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“Easy on the contempt,” Max responds coldly. “Especially since we have gathered even more information… by other means.”
The traitor locks eyes with me, a smile on his face. I realize he’s referring to the conversation we had in my office over a bottle of vodka. Vadim’s throws me a questioning look. I wish I could disappear. I always suspected that blunder would eventually blow up in my face—and that Vadim would pay the price.
“Alma?” he says.
“I’m sorry. He kept plying me with drinks to make me talk…”
“Oh, come on, no one forced you,” Abigail sneers. “Anyway, that’s something you and your boyfriend will have to discuss in private. Here’s how this is going to work: you have twenty-four hours to wire us five million dollars. In exchange, we’ll keep quiet.”
“We won’t contact the press and tell them about your past,” her husband adds. “The tragic fate of your parents, your run-ins with the law, your fake identity, your tumultuous relationship with Alma Lancaster… And that’s just for starters. Five million is a small price to pay, don’t you think?”
The scumbag can’t help but gloat.
“You signed a confidentiality clause. You’re bound to silence!” I hiss.
“Oh, your naivety is charming, Alma. You’re right that the legal document I signed prevents me from saying anything about Vadim King. But I’m completely free to reveal whatever information I choose about a certain Arcadi…”
“He’s right,” Vadim says, turning away.
“Twenty-four hours. Not a minute more,” Abby reminds him.
“Get the hell out of here,” Vadim sighs, without even looking at them.
“Maybe you should go console him,” Max says to me in a syrupy voice. “He just lost five million dollars because of you. That won’t be easy to stomach.”
I clench my fists, making a gargantuan effort not to use them on his face. With furious tears blurring my eyes, I watch the pair of imposters disappear behind Vadim’s imposing front door.
A single sentence is playing on a loop in my mind: Vadim will never forgive me…
I look for him, eventually finding him in his office. He’s leaning against the huge cabinet where his darkest secrets are locked away, his hands pressed against the top drawer.
“I can explain everything!” I blurt out.
“Not right now, Alma. I need to think about this and try to find a solution. I’ve got to call my lawyers,” he responds, each word icier than the last.
“I should have been more wary of Max. I—”
“Stop, please.”
“I’m so sorry, Vadim. I said the name Arcadi once, just once. It slipped out, and I tried to cover it up. I really thought he had forgotten everything.”
“What exactly do you want from me, Alma? To destroy me?” he exclaims, standing up straight. “First you break my heart, then you shoot your mouth off and risk my reputation!”
He fixes me with a hostile stare; his eyes blazing with anger, darkened by disappointment. They pierce through me without actually seeing me. I take a step toward him, hoping he won’t push me away.
No such luck.
“Just leave me alone. You can use my driver. Go wherever you want. We’ll meet up later at the airport.”
I don’t move. I wait a few seconds longer, hoping for a miracle: one final, more tender word, even just a glance or the slightest hint of a smile. I stand in front of him, rooted to the spot. But nothing comes.
Eventually, I murmur a pathetic “See you tonight” and leave him alone in his office.
44
Alma
Of course, Kate arrived at LAX an hour early, just like me. And of course, we end up sitting in the same café. With my mind elsewhere and a glass of iced tea in my hand, I only notice her when she pulls out the chair directly across from me.
