Page 52 of A Linton Scandal

The woman could spin a story and I respected her for it. I still wasn’t sure if she liked me or not, but I was hopeful she did as she’d been the one to tell me to take a break.

“Is this where you’re hiding?”

I smiled, knowing immediately who’d found me. Turning around, I didn’t hesitate, meeting Mihai halfway and letting him pull me into his arms.

“Who said I’m hiding? I am conserving my energy for the next round of introductions,” I said, drawing back to look up at him. “Though I have to say, I did contemplate squirreling away some of the food and drink and staying up here until it ends.”

He laughed. “Well, if you promise to let me join you, I won’t tell Mom about it.”

We stood alone on the balcony, the chatter below seeming to fade away. I stared at Mihai’s smiling face, and for once there weren’t any distracting thoughts or my ego telling me what to think.

He held me in his arms, sharing his warmth with me. This powerful man was staring at me as if I was the most precious thing to him.

I love him.

Shocked overtook me, as I realized I had fallen in love with him. Suddenly shy, I felt a need for space.

I took a step back, leaving the circle of his arms. “I need to use the restroom. I’ll meet you down below.” I quickly beat a hasty retreat, my cheeks felt warm, and my heart was pounding like crazy.

Making sure not to run, I quickly made my way to the bathroom. I reached the door when my hand caught my arm.

Surprised, I turned around, to find one of the servers had stopped me. “Yes?”

“The young master isn’t feeling well. Mrs. Linton has asked if you can come see him.”

Nelu wasn’t attending the party, but he’d been brought with us because we were planning to stay the night at Mihai’s parents. Hearing this, I quickly changed my direction. “Thank you.”

Going upstairs, I made my way toward Nelu’s room remembering the way from the last time he’d led me to it. Halfway there, I realized that Mihai would probably be searching for me. I stopped one of the passing waiters to let Mihai know I’d gone to Nelu’s room.

When I finally walked in, I was surprised to find that the room was completely dark. “Nelu?

A flash pain exploded at the base of my neck, I hit the ground hard. The lights flashed on, and a pair of heels appeared in my dimming sight. “Take her and the boy. Make sure to finish the job this time.”

My arms were roughly grabbed, and I was lifted, I felt my stomach tighten at the sight of Tiffany. Her expression was cruel as she glared at me. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have to take these steps. Blame yourself for your fate.”

Her words followed me into my unconsciousness.

* * *

I wincedas a flash of pain in my side woke me up. Groaning, I tried to rub my forehead, but couldn’t. Opening my eyes fully I stiffened at the sight of where my attackers had brought me. “Another warehouse?”

Did criminals lack imagination, shifting I felt the mattress under me dip. It was hard to wriggle around, as my arms had been tied behind my back.

“Mommy,” I stopped moving as a small hand pressed to my cheek. “Are you awake?”

I looked up and met Nelu’s fearful gaze, the fear for myself heightening into terror when I saw that those asshole’s had brought Mihai’s son as well. He knelt by my side, I didn’t see any bruising or anything on his face and released a sigh of solace.

Then I remembered something and stared at him in shock. “You spoke?”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded.

“If you could talk, why didn’t you before?” I asked as I straightened up, the sensation of vertigo dispelling. The dress I wore was not the best for kidnapping situations. Peering around, I spotted something that looked like broken glass in the corner.

“She said she would hurt daddy the same way she hurt mommy, if I said anything,” Nelu’s answer drew me out of my thoughts, and I looked at him in stunned silence.

He wasn’t staring at me anymore and had turned to sit pulling his knees close. “She hurt mommy, so that she couldn’t move. I was scared. If I hadn’t gotten happy about having a new mommy, she wouldn’t have come back,” he whispered, as tears slipped from his eyes.

“No, that’s not true,” I said vehemently. “You’re not to blame for anything that nasty woman does.”

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