Page 43 of Ruthless Royalty

How I let him go down on me and didn’t do a damn thing about it.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The door to Studio 3 creaks open, and Leo walks in with his usual easygoing smile. As soon as he sees me, it falters a bit, but he quickly regains his composure.

“Hey,” he says, his voice light but with an edge of concern. “How’s it going?”

“Hey,” I reply, trying to muster a smile. I stand up from my stool, forcing myself to be upbeat, but it feels like a mask slipping over my real emotions. “It’s going. Just… painting.”

Leo takes a seat at the small table in the corner, setting down a couple of bags. “Got us some snacks,” he says, reaching into one of them. “Thought we could hang out, maybe talk a bit. I’m here to help you unwind.”

I nod, though the knot in my stomach tightens. “Thanks, Leo. I could use a distraction.”

He picks out a couple of items from the bag and looks at me with a soft smile. “You’ve been quiet today. Everything okay?”

I want to tell him everything, but I can’t bring myself to. The guilt—it’s like a barrier between us. I shake my head.

“Yeah, just … a lot on my mind.”

Leo looks at me, his eyes searching mine, and I can see the concern in them. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I don’t know how to explain what happened, how Giovanni’s actions have twisted my thoughts. I feel like I’d be betraying Leo even more if I said anything.

“It’s complicated,” I finally say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just … not sure I’m ready to talk about it.”

Leo nods, though his eyes still hold that worried look. “Alright. We don’t have to talk about it now. Let’s just hang out and enjoy ourselves.”

We sit in silence for a moment, and I still can’t bring myself to talk. Leo tries to lighten the mood by unpacking the snacks and offering me a cookie. I take it, but it’s as if the sweetness of the treat has no effect on the bitter taste in my mouth.

“So,” Leo says, trying to break the silence, “I was thinking wecould do something fun today. What do you think about a walk in the garden or maybe catching a movie at my Suite?”

I’m about to respond, weighing the risk of spending more time with him against my own curiosity, when the door slams open with such force that it echoes like a gunshot through the room.

Nikolai storms in, his face a mask of fury, his eyes zeroed in on Leo with lethal intent. His presence is like a storm front, dark and foreboding.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing with Chiara?” Nikolai bellows, crossing the space in two long strides. Before Leo can react, Nikolai grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall, his fists ready to strike.

Leo, pinned and gasping, tries to speak, his eyes wide with shock and pain. “Nik?—”

“If you have a death wish, Volkov, I can arrange it faster than you can blink,” Nikolai hisses, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

“Nikolai! Stop!” I scream, rushing over to them. My hands push against Nikolai’s tense back, trying to pull him away, but he’s immovable, a statue of anger and muscle.

He turns to glare at me, the fury in his eyes so intense it makes me step back. “Do you even know who his family is, Chiara? What they did?”

His words are like ice water down my spine, reminding me of Giovanni’s warning about Leo and his family. The memory of his words sends a shiver through me.

“I think you should know better than to trust a Volkov. Or has she not learned that lesson yet?”

I shake my head, looking between Nikolai and Leo, who’s struggling to regain his composure against the wall.

Nikolai’s voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Leo’s fatherkidnapped my mother years ago. We haven’t seen her since, just... pieces of her.” His last words are spat out with such venom that it physically pains me to hear them.

The room spins, the gravity of Nikolai’s revelation hitting me like a physical blow. Leo, the man I was just considering spending more time with, his family responsible for such an atrocity?

Leo’s face pales, his eyes flickering between me and Nikolai. “I’m not my father, Nikolai,” he says quietly, his voice steady despite the chaos.

“But you are a Volkov,” Nikolai shoots back, venom dripping from every syllable. “And Volkovs live up to their name, don’t they? Predators to the core.”

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