Page 6 of The Payment

“Once again...it’s Polov, Tony.”

With a “Gmphf,” he stomped back into the penthouse toward the kitchen,

Taking a sip of his coffee, Jarek scrolled through the newspaper on his tablet.Through his shell company, Bolton Enterprises, he had orchestrated TAP’s transition years before their marriage.Their new headquarters at Boston Logan International Airport was a masterpiece of modern architecture.It consisted of thirty-five stories of glass and steel office building with an attached warehouse, both designed with cutting-edge environmental standards.

His forward planning had already generated substantial revenue for TAP.The office spaces were leased to premium corporate clients, following Tatiana’s current business model but with enhanced modernization and connections.The rental income from the past two years sat in investment portfolios, growing steadily under his expert management.

He glanced at Tatiana as she reviewed the project list for the headquarters’ opening.She had no idea that her company’s expansion had been set in motion long before she had walked down the aisle.The thought of her reaction when she discovered the extent of his involvement brought a slight smile to his face.

The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but it did nothing to warm the arctic atmosphere between them.Jarek’s fingers tightened imperceptibly around his coffee cup as Tatiana maintained the studied concentration on her breakfast.

For three weeks, their meals were exercises in silence.She had mastered the art of existing in the same space while maintaining an impenetrable wall between them.Her shoulders remained rigid with her posture, displaying a clear signal that she considered his presence an unwelcome intrusion in her personal space.

When forced to communicate about business matters, she addressed the air somewhere to his left, and her voice carried the impersonal tone reserved for unwanted telemarketers.Her responses were clipped, efficient, and devoid of any emotion.

Jarek’s jaw clenched as he watched her methodically spread butter on a croissant.His patience, usually boundless in business dealings, was wearing dangerously thin.The constant dismissal of his existence grated against his self-control.

She rose from the table with fluid grace, gathering her tablet and papers without a glance in his direction.Her heels clicked against the marble floor in a steady rhythm of retreat that had become all too familiar.

“Tatiana.”His voice cut through the silence, sharp enough to make her pause mid-step.She didn’t turn, but the slight stiffening of her spine told him she was listening.“This silent treatment won’t change anything.”

Her fingers whitened around her tablet, but she resumed walking without acknowledgment.

“We’re in this marriage for a minimum of five years, my dear wife.”Jarek’s voice carried across the space between them.He kept his tone deliberately measured.“The least we can do is be civil to each other.”

The words halted her progress.She whirled around, her designer dress swirling with the sudden movement.Frost hardened in her blue eyes as she fixed him with a look that could freeze hell.

“Except there is nothing civil to this entire situation, is there?”

Jarek leaned back into his chair, projecting an air of casual control that he knew would infuriate her further.“In the end, you chose to come here and stay married to me.”

Her heel ground against the marble floor as she took a deep breath.The morning sun caught the highlights in her hair, creating a halo effect that contrasted sharply with the venom in her expression.There was no denying he had married a fiery and beautiful woman.

“Do not pretend that I had any other choice, Jarek Farrel.”Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.“You used the only weapon that would make me yield, and you know it.”

His knuckles cracked as his fist clenched on the table in an outward sign of his fraying patience.The delicate coffee cup rattled in its saucer as he set it down with controlled force.

“I have given you space, Tatiana, to allow you time to process the redirection of your life.”He rose from his chair.“It ends today.My tolerance for this childish behavior has reached its limit.”

The air crackled with tension as they faced each other across the sun-drenched room, two immovable forces locked in a battle of wills.The distant hum of Boston traffic filtered up from sixty-one floors below as a mundane counterpoint to their private war.

Jarek’s voice dropped to a dangerous treble.“Now, what's on your agenda for the day?”

Tatiana maintained her icy silence as her azure eyes launched invisible arrows at his chest.

“Levin and I are going to view warehouses at the docks.”She eventually spat out the words like bullets.As usual, her gaze was fixed on some invisible point past his left shoulder.The morning light caught the diamond on her wedding ring as her hands clenched at her sides.He was surprised to notice she wore it every day, especially since she made no secret of her growing hatred for him and the situation he had forced her into.

“I told you to focus on staff relocation and employment, Tatiana.”Jarek’s voice emanated with the unquestioned command of a man who expected mountains to move at his decree.“The premises have already been sorted.”

With skepticism etched in the gesture, one perfectly groomed eyebrow arched upward.“And I told you, it’s my business, and I know what I want.”Her chin lifted in defiance.“You will not control what and how I do anything in regard to TAP.If that means Bolton Enterprises withdraws their investment, then so be it.”

“There we go again.”Jarek dabbed his lips with deliberate slowness, as if the white linen napkin was a flag of temporary truce.“There are two things I’m an expert at—business investments and property development.You’d—”

“Really?”Honey-sweet venom dripped from her words.“And here I thought it was deceit and lies.”

“It would be irresponsible to waste the opportunity I offer to get TAP up and running within a week, Tatiana,” he continued as if her barb hadn’t landed, though his fingers tightened imperceptibly around the napkin.

Her expression shifted as a crack appeared in her armor to reveal raw emotion beneath.Her eyes misted over as her voice softened with memory.

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