Page 198 of The Harbinger

“According to her aunt, Mia cut off all contact with her family. She stopped responding to their mail, refused their calls, and took them off the approved visitor’s list.”

I frowned.

Mia was a rebellious woman, but I couldn’t imagine her doing this on her own accord. It seemed unlikely. She cherished her family deeply, despite having few memories of them. Her pride for her family showed in her eyes when she spoke about them, especially for her sister. “Why would she do that?”

“They didn’t know, but they haven’t spoken to her for over a year.”

“Did they find anything out about Jenny?”

“Dead end.” He shook his head. “The people on the street say they saw Mia with her but didn’t know who she was. He even went to the local shelters and food kitchens.”

“And nothing?”

He shook his head. “Nyet.”

“Did he speak with Jennifer?”

“No.” He scooted forward in his chair and looked to the door as if someone might be hearing. “She couldn’t be found either.”

“Did he check her work?”

He nodded. “She’s on leave and has been for almost two months.”

“So Mia’s been in the hospital before Ivan found her, her records go missing as well as her doctor and her family accepts this?” Alarm bells sounded off in my brain.

Who was she? No… whoisshe?

“This is what he has found, yes.” He sat back in his chair as I planted my elbow on the armrest and rubbed my chin. “Maybe if you told her what you’ve found, she’ll—”

“No.” I swiped my hand in front of me, cutting off his suggestion. “Tonight is too important to have her focusing on her family. I need her head clear.”

“And what of Ruslan? Does he know about the results?”

Knock. Knock.

“He didn’t take it well,” I said. “Enter.”

The door swung open, and Lydia stepped inside. “Alexander Ruslanovich? Mia is requesting you approve her dress choice.”

I shot a quick glare at Dmitri, who was sporting a smirk that didn’t escape my attention. “Tell her I’m currently occupied with a meeting and that I’ll be free in a couple of hours.”

She promptly lowered her head, exited the room, and quietly closed the door.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?” Dmitri asked.

I let out a noncommittal hum. “Da.”

Except now I’d have to face Mia with this new information which would no doubt cause her to blast me with questions to which I didn’t have the answers.

Chapter 53

Mia

“Enough.Enough,”Isaidfirmly, swatting away their hands as they applied powder to my face with a soft brush and pinned my hair into place.

They had poked and prodded me, snickering and frowning all the while. I was oblivious to whatever they whispered behind my back, but it was clear that their attention and gossip had become too much to bear.

Sacha’s rejection had already left a sour taste in my mouth, and the women’s behavior only added to my anxiety.

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