Champagne Venom (Orlov Bratva, #1)(136)

Hell, I’d settle for having her just look at me at this point.

I point my chin toward the magazine in her hand. “Are you planning the nursery already?”

“It’ll take time to source things,” she explains. “I like to be prepared.”

“I’ll clear out the furniture in one of the bedrooms upstairs so you can start working on the nursery.”

She frowns. “That won’t be necessary. I’d rather have the nursery on the first floor… next to my room.”

“Paige—”

“That was one of my conditions on moving back in, Misha,” she says quickly. “I mean, you were more than happy to give me my own wing of the house not long ago, remember?”

Again, I curse my past self internally. “I was angry when I said that.”

“Let’s face it, Misha—this was only ever meant to be a marriage of convenience. We went and fucked it all up by sleeping together. That led to… unnecessary confusion. But I’m not confused anymore.”

“You could really be happy living like this?” I ask.

She reaches up unconsciously and grabs her pendant. “Will you let me go instead?”

My expression hardens to flint instantly. She takes that as the answer it is.

“Exactly. You won’t agree to a divorce, which means I have to stay here and pretend to be your wife.

Which I will do. In the absence of happiness, I’ll take security. Security for me and my children.

Living like this is the price I’m paying for that.”

Her words cut deep, but I know I deserve them. That and worse.

“Let me know if you need anything,” I say, rising to my feet.

“Don’t worry,” she says softly. “I’ll only ask for what I know you can give me.”

I should say something. I should try and explain to her how I feel, the way that Maksim would do if he were in my shoes. The way that he would encourage me to do if he were here.

But impenetrable walls work both ways. Once you’ve built your own so high, they’re really fucking hard to pull down.





104

MISHA

Rose is five feet and three inches of bristling competence. A buzzsaw of focus and professionalism with bright eyes and a razor-sharp bob. It’s her first day as Paige’s new assistant, and she’s already made herself indispensable.

“Thank you, Mr. Orlov,” Rose says, gathering up all of the files she brought over from Orion headquarters. “I look forward to working closely with both you and your wife.”

On her way out, she runs into Konstantin in the doorway. His eyes bulge and he gawks at her as she passes. Someone ought to fold his lolling tongue back into his mouth.

“Konstantin,” I call.

He blinks a few times and then does a double take as he walks into my office. “That wasn’t Paige, was it?”

“Are you drunk already? It’s barely nine in the morning.”

“Okay, so it was a clone?”

I roll my eyes. “That’s Rose, Paige’s new assistant. She’s going to be moving between the mansion and Orion, helping Paige to work from home.”

“Has she been vetted?”

“Of course. Thoroughly.”

“What about patted down? Has that been done? Thoroughly? ”

I glare at him. “Konstantin.”

He drops down into the chair across from my desk. “Is there some weird, kinky reason she happens to resemble your wife very, very closely?”

“It’s not that close of a resemblance.”

“Oh, come on, Misha. She has the exact same damn haircut.” He shoots me an annoyed glare. “Did you hire her as a P.A. or as a body double?”

My face is stony and expressionless. “Two birds with one stone.”

He sighs and buries his face in his hands at the admission. “Jesus Christ, man. Does Paige know?”

“She doesn’t need to know.” If she would talk to me, then I’d tell her everything. But as it is…

“Things are heating up between us and the Ivanovs,” he cautions. “Paige just might be caught in the middle. You should warn her.”

“I’ve already warned her. I see no reason to repeat myself—and she wouldn’t listen anyway,” I snap.

“Besides, she doesn’t need the stress right now. I want her to be as calm as possible for the remainder of the pregnancy.”

Konstantin nods, resigned to losing this battle. “Alright. Fair enough. Don’t you think she’ll suspect something, though?”

“She can assume all she wants; I’m not confirming or denying anything. She wanted a competent assistant, and that’s what I got for her.” I lean back in my seat. “What have you got for me?”

Wearily, he unfolds his notepad and starts reading. “I have an ETA for tonight's meeting. Eleven, at their usual place. Petyr won’t be there, but several of his closest Vors will be.”

I snap my fingers. “Then let’s not waste the opportunity. I want you to bring them in.”

Konstantin lifts his brows. “All of them?”

“Pick your favorite two. They won’t be expecting it after the meeting, and they’re going to be liquored up and rolling high. Fish in a barrel.”