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“Well, he’s been very attentive lately.”

“If you ask me, he’s a little oppressive instead of just possessive.”

“And you’re complaining. Ha.”

Maxsim had surprised me with a shopping trip, which should have been a red flag since he never wanted to go shopping. When he’d dropped me off, stating he had business, that should have been the clinker.

I moved further into the room, trying to take it all in. In the three months since the incident with my brother, which I still found hard to believe, the project had been fast-tracked. Of course with a couple of resignations within the city building departments, the upheaval had taken a toll, but we’d finally broken ground. Now it was all about taking the project a step at a time.

“Congratulations, girl. I’m so excited to be here,” Julie said as she approached. “I love the house. The groundbreaking ceremony was wonderful.”

“Yes, it was. I’m so glad you were there.”

Julie rolled her eyes. “You know the bosses are over the moon at this point. We’ve had more calls from perspective clients than I’ve seen in over two years.”

“That’s amazing.”

“All because of you. I’m off to grab a drink.” Julie winked as she walked away.

“Has anyone seen Mina?” I asked, wondering where Shadow had gone. Or Svetlana for that matter. While the nanny had been rehired for a little while, I had no intention of allowing her to raise my children.

Wait. I’d just thought of Mina as my daughter.

“Nope,” Hope offered with a cagey look. “So how is your love life?”

“How is yours?” I couldn’t help but tease her about her maybe relationship with Sergei. “Mine is full of passion.”

“He’s insufferable. Let’s not go there.”

“But you adore him.”

“Maybe, but he’s stuffy.”

“Seduce him. That will do the trick.”

Her grin was evil. “I might do that.”

I noticed Genevieve had slipped onto the deck. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, but we have a full round of games planned.”

“Great,” I murmured, groaning as I walked outside. When I joined her at the railing, she didn’t even turn her head. We would likely never be close, but we’d talked several times, which made having her here special.

The gently rolling waves and beautiful afternoon were the perfect background. “I’m glad you’re here,” I told her after a few seconds.

“I’m thankful for being invited. I need to apologize to you,” Genevieve said quietly.

“For what?”

“For ever doubting you about our dad. I knew he was an asshole. I guess I just wanted to believe he cared about us. I didn’t want to believe he could be such a horrible person. I knew in my heart. I’d heard things too. I just… I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. We were both hurting. If the trust funds are any indication, both our father and our brother cared in their own twisted, toxic ways.”

“By having another family.”

“He lived two lives,” I told her.

“I hope that’s not what is happening with Maxsim.”