Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Markus frowns. “I forgot that he dated her, actually. He never talked about her often and wasn’t loyal.” He shrugs again.
“What exactly was the loan for?”
“Medical bills, I guess. Plus old appliances and renovation work on the place drained them too. Or the parents just lack that business sense, you know? Anyway, Roman set them up with an account, and now they owe.”
I groan, knowing what’s coming. “And let me guess, Roman fucked it up?”
Markus nods. “It’s like he didn’t even look at the document at all. So, after the fact, I had to take over and protect your business.”
“Can he do anything and not fuck it up?” I mutter. I already know the answer, and I refuse to waste another thought on it.
For the rest of the ride, I get more details from Markus about Liliana. The bakery. Her coworkers. The parents. Everything.
Long after I’m dropped off at my building, I keep digging into everything I’ve learned. I’m thorough with anything that captures my interest, and Liliana is no different. She snared me for a couple of nights of lust almost two months ago, and the way she’s stuck in my mind now is closer to obsession.
I spend a couple of hours going through everything I have on her and this bakery. Viktor had already gathered a fair amount when he arranged to pay for the cars after she skidded into mine. Further back than that, a cursory background check had been run on her when Roman shared an apartment with her for a while.
None of these details ever came to my attention before, and they wouldn’t have. He never introduced me to her. I never met her while she was with him. And because the loan for this bakery is a minor account, so far beneath the big deals and arrangements I personally oversee, I’d never have needed to know that one specific bakery owed the Bratva money. On any given day, we handle countless loans, bribes, and favors. So many cogs turn in this business that it’s no surprise I never knew Liliana owes me anything.
And that bothers me.
I lean back in my chair, alone in my office, and sip my drink.
I don’t want to see Liliana as someone to do business with.
I just want her.
Earlier, I tried to delude myself into believing that one more time would do the trick.
Now I’m not so sure. Without my knowing, more links have formed between us. She owes my Bratva money. Her family is indebted to me. That makes her a business partner, but I want to explore how she can be a partner in other ways.
Is that why she got so scared, thinking I’m stalking her?
I furrow my brow, musing over it all. It seemed more like she was hiding something. I can’t shake this hunch that she doesn’t realize her loan is through the Bratva, but that seems unlikely. It’s not like she’s clueless. She’s sharp and smart. And she knows Roman belongs to me.
I sigh, tired of having too many questions and not enough answers.
Nothing is settling right with Liliana, and I brace myself for focusing on her completely. I will see her again, dammit. It’s just a matter of deciding how to keep her from running again.
I plan to head home, but before I can get up, Roman knocks and enters my office. It’s late, for him. This is the prime hour when he’d be gearing up to party and act like a moron.
I raise my brows as he comes in, all smiles, which doesn’t bode well for either of us. When he tries to look charming like that, it means he’s in the mood to ask for something. He’s not getting anything from me, which sucks for him. Meanwhile, I’ll have to endure his whiny presence, which already aggravates me.
“What do you want?” I ask it blandly, expecting it and beating him to the punch.
He chuckles. “Oh, come on. That’s not the only reason I ever come to see my father.”
“Right. What is it this time?” I can’t help my cool, dull tone. The sooner I get rid of him, the sooner I can go back to obsessing over how to approach Liliana.
He shrugs. “I was in the area and figured I’d stop in.”
I’m not asking him the same fucking thing three times in a row. I stare him down and he breaks.
He winces, then smiles too brightly. “I’m kind of hoping you could float me a little funding.” When I say nothing, waiting for him to elaborate, he frowns. “I’ve been working so much lately.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“And my girlfriend is so patient with me. Maeve is perfect. She’s not complaining about the long hours or anything, and I’d like to treat her to something special. You know? Get her a little something to show her off tonight at the club.” He tacks on another smile. Like that’s going to work.