Page 29 of Beautiful Deception

Viktor’s faith in me is astounding. No one has ever really had any kind of faith in me.

Since it’s all up to me now, I get ready preparing everything. I focus on cleaning the house as fast as I can so I have time to make the dinner. It’s ham and broccolini with truffle pasta. It shouldn’t be hard. Just follow the recipe.

But it’s hard putting all of that together and making the cake at the same time. I’ve never really baked before. It’s not difficult following the recipe but it is time consuming. When I look up at the clock, I see that I’m running out of time.

I can hear Viktor’s guests arriving.

I manage to finish baking the cake and set it out to cool before I can frost it. My focus turns to finishing the dinner meal.

Once that’s all ready, the cake has cooled enough for me to ice it.

All in all it took me around three hours to do. It’s only six thirty. Viktor told me to have dinner ready by seven. I’ve done it. I’ve actually done it.

I let out a little laugh and clap my hands.

I just hope it tastes good.

Then the kitchen door opens and in walks Natasha.

Chapter Five

Inessa

“Hello,Inessa,”Natashasayssweetly, smiling at me in a way that’s supposed to be comforting but I’m anything but comforted.

“Hello.” I angle my body away from her. The last thing I need right now is to get hurt again. I still have red marks on my arm from when she threw hot water onto me.

The murmur of voices can be heard through the cracked kitchen door. There’s a whole party out there, expecting dinner and dessert very soon. I can’t risk anything bad happening.

“So, you’ve made dinner.” She nods at the food on the counter.

“I was just about to announce that it’s ready.”

“That’s great. You do that.”

I stand, wringing my hands together, waiting for her to say more, and when she doesn’t, I have to awkwardly move past her to grab the pot the ham is in.

“Looks delicious,” she comments. She’s so close, her breath tickles my cheek.

“It is. Why don’t you go join the other guests so I can serve the meal?”

She smirks. “Now, why would I go and do that? I’m happy right where I am.”

“I really do have to serve this. It would be great if you could go join your guests.”

“You would say that, wouldn’t you?” She shows no signs of moving.

Knowing that Viktor wanted dinner served at seven promptly means that I need to go do this now. I can’t risk upsetting him.

I leave the kitchen to place the ham on the table. When I come back, I see that Natasha hasn’t moved at all. I quickly grab the broccolini and pasta and set it beside the ham.

Working up all my courage, I enter the living room. It’s filled with men and a few women. Bratva people, I assume. I haven’t met any of them before. Bratva functions were things I never attended growing up – my father was paranoid something would happen to me.

He never knew that he would be my own downfall.

Viktor is standing near the fireplace, chatting with a middle aged man. The moment I enter the room, his eyes snap right to mine.

I almost stumble from his intense gaze.

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