Page 25 of Beautiful Sinner

“Inessa, I’m not going to talk about this with you. I’m tired. I’m done for the night.”

“Ok. Julia and I will leave you then.”

“I just have to ask,” I say before I’m forced to leave the room. “Was any of Dante’s other men there?”

“Like who? Matteo? Aiden? Finn.” He hisses on the last name. Finn once worked with Viktor to try and take down Dante andErik and now he’s back working with them. It’s just another betrayal in my brother’s eyes.

“Yes. Any of them?”

“No. None that I saw. No one attacked me.”

“Well, that’s good at least that no one attacked you. I didn’t want you to be hurt.”

He sighs and his eyes soften. “Thank you. I’m doing this for both of you. You know that.”

Me and Inessa nod before we leave the office.

“He needs to stop,” Inessa whispers to me once we’re down the hallway. “He’s going to kill himself with stress.”

“I’m not sure how to get him to stop. Let’s just be happy that he wasn’t hurt tonight.”

“Good point. But so much for Connor’s help.”

“Yeah.”

Inessa eyes me for a second before she steps closer. “Listen. I didn’t want to ask because I thought it was strange but… I just have to know. I looked at my phone and saw that I had called Elena late last night but I know I was asleep.”

“Weird. Did she try calling you?”

“No. It was clear that I had called her. But I didn’t.”

“Phones can be weird.” There’s no way I can tell Inessa the truth. Elena promised she’d keep it a secret but she holds no loyalty towards me. She could break our secret. I hate lying to Inessa but the less people know what happened, the better.

“I guess so. I just thought it was strange.” She taps my arm. “Good night. I’m tired.”

“Me too.” Except, I’m full of adrenaline. Both Matteo and Viktor survived the night.

But how long will that last?

Grigori comes over to see me again, even though I don’t want him here but I can’t insult a potential ally of Viktor’s, so I force myself to sit with him on the couch, drinking tea and pretending to be the good girl that everyone thinks I am. The good girl who went to the enemy and betrayed my brother.

Matteo did what I asked though. He made sure not to be there.

“You look particularly beautiful today, Julia,” Grigori comments. It’s just him and me in the room at the moment since Viktor is off on business and Inessa is at school. She’s going to college for literature. Our housekeeper, Mrs. Green checks in on us occasionally but I’m aware of how alone with Grigori I am.

“Thank you.”

“Shame about your brother’s plans last night. If he had just agreed to marry you to me, I never would have let what happened last night happen.”

“Mmm.” I sip my tea.

“So let me marry you, Julia. Let’s stop pretending. Something is happening between us.” He grabs my thigh and runs his hand right up it. I gasp and swat at his hand, standing up and almost spilling my tea in the process.

“I never gave you permission to touch me.”

“Just marry me,” he growls.

“No. And when my brother gets home, I’m telling him about this. Mrs. Green!”

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