Page 104 of Beautiful Cruelty

"Isn't what? A killer? A criminal? A rapist?" Olga's laugh drips with disdain. "I guarantee you, he will become all of those and more in due time. Perhaps you think you can change him. Perhaps you've deluded yourself into thinking you can save him from himself. But you're wrong. The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Her eyes slowly drift to my neck, stopping when she catches sight of Mom's necklace.

"Everything else about you screams money trying too hard. The dress, the makeup, that ridiculous ring. But this..." Her finger traces the delicate chain. "This is different. Why this?"

"Because I wanted it." I keep my voice steady, even as my heart pounds.

I won't tell her about Mom, about what this necklace really means. I won't give her any more ammunition than she already has.

"If I can spot this little inconsistency." Olga's finger traces Mom’s necklace again. "Others at the wedding certainly will too."

I resist the urge to touch the necklace protectively. My heart pounds against my ribs as her words sink in. A chill runs down my spine despite the warmth of the room.

The way she says it makes it sound less like a warning and more like a threat.

"Every lie you tell me incurs a debt to the truth." Her voice drops lower, becoming almost intimate. "And sooner or later, that debt must be paid."

Her perfectly manicured hand cups my cheek in a mockery of maternal concern. "Pray,devushka, that whoever pays that debt isn't someone you care about."

My mind flashes to Megan, to Dad sitting alone in his house. Even to Freddy, who for all his faults, is still family. The weight of what I'm doing—what I'm risking—settles over me like a lead blanket.

I want to step back from her touch, but my feet feel frozen to the marble floor. Her ice-blue eyes bore into mine, searching for any crack in my composure that might reveal the truth she's hunting for.

"Such bravery," she purrs, releasing my face. "Standing up to me. Defending him. Almost admirable, if it weren't so foolish."

I force myself to hold her gaze despite the way my heart hammers against my ribs. She circles me again, heels clicking softly against the marble floor until she stops directly behind me.

Her breath tickles my ear as she leans in close and presses an ice-cold kiss to my cheek.

"Remember. Sooner or later, Pyotr's bastardwillput blood on your hands. It's only a matter of time."

Her words slither down my spine like a frozen snake. I want to argue, to defend him, but the absolute certainty in her voice steals my breath away.

And for a moment, I dare to believe her.

30

VADIM

I watchLacey and Olga return from their private conversation. My heart clenches at the haunted look in Lacey's amber-flecked eyes. Her usual spark has dimmed, replaced by something darker. More troubled.

My hands ball into fists at my sides. Every protective instinct screams at me to go to her, to chase away whatever shadows Olga has planted in her mind.

I watch Olga saunter toward the exit, her parting words hanging in the air like poison. "I will see you both at the wedding,bastard."

The moment we are alone, Lacey whirls on me. Gone is the haunted look—replaced by blazing fury that makes her eyes spark like amber catching sunlight.

"Who is Sayanaa?"

My jaw clenches. Of course Olga would tell her about Sayanaa. "It's not what you think?—"

Lacey backs away from me, shaking her head. "What else haven't you told me?"

"Lacey—" I reach for her but she jerks away.

"You promised me honesty, Vadim." Her hands tremble as she touches Laura's necklace. "Instead, I find out from Olga that you were engaged to Kirsan’s daughter. Did you keep that from me because you think that I wouldn’t agree to this if I thought I was the other woman?”

My chest tightens at the pain in her voice. It's the same raw hurt I saw that first day at Mrs. Klossner's, when she stood there with Walker's ring stuck on her finger, fresh from finding out about the betrayal.

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