Page 68 of Ruthless Daddies

“Dmitri, don’t start that again,” Ivan says. “Vadim is a wounded animal. I know how to take him out.”

Dmitri scowls at him before walking out. Nikolai leaves after him.

I stare at Ivan for a few moments before walking up to him. “Ivan, there’s something?—”

“Go, Alice,” he says, without meeting my eyes. “This isn’t your world. Don’t get too involved in it.”

My heart aches. He doesn’t trust me, not completely. I leave without a word.

The morning lightstreams through the windows as I make my way down the hallway, the quiet stillness of the estate almost soothing after the events yesterday.

As I pass one of the side hallways, I hear a voice—a low, hurried whisper that makes me stop in my tracks. It’s Svetlana. She’s on the phone, her tone sharp and clipped, completely different from the sultry confidence she usually carries.

“…Yes, I know, but it’s not that simple,” she says, her words barely above a whisper. “They’re always watching. I can’t just walk around unnoticed.”

I step closer, careful to stay behind the corner, my ears straining to catch more of the conversation.

“I’m trying,” she hisses. “But Ivan is…he’s distracted. With her.”

There’s a pause, and her voice lowers even further. “No, I don’t have all the details yet. But I’ll find out. Just give me time. You’ll get what you need.”

My stomach drops. What is she talking about? Who is she reporting to?

Svetlana’s voice grows harsher. “Don’t tell me how to handle this. I did my job before perfectly, right? I got rid of her.”

A chill runs through me. What is she talking about? Elena? No, that can’t be.

“I know what I’m doing.”

Another pause. Then, almost venomously, she adds, “If it weren’t for her, none of this would be a problem.”

Her words make my blood run cold. Is she talking about me?

Before I can process it further, the floor creaks beneath my foot, and Svetlana’s head snaps up. Her eyes lock onto me, and her expression instantly shifts from guarded to furious.

She drops the phone, her fingers tightening around it as she steps toward me. “You,” she snarls, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. “Eavesdropping like the little sneak you are.”

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just?—”

“Don’t lie to me!” she screams, cutting me off. “You’ve been skulking around since you got here, thinking you’re so clever. You’re nothing but a nosy little bitch!”

Her voice echoes down the hallway, and I take a step back, trying to keep my composure. “I wasn’t skulking. And there’s no need to yell. You’re the one who?—”

“Oh, don’t play innocent with me!” she snaps, her voice dripping with disdain. “You think you can just waltz in here and take Ivan? Take everything? Let me tell you something, little girl.”

She steps closer, her face twisted with rage. “I was here long before Elena, and I’ll be here long after you’re gone. Do you hear me? Ivan ismine.You can’t steal him from me.”

I square my shoulders, meeting her glare with one of my own. “You’re delusional,” I say, my voice steady despite the angerboiling in my chest. “Ivan doesn’t belong to you—or anyone, for that matter. And I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, Svetlana just stares at me, her face contorted with fury. Then, as if unable to contain herself any longer, she screams, “You bitch!”

That’s it. I slap her, the sound resounding through the hallway. Svetlana stumbles back, her hand flying to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.

“I’ve had enough of your nonsense,” I say. “You don’t own Ivan. And you don’t get to talk to me like that.”

26

DMITRI

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