Vanquished (The Encounter #3)(48)

No, I knew the bastard couldn’t care less about me, but he did care very much about Isobel. It was alarming to say the least. It was the very reason his enemy had decided to do some digging, finding the one thing that would surely sway the incorrigible bastard of a Russian.

“You don’t have to remind me why you’re doing this, Romanov. I wouldn’t be where I am if I wasn’t shrewd or perceptive.”

Benedikt nodded, eyeing me incredulously. “If you hurt her, you’re a dead man.”

“Likewise.”

He smirked at my retort, as if he truly found it amusing. “So, do tell me about her. I want to know about her from the people she truly knows, and not from reading it through some file.” There was remarkable regret in his voice.

In that very instant, I saw a glimpse of the man who wasn’t a monster. He was simply a human being who had loved his wife to no end and truly felt revengeful. He was willing to close his eyes, hoping that the more hurt and pain he caused, the more his would lessen.

What he had done was unforgivable, yet I needed to know more about him before I let him meet Isobel. I didn’t trust him one bit, but I had to find a common ground somehow.

In the back of my mind, I had trouble projecting how I would even bring this blasted subject up to her. Not only would she be heartbroken that the father she had known growing up wasn’t truly her dad, but that the real one was actually a blood thirsty monster who had begun to find his heart once again after he had learned he had a daughter.

True to his character, he inquired about Julien and Isobel’s relationship. Apparently, he’d had someone tail them who reported that they were a cozy couple.

I wasn’t sure if he was reaching for a reaction, but he surely got it. The ravaging jealousy I felt at the idea of them touching, let alone doing anything remotely intimate, made me f*cking sick to my stomach. All that wretchedness aside, I had to assure him it was Isobel who had guaranteed it was I who had gotten her pregnant.

“Very well, then. I’ll be in touch very soon. I want you to give me progress reports of her pregnancy,” Benedikt demanded as he began to move towards the main door.

I watched him from a distance, feeling displaced from the thoughts he had left me with. I was stunned negotiating with him was rather too easy, not that I was complaining.

At the dead of night, instead of opting to go back to work, I was pondering how things would play out this time. I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to marry Isobel, but would she want to marry me? I knew she loved me, but would that be enough for her to align her fate with mine? I couldn’t be sure, and that bloody feeling of insecurity plagued me most of the night.





Chapter Twenty-Five


Isobel





“I don’t get it. I thought you said you would be here for a few more days. What’s the rush to go back to Monaco?”

Julien was acting strange as of late, as if he was going through something, and I wanted to reassure him that he could confide in me if he so wished it.

He smiled, looking rather exhausted from his late hours in the office. “Hugo has something to tell you, and before you ask, no, you won’t get the information from me.”

Frowning, I let out a frustrated sigh. My tummy was just beginning to protrude, and my body seemed to be more taxed than before. Puking and being incessantly exhausted were a norm these days. Subsequently, the thought of being stuck once more in a jet made me feel faint. I hadn’t been claustrophobic before, but things had changed, or maybe I was simply paranoid. I couldn’t be sure.

“All right. But let me make this clear: this is the last time I’m flying anywhere, or so help me God!”

He laughed, shooing me away to pack and get ready for our journey. My life was tiresome, and I was beginning to resent it. However, the mere thought of seeing Hugo again gave me such profound joy that it somehow made this worth my while.

Eleven hours later, I found myself back at the chateau, enjoying a meal with my two favorite men in the world.

“I want to reassure you both that the endless, imminent threat has now been dealt with. It’s all been settled,” Hugo stated.

Carefully placing my utensils down, I glanced at Julien’s solemn reaction before diverting my eyes towards Hugo’s. “Define settled?”

How could a lifetime of anathema, a ruthless vow, be so easily resolved without bloodshed?

“What did you do, Hugo?” I asked, breathless. If he had done something drastic to attain such security, there had to be some kind of repercussions. It was inevitable.

“I assure you, my love, I didn’t break the law. I simply … negotiated.”

What terms did he negotiate? I wanted to inquire more, but he didn’t seem keen on elaborating, and oddly enough, Julien didn’t seem to, either.

As much as I hated it, maybe he wasn’t comfortable discussing it with Julien in the room. For the time being, I just had to shut my gob and pray I could get my wits about me until it was just the two of us.

Julien cleared his throat, gaining our attention. “Well, in light of that splendid announcement, as much as this was all entertaining me, I am happy to be off to Paris.”

“Paris?” I raised my brow.

“Yes, Paris.” He beamed. “I have to seek out my ex-mistress and hope to the god of gods that she will take me back.”