Page 53 of Mafia King's Bride

That catches my attention. I turn to face her fully, brows furrowing.

“And you think I had something to do with that?” I ask, my voice sharper than intended.

Yelena leans back on the couch, looking at me like she’s amused by how clueless I am. “I don’t know, Dmitri, did you send her a message? Or did you screw it up in some other way I’m not aware of yet?”

“No,” I grunt. “I didn’t. I told you, I didn’t want to mislead her.” But now I’m regretting every part of that decision. “You said she was upset. Was it just the car?”

Yelena sighs, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s what she called about, but no, I don’t think that’s why she’s mad. She was home by seven, went straight to her room without a word.”

Something shifts in my gut, a familiar knot of dread. The last time Ana came home early, she didn’t eat dinner either. That was the day Lucia approached her.

I rub my chin, piecing it together. “You don’t think?—”

Yelena pops another kernel of popcorn in her mouth, watching me like she’s waiting for the obvious to sink in. “You did something, Dmitri. You’re just too blind to see it.”

“What exactly did I do wrong?” I snap, the frustration boiling up. “I didn’t even talk to her today.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” she says simply, standing up and brushing crumbs off her lap. “You don’t talk to her. You think she’s going to stick around forever, waiting for you to get your shit together?”

I scowl at her, but her words hit too close to home. I don’t like it. Yelena smirks, strolling past me with her bowl. “Don’t worry, big brother. You’ll figure it out. Eventually.”

Left standing there in the quiet hallway, I replay Yelena’s parting words over and over, trying to make sense of them.

Why is Ana avoiding me?

It’s not like I’ve given her a reason to stick around. But still…

I head upstairs, the tension building in my chest as I stop in front of Ana’s door. There’s a faint light peeking from under thedoor, but the house is quiet. I consider knocking, but something holds me back.

What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if I’ve already done too much damage? My hand hovers over the door for a long moment before I let it fall to my side. Maybe I should have done something last night. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her walk away.

I shake my head, jaw clenching.

I’ll figure it out.

NINETEEN

ANA

Daria’s face says it all as I approach her desk.

Great. Just great.

“Let me guess, he’s pulled another disappearing act?” I ask, my heart sinking. I thought giving Papa some space would make him miss me, but apparently his ego’s gotten so big it’s pushed out any paternal feelings. At this rate, I’ll be collecting social security before he decides to grace me with his presence.

Daria shakes her head, oozing sympathy. “Sorry, hon. I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting. You know how he gets.”

My shoulders slump like they’re trying to touch the floor. “Right. Because heaven forbid Nikolai Petrov face his only daughter.” A spark of defiance flares up. “Maybe I should just camp out here. He can’t ignore me forever, can he?”

I see the pity in Daria’s eyes as she offers me a chair. “If you think it’ll work. Or I could tell you where he is. If you’re feeling brave enough to make a scene?—”

“No, no,” I cut her off, shaking my head so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t fall off. “Can’t embarrass the great Nikolai Petrov. God knows I was raised too well for that.” I laugh, but it comes out sounding more like a wounded animal. “If only he’d been a worse father, maybe I’d have the guts to go all paparazzi on him.”

Daria’s laugh is gentle. “You’ve always been a good kid, Anastasia. Remember how you used to follow him around, arguing your way into meetings? Such a serious little face, even when you had no clue what was going on.”

I collapse into the chair, feeling about as deflated as a week-old balloon. “Yeah, well, he was my hero. I wanted to be just like him.” The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife. “Fat lot of good that did me.”

“He knew you had a mind of your own,” Daria says softly. “That’s why he let you study law. Figured if he couldn’t keep you out, at least he could channel it.”

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