Page 59 of Cookie: Part One
CONSTANCE
“Line zhem up.” Mikhail’s voice is cold, in a scary, rich tone that makes the air feel heavier and freezes everyone, as if the temperature just dropped ten degrees.
While Pyper just stands there, arms crossed, tapping her designer boot, pissed.
Ten minutes later, every single staff member in this castle-sized mansion, along with all the family members of the house outside of Grandpa Viktor, are lined up in the west wing corridor. The staff are all standing with their backs straight, eyes down, hands behind their backs, while the family is looking around, confused.
“Connie? Are you okay?!” Alik rushes over to me, almost instantly closing the gap between us.
“Yes,” I manage, my voice a little thin as I watch Pyper and Misha line up the staff but then drag my eyes to Alik and I see his eyes look red around the rim and area under his lower lids.
“Pyper said someone left somezhing in your room?” Alik frowns, looking me over as if checking for injuries, but I assure him I’m okay.
“They did but… I don’t see what’s the big deal. Why did Misha call the staff like that?” I wonder, wrapping my arms around myself.
“Because no one should have access to your room vitout permission. Zhis may seem overboard to you, but it’s ze right call. It’s lax in security,” Alik sighs, disappointed, and I frown, shook. “But don’t vorry. Vee vill get down to ze bottom of zhis.” Alik reaches out, and, without thinking, I lean into his touch. His hand rests on my back, and then he pulls me gently into a hug.
I melt into it, craving the familiar warmth, but as I press against him, a different sensation washes over me.His body is cold.Not just cool, but a deep, pervasive coldness that seems to emanate from within him, a stark contrast to the usual warmth, almost heat, that radiates from Misha, Pyper, Nadya, and Dimitri. It’s like embracing a marble statue, firm and unyielding, despite the soft fabric of his shirt.
What the hell?I rest my head against his chest, and flinch at the sound… instead of the reassuring rhythm of a heartbeat, accompanied by the smooth, steady motion of lungs expanding and contracting, there’s a low, grinding vibration, like achainsawdeep inside him, a powerful, grinding engine that never stops.
I pull back slightly, my eyes wide, trying to conceal the jolt of unease. He looks down at me, his gaze still gentle, but a flicker of something unreadable passes through his eyes.
“Connie?” he asks, his voice soft, almost too smooth. “You look scared…”
I force a smile, a shaky imitation of composure and step out of his arms, crossing mine along my chest, trying to keep my nerves about me.
“I’m fine,” I tell him as the last members of the staff and family show up.
“Heir, vhat is zhis about?” Uncle Vlad questions while holding a bottle and I chuckle at him, wanting to go over and snatch the bottle from him like I’ve had to do a few times and force him to drink water.
“Someone sent my voman cheap gift!” he growls, and my heart literally stops as everyone looks over to me, including Veronica…his whole ass fiancé!No one even looks at her once, immediately knowing it’s me, making my cheeks hot. “Zhey dare send her measly zhirty zhousand US dollar bracelet,” he finishes and the house erupts in chaos, the loudest being Uncle Vlad.
“Vho vould dare do such vile act to ze Spade Queen?!” he grits out. I hold back a chuckle even though this is a serious situation, but I’m the only laughing through the trauma because Nadya and Dimitri sneer down at the staff.
“You are ze maid assigned to Pechenye, da?” Misha growls, cutting into the silence like a damn guillotine.
The girl, Anna,I think?nods fast, her hands shaking.
“Da, Heir. I… I make sure her bazh is drawn, her clozhing pressed, and her room is?—”
“Explain how zhis box…” He throws it at her head, making me gasp when it knocks her on the forehead and she starts bleeding, but no one makes a single move to help her. “Explain hov it got inside my voman’s room?” he asks. When she says nothing, Nadya struts over to her, lifting her face to meet her burning gaze.
“Heir asked you a question,” she purrs, tone deadly and serious.
“I-I don’t know!” Anna stammers. “I… I saw nozhing, I svear! No one came in!” she stammers and Pyper makes a disgusted noise. I flinch as she slaps the box back onto the table so hard it rattles.
“Nozhing?Vhat do you mean nozhing?! You are paid to knov every hair on her adorable leetle head, every breath she take, every time she fart in her sleep?—”
“PYPER!” I gasp.
“Imean it!” She whirls on me. “Zhis is serious!”
“Pyper is right…” Mikhail steps forward, slow and dangerous, and Anna’s face drains of all color. “You sawnozhing?” His voice is quieter now, which somehow makes it worse. “So someone breached my house, touched vhat is mine, and you sawnozhing?”
Anna is full-on trembling now.
“I-I-I… she would sn-sneak out and I… I ch-chose to n-not serve her… ”
