Page 47 of His Wild Seduction

As I rode the elevator for my morning meeting with Adrik and Marat, I sent half a dozen texts to my top team with new tasks and specific instructions.

I wanted the rest of the background check I’d asked for on my wife now.

One week was more than sufficient for them to find every skeleton in Meredith’s closet. And I needed to know every fucking thing there was about her.

“Whoa! You look like shit, brother!”

Marat raked me over from head to toe with his black gaze and chuckled obnoxiously as I stepped out of the elevator.

I rolled my eyes, checking him with my shoulder as I passed, and headed straight for Adrik’s office. I was in no mood.

“Seriously, is married life not agreeing with you?” Marat asked, his grin even wider.

“Shut up,” I grumbled.

My phone buzzed, and I looked down, exhaling a slow, steady breath. It was more of the report on Meredith. Actually, it seemed like it was everything.

Everything she’s done. Everywhere she lived. Every person she came into contact with over the past fifteen years.

This was everything I’d been waiting for.

So why did I feel like a fucking monster for even considering opening it?

“Josef, do you need to answer that? Or can we get on with our meeting?” Adrik asked from behind his enormous desk.

“Sorry. I’ll do it later,” I said, putting my phone away.

“Good. Andres, proceed with the predictions for the next quarter. Afterwards, we can go over what went wrong and right this quarter,” Adrik directed the newest member of our circle.

Andres Ramirez started as a low level clerk for Volkov Industries, but after years of busting his ass, he’d made it past his already coveted position of administrative assistant to one of the inner circle entrusted with running the Volkov Industries.

Andres was given a new office, a penthouse in Manhattan, a substantial raise, and the official title of president of business acquisitions for Volkov Industries.

“With Marat’s new greener incentive program hitting all of our major mines by the end of the fiscal year, we are looking at better profit margins all around.”

“Explain please. It’s my understanding the greener initiative almost doubles costs for us,” I said.

“Because, costly as it is, major tech companies are very aware of how they’re presented to the world’s media. One false move, and entire product lines are canceled. By signing with Volkov Industries, even with our new increased rates, they are securing their images as environmentally conscientious.”

“I see. Smart,” I said, dipping my chin in acknowledgement.

Andres went on for about thirty more minutes, and I did my best to listen. But the phone in my pocket was burning a goddamn hole in the fabric.

I needed to read that fucking report.

I needed to know more about my wife.

But I couldn’t read it. I shouldn’t.

Fuck.

But I had questions damn it. Like when she said she hadn’t been with another man. Was she just feeding me a line? Or was she telling me the truth?

My blood heated with the possibility I was the only man she’d ever taken to bed.

Barbaric? Maybe.

But what could I say? Hope sprung eternal, it would seem.

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