tonight? I wasn’t sure, but she fell asleep on the drive back.
Her head rested against the window, eyelids closed. The red on her lips had faded slightly, and her wavy brown hair fell lazily over her shoulders. Her chest rose and fell with slow, steady breaths, her careful composure dissolving into something uncalculated.
It was a beautiful sight to behold.
The innocence on her face did something to me I wasn’t ready to admit. I stared at her in silence from across the seat, my expression unchanging even though I couldn’t understand why I was drawn to her.
To distract myself, I turned to the window on my side and let out a quiet exhale.
***
After we arrived at the mansion, I had the maids take her back to her room.
In my study, I sat at my desk, listening to Sergei’s report. He sat across from me at the table, explaining the situation in clear terms.
“According to my intel, the Sokolov bastards have their eyes on the girl because they believe she’s part of your future.”
I raised my brows, confused by that extreme assumption. “My future?”
He nodded. “Word on the street is that her appearance by your side tonight signaled one thing.” A pause. “Strategic alliance.”
Speechless, I reclined in my chair, unable to believe my ears.
“To them, she’s not a random girl,” he added. “She’s someone important to you. And that makes her the perfect leverage.”
I almost laughed at their silly assumptions. These idiots had already concluded without doing their due diligence.
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all day,” I said, rubbing my temples.
“Maybe,” he replied. “Maybe not.”
I squinted, suspicion perched in my gaze. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated. “You transformed her into a high-class woman overnight. Expensive jewelry and designer clothes. EvenIwould never have guessed she’s your prisoner because she looked more like a….” His voice trailed off into silence.
My interest was piqued. “More like a what?”
