Cruel Paradise - A Mafia Romance Chapter 96

I barely hear him. How have things gone from absolutely perfect to absolute shit in a matter of seconds? How is it possible that she was able to fool me so completely?

Months. I’ve devoted months of my life to this woman. I made her a part of my life. I immersed myself in hers.

I fucking trusted her.

The proof is in the fact that she’s here at all—in my place of solitude. The place I come to when I want to get away from everything. The place I swore no woman would ever see the inside of.

“How do you want me to handle this?” Kirill asks.

“First, I have to handle it.”

I snatch up the pictures and storm into the bedroom. The moment I walk in, I realize what a huge mistake I’ve made. Her scent is everywhere—honey and citrus and sweetness and lies. Now, every time I walk into this room, I’ll imagine her sprawled across my bed, one slim, bare thigh peeking out from beneath the covers.

No.

Slowly but surely, I have to start expelling every trace of her from my world.

And it starts right fucking now.

She’s stirring when I approach. “Ruslan…?” she mumbles sleepily.

“Get up.”

Her eyes dart open and the sleep drains from her face the moment she looks at me. “Ruslan, w-what’s wrong?” Her eyelashes flutter and her cheeks flush. “Is this about last night?”

“Apparently, last night was the least of my problems.” I fling the pictures at her. She flinches back and the photographs scatter, fluttering around her like flakes of ash at the end of the world.

“What…?”

She picks up one of the photographs. Her eyes go wide and she pales. “Ruslan—let me explain—”

As it turns out, that’s all the explanation I need. “Get your clothes on and get the fuck out of my apartment.”

She stares at me as though she’s having a hard time recognizing me. Well, that makes two of us. “RRuslan…” Her voice is barely above a whisper and still, it claws at me.

I turn from her. “You’ve got two fucking minutes or I’ll throw you into that elevator ass naked.”

She scrambles off the bed. I can’t even bear to look at her. I hear a hint of a sob from behind me but I clench my jaw and dig my heels in. I was a fool to let her in so deep. I was a fool to trust her at all. I knew it was a mistake but I let myself be convinced. And for what? A sweet smile and easy pussy?

“Ruslan, please. I told you I wanted to speak to you last night—”

I whip around. “So you could come clean about your dirty deal with Remmy Jefferson?” he growls. “It’s too fucking late to make amends now, Emma.”

She’s breathing fast. “You don’t even know—”

“All I need to know is that you betrayed me. I don’t care about the reasons.”

“I—

“KIRILL!” I roar.

She recoils back, hurt blanketing her face. “You’re not even gonna hear my side?”

“You were the only one who was supposed to know about that contract!” I roar. “If you didn’t fucking talk, how the fuck did Remmy Jefferson get his hands on it?”

The redness on her cheeks has spread to her chest. “I was a fool—”

“Not the word I’d use.” I turn my back on Emma when Kirill appears at the door. “Make sure this woman is wiped from my life. Make sure her desk at Bane Corp. is cleared, make sure our contract is severed, make sure I never have to see her again after this moment.”

“Ruslan, please. You need to listen to—”

I whirl on her. “I’m done listening. And I’m done with you. Our agreement is officially at an end, Ms. Carson.” She flinches when I backslide into her surname. “Your services will no longer be required.”

I’m almost at the door when she grabs my arm. “I just need two minutes! Please!”

I twist out of her grasp and shove her against the wall. She stumbles backward, a strangled scream escaping her lips. I step forward and tighten my hand around her throat.

“You know exactly who I am now,” I snarl at her. “What you should also know is that I’m a pahkan first and a CEO second. If you cross me again, I will destroy you. Do you understand?”

I put just a little bit of pressure on her throat. Not enough to hurt her but plenty to scare her. Her eyes go wide and I get what I’m after.

Fear.

“I asked you a question, Ms. Carson. Do. You. Understand?”

She nods slowly.

“Good.” I release her and sweep out of the room. “Kirill… get rid of her.”

I hear her sobs even as the elevator doors slide shut. I try to block out the sound but even after the doors spew me out onto the ground floor, I can still hear her. I can still feel her. Even now, after everything I just discovered, she’s everywhere.

On my tongue.

Under my skin.

In my fucking soul.

72

EMMA

I didn’t just imagine it, did I?

Wasn’t it just a few days ago that we were talking babies? Planning a future together? Merging together two worlds that somehow made sense even though they shouldn’t?

I cry for most of the ride back to Hell's Kitchen. I figure I might as well get the tears out now, right? I can’t exactly break down in front of the kids.

The kids.

“Oh, God,” I whisper, covering my face with my hands.

I’ve been silently crying this entire time to try to preserve my dignity in Kirill’s presence. But the moment I think about those kids, I think, Fuck it. What dignity do I have left that I need to preserve?

I start ugly crying, loud, snotty sobs breaking through the silence of Kirill’s car. For the most part, he ignores me. Right up until he parks outside the apartment and I realize that he’s got the baby lock on, trapping me inside. I wipe my tears and turn to him. He’s looking at me carefully, like he’s not sure what to make of me.

“Can you let me out or did your boss give you instructions to humiliate me some more?”

His brows arrow downward. “I thought you were better than this.”

I can feel my cheeks burn up. “Excuse me?”

“Selling Ruslan out for money? It’s below you, Emma.”

I bite down on my anger. “You know what? Fuck you. And fuck your boss, too. I didn’t rat him out for money. I would never do that and, one day, Ruslan’s going to figure that out. But it’ll be too late. By the time he realizes it, I’ll be long gone. Now—” I pull at the handle of the car violently. “—let me out of this damn car!”

The locks click open and I practically soar out of the vehicle. I run into the building and watch Kirill drive away from the corner window.

Is this it then?

The roar of Kirill’s engine feels like the severing of my last tie to Ruslan.

I wipe my face dry as I take the stairs up to the apartment, but I’m still on shaky ground. I have no idea how I’ll respond if one of the kids asks me about Ruslan.

What I want to do is force a smile and answer evasively.