Page 43 of Corrupt: XXX Vadim 2
“As you wish.” After fulfilling our drink orders, he continues to cook, filling the room with incredible smells, while I attempt to prod what little information I can from Magda.
“What do you like to do with your friends?” I ask in between fortifying sips of wine.
She folds her hands with It perched on one side of her, and Biphany on the other.
“I don’t have friends,” she says. Her surly tone could betray the words as yet another lie meant to provoke, but her eyes tell a different story. A hint of vulnerability creeps through that unnerving blue and something in my heart throbs, rubbed raw. “I don’tneedfriends,” she adds firmly, rephrasing it.
“What about hobbies?” I ask. “Do you have any of those? Do you like to read? Play games?”
She strokes her chin and nods with sudden seriousness. “I like to plan world domination.”Damn.She utters that declaration without even a hint of mocking inflection.
“Oh, goody!” Feigning nonchalance, I clap my hands together. “Then, to get started on your merry way, you need to beat me at the one game perfect for world domination training.”
She eyes me skeptically. “What game?”
I wink and rise from the table to approach the lone figure slipping in through the glass door leading out to the terrace. Ena eyes me the way I figure one might either a hungry lion advancing toward them or a diseased rodent.
Writing it off for the greater good, I lean near his ear and make one whispered request.
I can’t tell from his surly expression just how he processes it. Finally, he nods. “I be back.”
I watch him scuttle off, utterly pleased with myself. I’m even more pleased by the results Vadim comes up with when he finally leaves the kitchen to adorn the dining table with platters of steaming, amazing looking food.
“Fresh vegetables, salad, and homemade garden burgers,” he declares, indicating each platter with a wave of his hand. “Let’s eat.”
One bite, and I groan in appreciation. “This tastes incredible.”
Even Magda seems impressed enough to endure his physical nearness as she samples a burger with delicate bites. By the time we finish the meal, and Vadim has cleared the table, Ena arrives as if on cue, brandishing my sole request.
Barely suppressing a grin, I rise to my feet and accept what turns out to be a rectangular board game infamous among my family’s gatherings.
“You aim for world domination?” I ask Magda. “Let’s see what you’ve got, kid. Try your hand at the ultimate decider.”
I slam the game board onto the table as Magda and Vadim share puzzled looks.
“Monopoly?” He reads from the gameboard lid as though he’s never played.
And I’m alarmed to realize that he might not have. Neither of them may have.
“You poor innocent fools,” I tell them mournfully. “Prepare to have your butts kicked by the real estate queen.”
