Page 67 of Blood Oath Christmas
She's not here.
"Excuse me," I murmur to Alec, cutting off his explanation of port delays. He follows my gaze and nods in understanding.
I check the obvious places first. The powder room is empty, the kitchen holds only catering staff. A cold knot of anxiety begins to form in my stomach as I move through the house, my steps becoming more urgent with each empty room.
Then I notice something else. Mila is nowhere to be seen, either.
The realization hits me like a physical blow. Whatever Mila is planning, she's making her move now, while the house is full of people and distractions. I should have anticipated this, should have kept Ivy closer.
I find them at the far end of the east hallway, near the library. Mila has Ivy backed against the wall, not physically, but with the aggressive lean of her body, the sharp gestures of her hands. Even from a distance, I can see the tension in Ivy's posture, the way she's holding herself very still.
"I know exactly what you are," Mila is saying as I approach, her voice low but carrying in the quiet hallway. "You're supposed to be in Witness Protection, aren't you? Hidden away like some dirty secret."
My blood turns to ice. How the hell does she know about that?
"Konstantin only married you out of duty," Mila continues, oblivious to my approach. "Some obligation to your dead father. You don't actually think he loves you, do you? A man like him doesn't fall for some naive little girl who doesn't even understand the world she's stumbled into."
Each word is a calculated strike, designed to hit where it will hurt most. And I can see from the slight tremor in Ivy's hands that some of them are finding their mark.
"You're wrong," Ivy says quietly, but there's uncertainty in her voice that makes my chest tighten.
"Am I?" Mila laughs, the sound sharp and cruel. "Ask him, then. Ask him if he would have chosen you if not for whatever promise he made. Ask him if he's ever told you he loves you."
That's enough.
I step out of the shadows, and both women turn toward me. Ivy's face floods with relief, but there's something else there too—doubt, planted by Mila's poisonous words.
"Mila," I say, my voice deadly quiet. I don't look at Ivy yet, can't trust myself to maintain control if I see how much damage has been done. Instead, I focus all of my attention on the woman who dared to threaten what's mine.
I reach out and grasp Mila's elbow, not gently. She gasps, her eyes widening as she realizes how badly she's miscalculated.
"You're leaving," I tell her, already steering her down the hallway toward the main room where I can find Maksim.
"Konstantin, wait—” she starts, but I cut her off with a look that makes her stumble.
"Now."
I spot Maksim near the bar and catch his eye, jerking my head toward the door. He's at my side in seconds, reading the situation with the efficiency of years of partnership.
"Escort Ms. Bocharov out," I tell him, transferring Mila's arm to his grip. "She's no longer welcome."
Mila's face goes white, then red. "You can't—my father?—”
"Will understand that his daughter overstepped," I finish coldly. "Badly."
Maksim nods, but there's something in his expression that gives me pause. "Boss, I need to tell you something. About ten minutes ago, one of the soldiers came to me, said there were three men at the front gate. When I went to check, there was no one there."
The cold knot in my stomach tightens. "Which soldier?"
"Petrov. New guy, been with us about six months."
I file that information away for later. Right now, I need to deal with the immediate threat. "Get her out of here, then bring Petrov to my office. I want to talk to him."
"Of course." Maksim's grip on Mila's arm is firm but professional as he begins to guide her away. She throws one last desperate look over her shoulder.
"This isn't over, Konstantin," she calls out, her composure finally cracking. "You know what my family means to yours. You know what you're throwing away."
I don't respond. There's nothing to say. Whatever alliance her father thought he was building through a marriage between us died the moment she threatened Ivy.
