Page 81 of Crowned

“I never had the impression that you loved her,” Konstantin says slowly.

Dad meets my gaze and I see no love. No affection. Only a hint of the cruelty that’s to come. “This is a matter of family pride. Lilia has defied me for too long.”

My nails dig into my palms, and I shiver as a cold wind cuts through my clothes. We humiliated him on the jet, but I’m the one who’s going to be punished for it even though I spared his life. Dad’s not above beating me. He’s probably not above locking me up or starving and torturing me to death, either. I’ve outgrown my usefulness to him. He only wants revenge.

Dad turns back to Konstantin. “You mentioned diamonds. This is the deal. I’ll recompense you for what she stole, and you give me back my daughter.”

Konstantin doesn’t immediately refuse, and all the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

“Do not accept anything,” Elyah urges his friend. “Money is not what is important here. Lilia and the baby are what is important.”

“Are you three all going to play happy families with my daughter?” Dad sneers. “When I was with her in Trieste, she told me she was going to abort that baby. I suppose she changed her mind when she realized she could manipulate you all with it.”

Elyah glares at him. “That is lie.”

“I told you. My daughter is a master liar. Just like herbabushka. How many times has she tricked you already?”

Konstantin and Kirill exchange glances, but I can’t read their expressions. Elyah seems troubled, like he’s wondering whether I would flip-flop between keeping and destroying this baby on a whim.

“Really, Elyah? You’re going to believe a man over me again?” I say.

Dad casts his cold gaze over the bruises on Elyah’s face and his swollen wrist. “Did you get hurt protecting her? Did she even say thank you? I doubt it. My daughter is a cold-hearted bitch, though she’s excellent at using her body to get what she wants, I’m sure.”

No one says anything, and my throat feels painfully tight.

“How much money did she swindle out of you?” Dad asks Konstantin.

“Fourteen million dollars,” Konstantin says at once.

Dad is incredulous. “Fourteen million dollars’ worth of diamonds?”

“They were very beautiful diamonds. Is she worth that much money to you?”

Dad glances around at the three of them. “I won’t deny that the amount stings when she’s already cost me so much over the years, but I lie awake at night thinking about how my own daughter has made a fool of me. This is a matter of personal pride.”

The corner of Konstantin’s mouth turns up. “Oh, I understand. Lilia has a way of making everything very fucking personal.” He turns and flashes a vindictive glance at me. “Don’t you, Lilia?”

His eyes are even more bloodshot than before. His head is pounding, one of his men is hurt, and he’s out fourteen million dollars and a wife because of me, a woman who doesn’t know her place. Suddenly he’s wondering why he’s bothering with me.

I feel like he’s punched me in the guts.

He swore that he wanted me.

He promised to protect me.

His gaze fastens on my belly before turning back to Dad.

“But there’s a difficulty. She’s pregnant with my child,” Konstantin points out. “I’m not giving up the child.”

Dad rubs his jaw, thinking. “It delays things, but I suppose you can have the baby. I don’t want it.”

“No!” I give a strangled cry and step forward, but Kirill seizes my arm, though he’s still staring at Dad. “Don’t you dare take my baby from me. I won’t let you take my baby.”

Konstantin glances at Elyah and Kirill. “What do you think? We get the child and fourteen million dollars. Aran Brazhensky gets his troublemaking daughter back to punish how he chooses.”

“I think it’s a perfect deal,” Kirill purrs. “The only other thing I would request is a recording of Lilia’s punishment.”

“That can be arranged,” Dad says with a nasty smile.

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