Page 19 of Valentine's Miracle

Not an inch of me reacts with surprise. It would be something she would do under circumstances that were questionable in the big picture. I’m glad she took the precaution to act first and ask questions later.

“It was dark, raining, and you bulldozed out of nowhere. What did you think I was going to do?” Victoria takes a drink of her red wine.

By her taste, it’s not bitter nor too sweet. The name is already forgotten after Fyodor introduced it, but the year was remarkable since the restaurant was going to open a bottle of old wine for one person.

It goes to show what money can do. Everyone will turn a blind eye to everything if the cash is greener than my eyes.

“I was expecting a kiss or a squeal; I’m not that picky.” Fyodor’s glass raises with his champagne swooshing.

I opted for water, and so did Sebastian. We’re on the job, and I don’t touch alcohol. I find it to be a useless thing for my body.

Our dishes have been collected, and it’s time for dessert, but I didn’t want any. This meal is too fancy for my stomach, a simple dinner would have sufficed, and that was what I thought until this man stepped into the scene.

“I debated throwing my food or pepper spray. I’m not that picky either.” Victoria digs into her dessert with a two-legged fork.

Sebastian snorts; water enters ungracefully into his nose. Fyodor passes a napkin to him with a smile too friendly for my taste, but that could just mean that he’s always this friendly.

“We’re you two… close?” When Sebastian asks that question, he looked at me after to see if I would react to that. He asked a question that he knows I don’t want to know because the answer would either make my heart leap in joy or drop in despair and jealousy.

He’s really trying my patience tonight.

Victoria raises an eyebrow before glancing at Fyodor; amusement twitches on her pink lips while she hides it with the wine glass. I see it, and the pit in my stomach grows wider with dread and vile intentions of wiping the smirk off the man’s face when he steers his attention to me.

“Hm,” they both hums simultaneously.

Sebastian whines, stuffing his mouth with a large chunk of some fancy dessert. It comes in a glass cup filled with cream and assortments of fruits, and he’s already done with it on the last bite.

“So?” Victoria begins, putting down her fork and wiping her lips with the provided cloth. “What brings you back from the Maldives?”

“I find that absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

I pause, just waiting for other bullshit to fall from his lips. This man has been spewing out nonsense for the last hour, and this is the longest dinner I have ever had, and it’s grating on my nerves. My patience has been thinning the moment those vultures of women trapped me in their circle, and I was barely holding onto my sanity when their nails dragged across my skin.

“Did you run off with that Bohemian lady?”

The question from her sweet voice gets a look from me and Sebastian, who is more in displeasure than shock. I can’t put my fingers on it, but past experience tells me that the flirtatious side of Sebastian is inching towards the surface.

“We eloped, but we didn’t work out,” Fyodor answers with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder.

“How sad.” There is no emotion on her face, just a simple plain canvas with her soft features. Understanding their complex relationship, I get a headache just by tying the pieces together to know that they have a vast amount of memories together.

Ones that fills in the missing seven years between Victoria and I. I’m bitter, and I start to resent this man for having things with her that I only wish I had.

“Be more sympathetic to my love life.”

“I’ll be sure to shed tears later.” Victoria pulls out her wallet, but the other man stops her with a pointed look.

“You’re just salty that you didn’t accept my proposal.” Fyodor takes out a credit card and waves the waitress over. She takes the card and the check with her; her steps are hurried and frantic while she occasionally looks back at us.

We do stand out in the middle of the restaurant with couples dominating the area.

“The last thing I want to do is to elope with a man who ate petroleum jelly.”

The more I learn about this man, the more I stop seeing him as this sophisticated businessman. In my eyes, he is nothing more than a fool and a dumbass, but he makes Victoria laugh.

He has some redeeming qualities.

“I had many phases in my life.” Fyodor takes the card back from the waitress as she blushes at the drop of his tone. A flirt that can’t be stopped, Fyodor continues to remind me of Sebastian, and it’s getting worse by the minute.

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