Cruel Paradise - A Mafia Romance Chapter 68

Fucking hell, are they sobering.

But they get through to me. It’s bad enough that Remmy honed in on Emma. If Adrik were to do the same, that would be a hell of a lot worse. It would put Emma in danger. It would put the kids in danger. It’s the whole damn reason I couldn’t bring her as my date tonight: the moment people saw her on my arm, they’d know she was important. They’d start digging into her life, her past, her relationships.

And I won’t stand for that.

“He’s here tonight to piss you off. This is about Lees International.”

My eyes snap to his. “You closed the deal?”

Kirill nods. “The board of directors agreed this morning. Bane Corp. will be buying up Lees International and there’s not a damn thing Adrik can do about it. The decision was unanimous.”

Lees International is only one of Adrik’s subsidiary companies, but it will still be a significant loss. Especially considering who he’s losing it to. This would have been great news if it weren’t for the fact that Adrik is now offering Emma his hand.

And she fucking takes it.

Kirill looks back over his shoulder. “He’s trying to get a rise out of you by screwing with your assistant, that’s all,” he cautions. “Do not give him the hint that she might be more. And most of all, don’t give him the satisfaction.”

My gaze narrows as Adrik wraps an arm around Emma’s waist and pulls her close. Of course I’d picked out the sexiest dress I could find for her. And now, that son of a bitch gets the benefit of it.

She should be mine.

“Okay,” I spit through gritted teeth. “So be it.”

“Don’t worry,” Kirill assures me. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

I force myself to walk back to my group. On the upside, Hiram Allens is in the same spot I left him. On the downside, so is his daughter.

Hiram gives me an approving nod. “I admire a man who never stops working, Ruslan. But you have to know when to stop and smell the roses, too.”

He looks right at his insufferable daughter when he says it. She curls her hand around my arm. “Ruslan’s busy building his empire, Daddy.”

I glance over Jessica’s shoulder but I can’t spot Emma and Adrik. There are at least two other red dresses cavorting around on the dance floor, distracting me every time they pass through my line of sight.

I’m only vaguely aware that Jessica is speaking. “Is someone interested in a dance?”

I see her then—being spun around the dance floor by that grotesque little weasel. She’s got her back to me. Adrik’s hand rests just above her ass.

I’m gonna kill that fucking bastard.

I raise my eyes—only to find that his are aimed right at me. He gives me a brazen smile and a wink that’s just begging to be ripped off his face.

“Rus?” Jessica tries again.

Yeah, that’s the wrong way to get me to respond to anything.

“Ruslan.” The curt displeasure in Hiram’s voice gets my attention. “You seem very… distracted. Unforgivable, really, when you consider the beautiful woman you have on your arm.”

I suppress my gag reflex for her father’s benefit and try to get my head back in the game. I need Hiram Allens’ loyalty; therefore, I need to keep his daughter happy.

But I’m not about to let Adrik’s machinations go unanswered, either. There’s no way he can put his hands on what is mine and get away with it.

I know damn well why I’ve kept Emma a secret from the world. For her sake, for the kids’ sake, that’s been the best move. But there is a beast in me that says to hell with that. I can handle the consequences. I can keep her entire family safe even if every last man, woman, child, and animal on this planet tries to take her from me.

But mark my words: one way or another, come hell or high water, by any means necessary…

By the time this night ends, every fucking soul at this gala is going to know exactly who Emma belongs to.

47

RUSLAN

When dinner is served, I see that Adrik has been assigned to a seat at the reject table way in the back of the Onyx Room, which is satisfying enough. But right now, I’m more concerned with the seating situation at my own table.

“Did you switch the name cards on our table?” I growl the moment Kirill walks over to me.

“Of course. Emma’s sitting on your right.”

I’m tempted to make Kirill rearrange it so that Jessica is sitting far away from me, but that would be asking too much. I leave Jessica gossiping with a gaggle of her equally nauseating friends and march straight for where we’ll be seated in the position of honor at the front of the ballroom.

Just in time to catch a certain woman in red trying to switch around the name cards so that she’s not sitting next to me.

“Is there a problem, Ms. Carson?”

She lets out a startled gasp and nearly drops her placard on one of the decorative candles adorning the centerpiece. Her cheeks flush a bright red, only a shade lighter than her dress. She looks even more ravishing up close.

“I just figured you’d prefer to be sitting next to someone more important,” she bites out.

“I’ll make do with you.”

Her jaw clenches tight as she sits herself down and angles her chair away from me.

The little siren is in quite the mood tonight.

Me being here with Jessica has her all riled up. I wonder if that’s the reason she chose to dance with Adrik—to make me feel what she’s feeling. Not that she could have known who he is. What he’s done.

“Oh, what a lovely table!” Jessica cries as she appears from nowhere and claims the seat on my left.

“So elegant.”

Of course, her eyes land right on Emma. She’s the only outsider at this table. That and she does stand out.

That dress was made for the spotlight. And she was made for that dress.