Page 72 of Ruthless Bonds

“Do I look like I’m in danger?” I raised my hands and waved them around me.

“No, you look like you’re in a luxurious prison. And what about your photography? The competition? Have you just given up on all of your dreams so you can be a trophy wife?” Solene scoffed.

“I haven’t given up on anything.” I pushed thetray of fruit to the side and leaned forward. “I’m still doing the competition. Actually, I only need three photos and then my submission will be complete. And honestly, you should not be talking to Agent Greene about me or my business. She’s only looking for trouble.”

“Solene, not cool,” Mira scolded as she squeezed my hand. “Can’t you see Alora’s happy? We should be supporting her, not trying to bring her down.”

Solene rolled her eyes at her sister’s comment. “You don’t belong here, Alora. He’s trying to buy your love. The woman I met all those years ago would have seen through all this.” She waved her hands at the mansion and the pool.

My fingers drummed against the table as I tried to control my breathing. I was angry, but mostly at myself, because she wasn’t even wrong. Not that I could explain the truth to her anyways, though.

Before I could respond, a shadow fell across our group. Kreos stood at the pool’s edge, his presence immediately commanding attention. He was dressed in a dark suit that clung to his muscles; his expression was unreadable.

“Ladies.” His voice was like steel. “I trust you’re enjoying yourselves?”

Mira and Margot practically tripped over themselves responding, but Solene narrowed her eyes at him. You could feel the tension crackling around us, and I tried to ease the situation by smiling brightly at him. I didn’t know how much he had heard, and I was scared to find out.

“Your concern is noted.” Kreos nodded at Solene, his tone deceptively gentle. “It shows how much youcare about her. But I can assure you, everything I do is for her protection and happiness.”

The way he said “protection” had Solene’s eyes widening. She opened her mouth to respond, but decided against it when he stepped closer to the table.

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “Now, if you’ll excuse me”—he smiled—“I have business to attend to.Kotic, dinner with my parents will be at eight.”

As he walked away, the tension seemed to grow. Mira and Margot asked a million questions about where we were going and what I was going to wear, but Solene watched us with a scowl on her face. I could see it in her eyes that she was afraid for me.

And I understood exactly why. If the tables were turned, I would do everything I could to make sure she was OK.

There was just no way to explain this to her without telling her the truth. And I didn’t even know what that was anymore.

*** ***

The restaurant Kreos’ father chose for dinner was perched high above Manhattan. From up top, the view of the city took your breath away. Kreos gripped my thigh under the table, offering me some comfort. Especially after the way his mother, Evelina Zokrov, had been staring at me all night.

She sat at the table like she was the queen and we were all her peasants. Her dark hair was pulled tight into a bun, diamonds dripping from her ears. When she smiled, it never really reached her eyes. I was pretty sure she was one of Satan’s demons put on this earth to only cause misery and fear.

Speaking of Satan, Gavriil signaled the server to refill our wine glasses, and I realized I was happy he’d joined us.

“So, Alora.” The way she said my name made my back straighten. “How are you adapting to our lifestyle now that you’re no longer bartending?”

Fuck, here we go again.This was the third comment she’d made about my former job.

Kreos squeezed my thigh under the table, and I relaxed a little bit. He’d already told me that if she stepped out of line, we would leave. He was only having this dinner out of respect for his father, even though their relationship seemed tense as well.

Before I could answer, Gavriil interjected. “Alora has quite the list of accomplishments, Evelina. She’s a finalist in a photography comp—”

“Photography?” Evelina laughed, the sound making me cringe. “How… quaint. Although I guess it’s better than serving drinks to a room full of drunks.”

“Evelina.” Kreos’ voice held a warning, and this time I was the one squeezing his thigh. I didn’t want him to do anything crazy or cause any more of a rift between his parents. I’d handled worse people than her before in my life.

Kreos’ father, Viktor, who had seemed to give me a nod of approval earlier in the night, glanced up from his phone. “The girl’s background is irrelevant. What matters is loyalty and the utmost discretion.” His voice was cold and calculating. Kreos and his father shared similar features, dark hair and eyes that seemed like they could see inside your soul. But his father was more heavyset and about five inches shorter than him.

“And children, of course.” Evelina scowled as sheglanced down at my stomach, as if I’d offended her by not being pregnant already. “An heir must be produced right away.”

I sipped on my wine to stop myself from saying something to make the situation worse.

“We will have children when we are ready.” Kreos’ tone had an edge to it that meant it was the end of the discussion.

Well, that was news to me. Wasn’t he the one who kept saying we needed to have a child right away? Hell, I wasn’t going to argue with him about that.

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