Page 55 of Chained Fate
“Mad about what?”I ask, even though I already have a suspicion.An ugly one.
Her grip on my hands tightens.“All I did was answer some of his questions, I swear.Harmless stuff—like what kind of shampoo you liked, what size shoes you wore, what skincare you used.Just basic things about you.I thought it was sweet that he wanted to please you, you know?”
I pull my hands away.“You… spied on me for Alexei?”
“No!”Her color heightens.“I just answered his questions, that’s all.He told me you two had a secret on-again, off-again thing going on, and it made so much sense—why you never dated anyone and never told me anything.It was because of your families, right?They were business rivals and all that?”
“You mean like Romeo and Juliet?Is that what he told you we were?”
“Kind of.You’re not mad, are you?”She gives me a pleading look.“Please tell me you’re not mad.I’ve been wanting to tell you, but Alexei said you’d be mad and not want to talk to me.”
I stare at her, my mind whirling.This explains a little mystery that’s been nibbling at me: how Alexei knew what brands of makeup I preferred and so on.On the yacht, I’d offhandedly wondered how he knew so much about me, whether he’d somehow snuck some cameras into my penthouse despite all the security measures or bribed some of our staff.But this—simply asking my best friend about my likes and dislikes—is something I’d never imagined he’d do.
Mostly because I couldn’t imagine Natasha would answer him and not tell me.
Why would she do that?
If some guy came to me with questions about her, she’d be the first to hear about it—and I certainly wouldn’t tell him anything without her okay.
Then it dawns on me, why she looks so flushed and guilty.“He paid you for this, didn’t he?He didn’t just ask; he gave you something for the information.”
That’s why she said he “forbade” her to tell me.
Because he has some kind of hold over her.
Fuck.This is Alexei we’re talking about.Of course he has a hold over her.
Natasha looks like she wants to cry.“It wasn’t like that.He didn’t pay me anything, I swear.It’s just…” She sucks in a breath.“Well, my father was trying to enter this highly exclusive investment consortium, and Alexei said he’d get him in if I answered a few questions about you.He told me the two of you had been secretly dating, and he wanted to buy you gifts you’d like, maybe surprise you with a weekend getaway.I thought it was so nice and sweet of him, you know?And look at you two now: married and happy!So it all worked out, didn’t it?”
I manage to keep my voice even.“For your father too, I presume?”
She bobs her head.“It was a huge break for him.Really took his business to the next level.But that’s not why I did it.I just… wanted to help bring you two together.The way Alexei talked about it, like the two of you werefated, like you were meant to be—it was so freaking romantic.Even your birthday is on the same day as his, right?”
I draw in a breath.“Right.”
I honestly don’t know how to react, what to say to her.Answering a few questions about my preferences does sound harmless, except that she was indirectly paid for it.To the tune of billions, most likely, given the dramatic improvement in her family’s fortunes in recent years.
I knew her father’s business had started doing better, but I didn’t think anything of it.I couldn’t have imagined that Alexei had had a hand in it, that he’d go as far as to bribe my friend into being his spy.
“I have to digest this,” I tell her, and she winces.
“So youaremad?”
“I’m… ambivalent,” I say, and it’s the truth.
If she’d told me this a couple of months ago, I’d have regarded her actions as a stab in the back and would never have spoken to her again.Alexei was right about that.But it’s different between the two of us now.
The man she sold me out to is not my enemy anymore.He’s the love of my life.
Does that excuse what she did?
I don’t know.
I don’t think I can ever trust her again.
Then again, maybe I never fully trusted her.After all, I didn’t tell her about Alexei and his decade-long pursuit of me.Why didn’t I?Come to think of it, why didn’t I tell anybody that he was stalking me, not even my own brothers?
Maybe they would’ve helped.
