Page 135 of Taken By My Grumpy Pakhan

“What if he realizes his theatrics won’t work a second time and decides to employ different means? What if—”

“Genevieve!”

Anna’s voice rattled me out of my hysteria.

Although Kazimir's actions might have made me feel a bit flattered, deep down I wasn't sure if he was doing it for his child or for me. I constantly asked myself how long it would be before he tired of playing this game. If I surrendered my heart to him once more, only for him to pull away, what would I do then?

Svetlana, horrible as she might’ve been, was honest about a few things, and if there was one thing I learned, it was that she knew the men in her world better than I ever could.

“I got so carried away with how he acted around me I forgot how little I was in comparison to him.” I sighed in defeat. “What if he takes my baby?”

“First, I don’t think he wants that,” Anna said. “Look around you, Gen,” her arm swept across the living room. “Does this look like a man who has come to fight for a baby? And even if he decides to, we can fight this.”

“He’s in the mafia, Ann. A fucking Pakhan and a billionaire.” I pressed my forehead into the heels of my palms. “What was I thinking? That this would turn into one of the romance books on my shelf?”

“It does read like one of them.” I heard the cheeky grin in her voice. “But we do need to come up with something. You’ve hidden for too long and now it's time to make decisions. Your baby is growing fast.”

I looked down at the bump peeking from my tank top. It was my most precious treasure. But I had been too caught up in my own emotions, forgetting that this little one needed better care. If its father loved it, then it deserved a father's love.

Anna didn’t push further. She just waited, watching me carefully as I left the window and returned to the sofa, picking up the crumpled note on the floor and rereading it like it would hold a new meaning now that I had let out my emotions.

“If I see him,” I finally said, “it’s because of the baby. Not because of him.”

“That’s all I’m saying. Make it on your terms; you don’t have to give in to him and his demands. He is the liar and his lies affected you badly.”

“And maybe,” I admitted, quieter now, “if I see him, he’ll stop filling my apartment with flowers I don’t have room for anymore.”

Anna almost smiled at that. “There’s the practical woman I know.”

I picked my phone up off the counter before I could talk myself out of it again, and typed a short reply to the number he’d been texting from every day for a month.

‘Fine. Tonight. Somewhere public.’

He chose a small private room at the back of a restaurant I’d never been to. Of course he found a middle ground.

The location was essentially public, in the heart of Manhattan and bustling with life, but the restaurant on its own was quite private.

He was already seated when I got in, a bottle of water in front of him and a nickel rolling between his thumb and index finger, his shoulders slightly hunched over.

He startled when he saw me, his eyes widening briefly with something I couldn’t bother to place before he hurriedly tucked the nickel away and got to his feet.

“Hello.” His voice was gruff like he hadn't used it much, but it still carried the velvety drawl that rubbed me the wrong way.

His eyes scanned me, lingering a bit on my stomach, but I had been intentional about dressing in a way that concealed my growing bump.

He pulled out my chair before I could sit down myself.

“What do you want?”

“What would you love to eat?”

We both spoke at the same time, with mine sharper and cutting in comparison to his calm request.

Eventually, I picked up the menu and settled for a salad while he got steak.

It took an agonizing five minutes of studying the patterns on the wall before I could finally bring myself to really look at him.

His features were slightly different. He still looked as handsome as I remembered, but there were shadows under his eyes and a light stubble dusted his otherwise smooth jaw.