Page 120 of Deceitful Vows

Fuck.

Maksim’s glare is the strongest to date when I enter his office without knocking. I don’t know the identity of the woman who moans his name a second before he slams down his laptop screen, but it keeps his eyes off the prize long enough for the hired goon in the lobby to peer in our direction. His eyes widen to the size of saucers when he spots my watch before he sprints for the exit faster than Maksim can advise his security team to stop him.

46

ZOYA

Ilied when I said there is no better fix for a broken ego than spoiling someone more defeated than you. Meddling in their blossoming love life is far more cathartic.

Even Aleena agrees.

She hasn’t stopped snooping for information on Nikita’s connection with Maksim Ivanov all morning. She seems more interested in their coupling than her upcoming nuptials. I’d be worried if it didn’t make her so happy. She’s as obsessed with scheming as I am, and it reminds me that we’re more alike than our mother will ever admit.

The hype is also keeping my focus off my disappointment that Andrik sent his brother to do his bidding last night. Mikhail didn’t hide the fact that Andrik was in the building with us. He joked that I should take the service elevator to force him out of hiding, undermining my determination to unearth Zakhar’s relationship to Andrik with lust.

I’ve never felt more disappointed with myself.

Fortunately for me, my confidence is about to be slathered with a ton of compliments all bikini competition contestants sign up for.

“Here she comes,” announces Aleena, drawing me from my thoughts.

Nikita is hot on the tail of Shevi, Aleena’s chief bridesmaid, wearing the bikini we conned her into only minutes ago when she thought we were going for a swim.

She didn’t see the brilliance in Aleena’s plan as readily as I did.

I wait to hear the click of a lock sliding into place before pulling my best shocked expression. “Oh no. You left our room in only a bikini, and our key card is still inside. Whatever will we do?”

Shevi steps back with her hands in the air, mumbling her innocence when Nikita shoots daggers at her. She can pull off the preacher’s daughter’s look.

Aleena and I aren’t so lucky.

Nikita sniffs out our wickedness in under a second.

“This isn’t funny. We’re not freshmen anymore. Let me back into our room.”

I act as if there isn’t an ounce of angst in her words. “I would if I could, but I can’t.”

“Zoya…” The shortness of her reply announces her lie detector machine is in full operation. We’re well past busted, but since this is far more fun than sulking, I continue my ruse.

Aleena’s giggles make my heart beat faster when Nikita pats me down like bags of cocaine are strapped to my chest instead of the prize money I am hoping will make up the deficit I caused to Ellis’s bribe yesterday.

When her search comes up empty-handed, I add words to the silent acknowledgement hardening her features. “I honestly don’t have it.”

Since my tone is honest, she shifts her focus to my accomplices.

“Don’t look at me,” Aleena blurts out, her face as guilty now as it was when we ate a week’s worth of chocolate in one sitting.

We had a stomachache for days on end, but the snippet of rebellion it fired in her eyes made it so worthwhile. It was the first time I truly believed she would one day get out from under our mother’s reign.

“I only asked if we could host part of the bachelorette party here. I didn’t demand unlimited access.”

With Aleena’s brow full of sweat, I jump back into the conversation before our ruse is busted. A room key card is an easy thing to hide when you have E cups, but since I knew that would be the first place Nikita would look, Aleena stuffed it between her almost as generous breasts.

“Oh poo. I guess that means we’ll have to go down to the foyer and ask for another key.”

I can’t hide my smile when Nikita grumbles, “The foyer wouldn’t happen to be next to the bikini competition area, would it?”

“No,” I reply,pffting. “But the registration desk for the bikini competition is right next door.”

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