Page 10 of Heir

I blinked. I didn’t know Uncle Frank very well, and he didn’t know me. Why would he brag about me?

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

“Will you be joining us for dinner, Grigoriy?” Mom asked.

I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until Grigoriy said, “Unfortunately, I have somewhere else I need to be. Please, don’t let me interrupt your meal.” He turned to Uncle Frank. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Uncle Frank said.

Grigoriy waved his hand away. “I’m fine. Drew will take care of me.”

Suddenly, another enormous man entered the room. I took a step back, only to bump‌ into Kenton. He shot me a creepy look, and I pulled away from him.

I watched as the man referred to as Drew approached us and respectfully bowed his head at Grigoriy. I wanted to laugh. Not in a funny way, but in a nervous way. Why did a man like Grigoriy need a bodyguard?

I swallowed.

What was Uncle Frank doing with these people?

When they left, Uncle Frank said, “Please, let’s sit and eat.”

We walked over to the table, and Uncle Frank dragged out a chair for me, close to the head of the table and to his right.

I looked over at Mom, and she nodded, so I took a seat and let him push it in for me.

He leaned down close to my ear and whispered, “I hope you’ll like what I had the chef make. Your mom said these were your favorites.”

I looked down at the onion soup and duck, swallowing and trying hard not to say something inappropriate or lean away, considering his lips were now grazing the top of my ear.

What the fuck?

He walked away, and I couldn’t be sure, but I thought he…

Did he just sniff me?

I shivered in disgust as everyone else took a seat, feeling so damn uncomfortable with the entire situation. It was taking everything in me not to run out of there.

What was happening?

Mom and Kenton took seats opposite me, and Mom shot me a look I didn’t understand, then pushed her shoulders back.

Right.

I was slouching.

I quickly straightened and looked over at Uncle Frank, who was now sitting down. “Please, dig in,” he said.

Henry approached with a bottle of wine and poured me a glass.

I smiled my thanks, and something shifted in his eyes. He looked a little worried, but I couldn’t be sure because it was gone in seconds. He was already moving on, walking around the table and filling everyone’s glass.

“Gemma, tell me about yourself,” Uncle Frank said just as I took a sip of my wine, surprising me.

I quickly swallowed. “Um.”

He took pity on me and asked, “What are you doing now?”

I shifted a little, feeling Mom’s eyes boring into my skin. “I work at the Crocker Museum as an art handler.”

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