Page 84 of Unbreakable Vow

“Yes.” I move away from her, putting distance between us. “Have you spoken to him?” I ask outright. I’ve been beating around this fucking bush long enough. I was hoping she’d slip up about why she’s really in Chicago, but she’s still the sly manipulator she’s always been.

“Why would I speak to him?” she asks, feigning ignorance.

I pick up the folder I have on my desk and flip it open, picking up the first picture. It’s of them standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, taken sometime last summer.

She pales when I show it to her.

“Sergei.” The word comes out as a plea, and she rushes toward me again. “It was a pity lunch. We ran into each other, and he begged me to have lunch.”

“How do you even know him?” I drop the photo and pick up another. This time they’re sharing a piece of cake at a party. From the background it looks like it took place at my uncle’s vineyard.

“Well, he is your cousin.”

“I haven’t spoken to him in years, and I’ve never spoken to you about him. How did he know who you were when you ran into each other?”

“Sergei, you’re getting jealous over nothing.” She pushes on a seductive smile. “I can’t say it doesn’t turn me on. It always has, how protective you get over me.” She tilts her head. “It’s why I’ve missed you so much.”

“No.” I drop the photos; there’s a dozen more taken all over the fucking place. Did she think I couldn’t easily find her social media pages? Nothing is ever truly deleted from the internet.

She should have known that.

I hadn’t planned to go at her this quickly; I wanted to draw my cousin out first. But after seeing the hurt in Cora’s eyes last night, I’m not waiting anymore.

This ends now.

“You’ve been seeing Oleg because he thought he was the only heir to my grandmother’s businesses. He thought he’d be king.” I move to her, pressing my toes to hers. “But he was fucking wrong. And now you need to find a new cash cow, that’s why you’re in Chicago.”

She swallows hard. “Sergei. We were good together.”

“You’re behind his attempt to take what’s been left to me. I had some digging done on his attorneys. You’re financing this whole thing.”

“No. That would be silly. Why would I help him fight you? You’re Sergei Petrov. There is no beating you.” She tries to reach up and touch my cheek, but I catch her wrist and shove it away.

“You’re betting on both horses. If he wins, at least half, you’re still going to have plenty of money. But if he loses, you think you’ll have me to fall back on.”

She frowns. “You don’t love that girl,” she snaps.

“Where is he?” I demand.

“I’m not helping you, Sergei.” She shakes her head. “You’ll hurt him, and he’s only trying to go after what’s rightfully his. Why don’t you just give him what he wants, and you and I can start over.”

“Start over?” I laugh, but there’s no joy there. “With you.” I shake my head. “The best thing you’ve ever done is leave me, Victoria.”

Her lips twist downward. She’s getting angry, and I realize I’ve never seen her truly upset. Nothing about her has ever been real.

“Oleg will never see a fucking cent. He can stand by and watch as I tear the entire company to shreds and let the Kustovname die. He’ll be worth nothing and he’ll get nothing. Just like they wanted my mother to do.”

She rolls her eyes. “Your mother.” She picks up her purse from the chair. “Fine. You want to fight his claim. That’s fine.”

“And you were behind the detective too.”

She shakes her head. “No, that was his bonehead idea. I told him it wouldn’t work. That it would take one phone call from one of you to get the whole thing killed. And it did.” She slips her phone from her purse. “If you come to your senses, let me know.”

“Never going to happen.” I fist my hands and press them into my desk.

She spins on her heel and yanks the door open, pausing a moment and taking a deep breath.

“Go.”

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