Page 178 of Sinful Games

“So, Sofiya, how did you two meet?” Caia asked, suddenly curious.

Sofiya’s cheeks flushed bright red, and she grabbed her glass, taking a quick gulp. Volk, noticing her discomfort, jumped in before I could say anything.

“I kidnapped her,” he said casually.

Caia’s eyes widened. “What?”

I crossed my arms, amused, ready to see how Volk would spin this to my wife.

Volk sighed. “It’s a wild story. Igor, may he rest in peace, asked me to kidnap her because he thought she was his daughter. Turns out, Victoria—Igor’s late wife—and Vlad, may he rot in hell, had an affair, and Victoria got knocked up with Sofiya. Then Helena, Sofiya’s adoptive mother, swooped in, took the baby, and?—”

Sofiya cut him off, gripping his hand with a pleading look.

Caia, sensing the tension, said softly, “I’m sorry, Sofiya. I didn’t mean to bring up anything upsetting.”

“Don’t worry,” Sofiya replied with a forced smile. “Our story is complicated, but thanks to Volk, I finally uncovered the truth about my family and… myself. I never planned on falling in love, but sometimes love works in mysterious ways.”

I thought back to those early days with Caia, how we first met under such fucked-up circumstances. Her father had made it clear: she was supposed to seduce me to gain leverage over the Silas. For weeks, we played a twisted game, a dance of seduction and manipulation.

I was determined to hold my ground, to not fall for her charm, but the harder I tried to resist, the deeper I fell.

Caia whispered, “It really does.”

Just as Sofiya opened her mouth to say something else, my phone rang.

I glanced at the screen and saw it was LeRoy.

"Excuse me for a sec," I said, getting up from the table.

Caia gave me a curious look, and I mouthed, "LeRoy," as I stepped away.

I made my way to my office, closing the door behind me to muffle the lively chatter from the dining room. With a sigh, I answered the call. "LeRoy, what’s up?"

LeRoy's voice crackled on the other end. "Sorry to interrupt your little soirée, sir. Just wanted to update you on a situation with Scarlett. She’s been rehearsing all day, and just as we were about to leave, an old acquaintance of hers named Brandon Jones showed up. He looked like shit and was acting aggressive, begging her for cash. Things escalated when he grabbed her, but I stepped in and had him detained. The cops are dealing with it now. Turns out he’s her former dealer, and she still owes him money."

Fuckin’ hell.

The only silver lining in this mess was that Miss Satanic was back rehearsing.

I clenched my jaw and ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “Thanks for handling it, LeRoy. Make sure Scarlett doesn’t do anything stupid tonight, like bailing him out. I’ll take care of the rest.”

LeRoy’s voice was steady. “Will do, sir."

I ended the call and rubbed my temples, the evening’s vibe now clouded by this new complication. The fact that Scarlett was still tangled up with someone like Brandon Jones—someone who could cause serious trouble—was infuriating.

But for now, I had bigger shit to deal with.

“Need a hand with that?”

I turned to look at her. She’d swapped into a long Nirvana T-shirt that barely covered her ass, paired with some airy linen shorts and her favorite fluffy slippers.

“No, just kick back and chill,” I replied, tackling the mountain of dishes. “I’m almost done here.” I’d already sent the cook home; she’d worked hard enough and deserved a break.

Mikhail and Sofiya took off an hour ago after we devoured chocolate soufflé and homemade caramel beurre salé ice cream. They’d said their goodbyes, promising to catch up tomorrow at Angelo’s exhibition.

It was great seeing Sofiya and Caia hit it off; they spent the night yapping and laughing, finding out they had a ton in common. By the end, they’d swapped numbers and were plotting another hangout before heading back to Moscow.

“Steven dropped by today,” Caia said as she hopped onto the countertop next to me, her leg brushing against my bare arm. “He seemed bummed you weren’t here. I think he’s got a crush on you.”

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