Page 6 of The Pakhan's Sold Bride

“Oh, no, I don’t need your money. Things are going great at the moment. I did a good job this week, and work is paying out big time.”

Work. What a joke. It was probably gambling.

“How nice for you. Try not to blow it all at the track tonight. Listen—I’ve got to go,” I say, already regretting answering because of how it’s making my stress levels spike.

“Wait,” he shouts, his voice tainted with urgency.

“What, Anton?” I huff.

“I called because I did well, sweetheart. And I want to help you.”

I close my eyes, stopping my hurried walk towards the bus stop. I hate it when he does this. Makes promises he has no intention of keeping. I hate getting my hopes up.

“I’m not interested in your false offers,” I say miserably. “They never pan out. I’ve got to go.”

“Lara, please, this time is different—"

“That’s what you said last time,“ I groan.

“I know. I’m an idiot, sweetheart. I really am. I’m a horrible father. I know it. I do. But please, let me help you. I really can this time. It’s a lot of money, Lara. Enough to clear your mom’s medical debts.”

He sounds so sincere, almost desperate for me to believe him.

I press my fingers against my closed lids and try to reason with myself. But the problem is that I’m desperate, too. He’s never made a promise this big before. It’s always been a hundred here or there, a hundred that never actually came through in theend, but never a proper decent amount. Maybe he really did win big. Maybe he got lucky.

“Lara? It has to be now. Can you meet me now?” he asks.

“Of course it has to be now. We both know if I don’t come through now, there won’t be any money left by the morning,” I blurt out, angry and agitated. I have no choice. If he really does have money and he’s willing to give it to me, I need to see him now. This isn’t something I can take my time to think about.

“Will you come?”

“Where are you?” I sigh.

“Oh, that’s great news. Yes. I’m near the beach, there’s an office block, it’s massive. The Rostov building. You can’t miss it. Number Seven on Beach Boulevard.”

“I’m on my way.”

I hang up before he can say anything else and before I can change my mind.

You don’t have a choice, Lara.

But this is the last time.

If he fucks this up, I will never speak to him again. I will never, ever answer his calls. I can’t keep doing this to myself. Even now, the hope that’s flooding me is overwhelming. If he really can clear my mother’s debts, my entire life would change so drastically I can’t even imagine how wonderful it would be. I could get a nice, clean apartment. A place where I could leave my dinner on the kitchen counter and not worry about the roaches finding it.

I wouldn’t have to work every hour of every day. I wouldn’t have to answer twenty calls a day from debt collectors threatening horrible things.

I type the address into my phone and realize it’s not that far from where I am now. Waving a cab down, I climb into the back seat.

“Good afternoon, young lady,” the driver says cheerfully.

“Hi, can you please take me to the Rostov Building?”

“Beach Boulevard?” the driver asks, glancing over his shoulder.

“That’s the one,” I nod, settling in for the short drive. “Do you know what kind of building it is?”

He smiles into the rearview mirror. “It’s an office block. Very fancy place.”

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