Page 134 of Ruby Mercy

I turn around just as Viktoria Kozlov and her father appear in the doorway.

Her eyes land on mine, and I’m taken back to the last time I saw her. Moments after I’d learned she was Kirill’s fiancée. Which came only moments after I nearly mounted him in the middle of the afternoon.

Good times.

“Oh, good,” Viktoria says, her expression betraying the cheery tone of her voice. “I was hoping I’d run into a member of the staff. I’m parched.”

“Happy to help,” Natalia jumps in, handing me her mop. “What can I get you? Coffee? Water? Something a bit stronger?”

Viktoria doesn’t even glance in her direction. Her serpent eyes stay trained on me. “I don’t want anything from you. I want it fromher.”

I can’t even find the energy to hate Viktoria. I’m too tired. Emotionally. Mentally. Physically.

Reminding me of my place in the world is how Viktoria gets off, so why not let her get her kicks? I don’t care.

“Sure.” I hand the mop back to Natalia, who is clenching her teeth so hard I think they might crack. I gently pat her hand before I turn back to Viktoria and her dad. “What would you like?”

“A brandy.” Leonid is on his phone, tapping out a message and ignoring me entirely.

“Ice water,” Viktoria says. “I want bottled water in a glass with four ice cubes. A slice of lemon on the rim, too. Don’t cut it too thick.”

What does she think this is, a fucking restaurant?

She smirks, fully aware of how irritating she is. “Bring it into the boardroom. That’s where we’ll be meeting with Kirill.”

I can bring Viktoria a drink. But facing Kirill? I’m not sure I’m up to the task today. Besides, the jealousy that claws at my throat makes it highly likely I’ll empty the contents of my stomach all over the shiny wooden table.

“It will only take me a minute,” I say, already backing towards the kitchen. “If you’d like to wait here, I’ll have your drinks right out and—”

“We’ll take them in the boardroom,” Viktoria says sharply.

I bite back a long-suffering moan and nod.

The moment Viktoria and her dad turn down the hallway, Natalia turns to me. “Who in the hell does that bitch think she is? You’re not a servant.”

“I am to her,” I say with a shrug. “She wants to put me in my place. If it will get her to leave me alone, then so be it.”

“Or, hear me out,” Natalia says again. “You could tell the stuck-up wench that you are Kirill’s baby mama.”

“What good would that do?”

“She might spontaneously combust from sheer jealousy,” Natalia suggests with a wicked grin.

I shake my head as I walk towards the kitchen. “Unlikely.”

“A girl can dare to dream!”

46

RAYNE

I do my best to hurry through making drinks for Viktoria and Leonid and then hurry towards the boardroom. The faster I move, the less likely it is that Kirill will be there.

As I approach the double doors, however, my hopes are dashed against the rocks of my unlucky life.

I hear Kirill’s deep voice just behind the door. Actually, I feel it rumbling through my chest like an earthquake. The knowledge that he’s close is enough to send my stomach fluttering.

The tray in my hands shakes. The four cubes of ice Viktoria requested rattle against the glass. I have the overwhelming urge to drop the tray on the ground, turn around, and sprint home. I can find a new job. There is no reason to put myself through this exquisite torture.

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