Chapter 3

•Daisy•

~•~

The familiar icy blue eyes were unmistakable, but it was completely ludicrous for me to imagine that he could be here in Chicago, much less in this quaint city of Illinois.

But here he was.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe. I’d prepared myself for tonight. I’d rehearsed my lines, practiced my smiles. But nothing could have prepared me for him.

Vladimir Romanov - the only man I had ever loved and simultaneously my worst nightmare. Dressed in a dark suit, his blonde hair gleaming, he looked like the incarnation of the devil, his eyes burning into mine like hot coals.

“V-Vladimir…” His name slipped past my lips before I could stop it.

He didn’t move. He just stood there, hands tucked neatly into his pockets, his broad shoulders cutting a silhouette against the city lights pouring through the floor-to-ceiling glass. The glow cast his face in shadows, making him look even more dangerous… more untouchable.

Then his lips curved into that familiar, cold smirk I once loved, and now despised.

“Well, well…” His deep, velvety voice cut through the silence, smooth and sharp all at once. “Look who it is.”

My breath hitched, and my grip on my purse tightened until my knuckles turned white.

I was trapped. I needed no one to tell me that. At that moment, I realized how foolish I had been. I should have asked Matt the name of the man I was dealing with. Even though they had refused to reveal his identity, I should have pressured them. But I didn’t.

Now, I was caught in a mess I wasn’t sure I knew how to escape from.

Even if there were a way out, I couldn’t take it. I had been paid for the job and had already spent half of it. Where in hell would I go to raise that amount of money?

“After six years, who knew I would find you like this?” he sneered, his voice low and dangerous. “And out of all the people in this city… you choose to walk back into my life.”

I swallowed hard, my legs trembling beneath me. I was at a loss for words.

What would I even say I was here to do? “Hey, I’m here to seduce you, make you fall in love with me, then break your heart and disappear from your life”? Definitely not that.

“A client invited me,” I lied smoothly. “I must have taken the wrong elevator.”

“Client?” His chuckle sent shivers down my spine, mirroring the dark look in his eyes.

“Tell me, how many men have you been with since you left me?” he spat, his words cutting deep. “Fifty? A hundred?”

“Believe whatever helps you sleep at night, Vladimir,” I said, my voice low, fists curled tight.

His eyes darkened, and before I knew it, he took long strides toward me, lifted me in his arms, and slammed my back against the nearest wall roughly, my purse falling from my hand in the process.

A howl of pain escaped my lips, and I barely had time to catch my breath before his wide, strong hands wrapped around my neck, gripping it tight.

My eyes widened as I struggled to breathe. My hands flew to the air, and I began hitting his chest as hard as I could.

“If I were you, I’d keep my mouth shut rather than run it anyhow,” he growled, his breath fanning my face.

I couldn’t say a word; my eyes began to blur, my face burning red. I was suffocating.

Fortunately, he released his grip, and I fell to the floor, clutching my neck as I greedily inhaled air, coughing violently.

“You…” I struggled to form the word, still gasping. “Still… haven’t… changed. You… are… a… monster…”

He laughed. The sound sending another shiver down my spine. “Wrong word, Moya Lyubov. I’m a beast.”

He crouched to my level, gripping my chin as I cowered back in fear. If there were a way to sink into the wall, I would have.

“And you, my darling, have just walked into the lion’s den.” His eyes glinted darkly, and he slapped my cheek twice gently before stepping back.

A young man walked in, drawing Vladimir’s attention. He gazed at me briefly, then faced Vladimir and bowed his head.

“Everything is all set, Boss.”

“Change of plans, Orlov,” Vladimir said, his eyes never leaving mine. “We leave for Moscow tomorrow night.”

I froze. He’s leaving for Russia tomorrow? Scarlett had told me it would be in three days, so what the hell was this?

Orlov was taken aback. “What? But Sergio Petrov and his men haven’t been taken care of yet.”

“Sergei? Easy peasy. Just do as you’re told.” Vladimir’s eyes stayed on me. Orlov nodded sharply.

“Understood, boss. I’ll have the jet fueled and ready for tomorrow’s flight.” He bowed and left.

Once he was gone, I struggled to my feet, still holding my neck, still red from his tight grip. “You are still the same… a cruel being.” The words spat out of my mouth, stinging as memories of the past flooded my mind… how this man had become my worst nightmare.

“You keep getting the words wrong, Moya Lyubov. I’m not the same Vladimir from the past,” he walked closer, trailing his fingertips along my cheek.

“This… is your worst nightmare.” He stepped back, tucking his hands into his pants pockets. “Don’t think about leaving, because you’ll be hunted down.”

His gaze wandered around the house before settling back on me. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back for you.” With that, he turned and strode out.

Once he was out of sight, I rushed to my purse on the floor and picked up it up, pulling out my phone. I dialed Matt’s number, and he picked up on the third ring.

“That was fast, Daisy,” he said casually. “How did it go?”

“I think I’m in trouble, Matt. He’s leaving for Russia tomorrow, I don’t think I can do this job anymore,” I blurted out in panic.

I knew Vladimir better than anyone, and I knew what he was capable of. If he said he was coming back for me, then he would, meaning I wasn’t safe.

I had broken his heart in the cruelest way possible. He hated cheaters, and I had cheated, right in his presence. No one needed to tell me he would hate me forever, which didn’t bother me because I loathed him too.

There was silence on Matt’s end before he released a low, deep sigh. “Then go along with it. You can’t back down now, if you do, Scarlett will make sure you’re not safe.”

I blinked. “What?”

“If he’s leaving for Russia tomorrow, make sure you do whatever it takes to make sure he takes you along. It’s too late to back down.” With that, the call disconnected.

Too late to back down.

The words rang in my head a million times as my legs wobbled and I collapsed to the floor, clutching my head.

Shit. I’m doomed.