Page 89 of Velvet Chains
I feel a grim smile tug at my lips. Finally, some good fucking news.
Ksenia’s plan worked like a charm. Vasiliev agreed to return our goods in exchange for the ledger, just like we knew he would. The poor bastard has no idea we have bigger plans for him.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting our shit back and making sure Vasiliev pays for crossing us.
The prick is about to have a very bad day.
Laura
As I tiptoe into the kitchen—scratch that, this place is more like a gourmet food hall than a kitchen—I pray to every deity I can think of that no one catches me.
The last thing I need is a nosy maid or, God forbid, Ksenia asking why I’m rummaging through the fridge like a raccoon in a trash can.
I’m just about to make a break for the pantry when a voice behind me nearly makes me jump out of my skin.
“Madam, you want to eat something?”
I spin around, my heart lodged somewhere in my throat. It’s Nadia, the head maid, looking at me with a mixture of concern and amusement.
“Nadia! Hi! I was just, uh…” I scramble for an excuse, my mind going blank. “I was looking for… food?”
Nadia raises an eyebrow, her lips twitching like she’s trying not to laugh. “I can make for you. What you want?”
I hesitate, my stomach churning. The thought of food makes me want to hurl, but I can’t exactly tell her that.
“Maybe just some toast? And ginger tea, if you have it?”
Nadia nods, already moving toward the stove. “Sit, sit. I bring to you.”
I obey, perching on one of the bar stools and drumming my fingers nervously on the counter.
My palms and armpits start to sweat just thinking about the pregnancy tests tucked away in my purse upstairs.
Three of them.
Because apparently, I’m paranoid as fuck, and one just wasn’t enough.
I can feel the panic rising in my throat, the reality of the situation hitting me like a ton of bricks. What if it confirms my fears?
What if I’m pregnant?
With Victor’s baby. My fake husband, the Russian mafia boss.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy fucking shit.
I’m so lost in my spiraling thoughts that I don’t even notice Nadia setting a plate in front of me until she clears her throat.
“Toast and tea, madam.”
I blink, snapping out of my daze. “Oh, thank you. And please, just call me Laura.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Laura. Pretty name.”
I take a sip of the tea, hoping it will settle my stomach. It doesn’t.
“How long have you worked here, Nadia?” I ask, desperate for a distraction.
She thinks for a moment, her brow furrowing. “Many years. Since Master Victor was boy.”
