Page 83 of Unbreakable Vow

She sweeps a glance my way. “Well, that’s good news.” She doesn’t like him being in the room with us; she never did. Andrei always unsettled her. It should have been a sign. Andrei has a knack for knowing who to trust and who not to. And his warnings bells went off about her from the first time they met.

I should have paid more attention to the red flags she raised, but I was enamored with her. It was a mistake, letting my feelings get in the way of thinking.

If I hadn’t been so trusting, so into her, I would have noticed she wasn’t going to stick around. My pockets were deep, but notdeep enough to keep her from taking off with a man with a larger bank account.

If she’d only known about the money stored overseas, she would have seen my true worth.

But it’s good she didn’t. At least she had the decency to show her truth before we took vows. The night before our nuptials, she sent a message. Didn’t even have it in her to show her fucking face to break my heart.

At first, I wanted vengeance. I wanted that fucker’s head on a platter for stealing my woman. But she left on her own; it was her that made that decision.

And they both got what they had coming. A few bad investments, and he found himself on the unemployment line and his nest egg hemorrhaging in the stock market. Victoria had to fly home to LA to live off her own parents.

“Yes. It is. What brings you back to town?” He cocks an eyebrow and I know where he’s going. “Did you find another man to latch onto so you can suck him dry?”

Her smile falters a fraction, but there’s a deeper wrinkle around her eyes. She’s forcing herself to keep her temper in check.

Five years ago, I would have warned her to keep herself civil. I would have bared her ass if she let her temper rule her. What a fucking waste.

“I opened a jewelry store, and I’ve been lucky enough for it to become quite profitable. I’m opening two more in New York this summer. I’m in Chicago to look at a few properties for a future store here.” She rolls her shoulders back and thrusts her chin up.

“Then maybe you should be talking to Viktor instead of Sergei. He’s the one who deals a lot with real estate.”

A look of disgust crosses her face, but she recovers quickly.

How did I not see her this way before? She’s like a chameleon, changing to fit whatever surroundings she’s in.

“I’m fine in that department.” She swallows. “How is Viktor?”

Viktor was the most vocal about his distrust of her. She sensed his feelings and tried to stay away from him for the most part.

I blackened his eye when he tried to tell me about his suspicion that she was seeing someone behind my back.

“He’s fine.” I step around my desk. “Andrei was just leaving.”

His jaw clenches. The distrust and hatred he has for her is palpable, and it’s going to get in the way of what I need to do.

“I’ll be down in my office if you need me.” He nods his goodbyes to me then makes a wide berth around her as he leaves. The door shakes when he slams it.

“I guess he hasn’t forgiven me yet.” She sighs softly and frowns just enough to make it look like she really gives a damn. It’s too bad for her that I’ve learned all her little tricks, and they don’t work on me anymore.

Cora doesn’t resort to such tricks. What you see is what you get with her. No games. No manipulation. Just her.

This needs to end so I can explain everything and wipe the hurt away from her. I’ve done my best to avoid her this past week, but in the few times we’ve interacted I could feel it. And every time I don’t come home at night, and every time I don’t wake her when I climb into our bed, the hurt gets deeper.

“No. Not yet.” I do my best to keep my tone even.

“He will.” She smiles and walks further into my office, dropping her purse on a chair. “How was your day?” Her hands slide up my chest when she gets to me.

“Busy.” I wrap my hands around her wrists and pull them away from me. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of my cousin, Oleg, but he’s nowhere to be found.”

She stiffens for a moment then takes a small step back.

“Why do you want to see him for?” She brushes away a hair from her cheek that’s not even there.

“He’s trying to fight my grandmother’s will here in the States. He wants the company for himself, claims it should be split between the two of us.”

“Between you?” She clears her throat.

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