Page 66 of Porcelain Lies

“I won’t leave! I have every right—”

“You have the rights I give you. Nothing more.” I release her arm with a shove. “Get your things and get out.”

“Aleksei!” She stumbles backward. “You can’t treat me this way!”

“Watch me.” I turn to the hallway. “Dmitri! Get up here and escort Ms. Novikova out.”

Sofia’s shrieks echo through the mansion as my security guard appears. She throws a perfume bottle that shatters against the wall.

“You’ll regret this! I’ll tell everyone about your whore!”

The sound of heels clicking on marble makes me turn. Diana stands at the end of the hall, taking in the scene with raised eyebrows.

“Get her out.” I gesture to Dmitri, who grabs Sofia’s arm firmly.

“Suka!” Sofia spits as Dmitri leads her away, her voice carrying up the stairs. “You think you can replace me with some whore who—”

The front door slams, cutting off her tirade. Blessed silence falls.

“Well, that was dramatic,” Diana says as she emerges from the living room.

“Not now, Dee,” I mutter, stalking out to the pool area. The afternoon breeze does little to cool my temper.

Diana trails after me, settling onto one of the loungers beside the pool. She’s already lighting one of her slim cigarettes, her movements precise and controlled despite the tension radiating between us.

“You can’t keep antagonizing the Novikovs,” she says, exhaling smoke. “The alliance—”

“Fuck the alliance.” I drop into one of the loungers beside her. “I don’t need their protection.”

“Bobik does.”

My jaw clenches. Trust Diana to go straight for the jugular. “Don’t.”

“Someone needs to say it, Aleksei.” She turns to face me, shadows playing across her features. “The Novikovs have connections we need. Medical connections. The kind that could help with experimental treatments.”

“I have my own connections.”

“Not like theirs.” Diana’s voice softens. “Think about what Sofia’s father could do for Bobik’s care. The doors he could open—”

“At what cost?” I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Living with thatsukawatching my every move? Having her stick her nose in my business, in Bobik’s life?”

“It’s called marriage,brat. Sometimes we make sacrifices—”

“Don’t lecture me about sacrifice.” The words come out like gravel. “Everything I do is for him. Everything.”

Diana takes another long drag, considering me through the smoke. “Then consider this another thing you could do for him. The Novikovs’ medical connections in Switzerland alone—”

“I said don’t.” I push up from the chair, my muscles coiled tight. “My son is not a bargaining chip.”

Diana stubs out her cigarette, her eyes fixed on me with that familiar mix of concern and stubbornness. “You’re being reckless.”

“I’m being practical.” I rise abruptly and pace along the pool’s edge, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the water. “Sofia is a liability.”

“She’s connected. Her father—”

“Her father can go fuck himself.” My shoulders tense at the thought of that pompous bastard. “I don’t need his money or his influence.”

“This isn’t just about you anymore.” Diana’s voice carries that maternal tone I hate. “Think about—”

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