18

“Good evening, gentlemen. Mr. Yartsev! I’m glad to welcome you to this evening,” Danil addressed them, shaking hands with the men and a tall, stately brunette whose graying hair was noticeable. Despite his age, the man was quite charming and undeniably handsome.

Three pairs of eyes fixed on us, and the men didn’t even try to hide their interested glances in my direction, which made me feel slightly uneasy.

“Ah, Danil!” the man smiled radiantly. “Very glad to see you here. I see your father couldn’t make it to the evening. Won’t you introduce us to your lovely companion?”

“Yes, this is Victoria, my good friend,” Danil introduced me. “She works at my father’s company and is one of our leading specialists in the laboratory. Vicky, this is Mr. Oleg Yartsev, head of Incorpmedyar and one of my father’s partners.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Victoria,” the man said, kissing my hand with a smirk. There was something in the gesture that felt painfully familiar to me.

“And mine as well,” I said, awkwardly pulling back my hand.

“Ah, it’s always nice to see when children take an interest in the family business,” Oleg sighed. “Good that at least one of mine has shown interest. I was beginning to think I’d never see my replacement,” he mused aloud to his companions, who laughed knowingly.

We didn’t linger long with those gentlemen, and Danil led me to another group for, as he put it, “useful connections.” We had already been at the reception for about an hour, and to be honest, my legs were starting to ache from inexperience. It had been a very long time since I last wore heels like these.

However, all my thoughts about my aching limbs instantly vanished when I accidentally noticed a couple entering the hall.

Next to a striking, long-legged brunette—whom I immediately recognized as the girl from the lingerie boutique—stood my nighttime moth in all his masculine beauty. He was wearing a designer suit and a stylish bow tie.

It felt like a lightning bolt struck my heart, and my breath caught. For some reason, an indescribable sense of panic, anxiety, and fear washed over me.

Ah, right… maybe it’s because I have two children by him?! You don’t see a daddy-astronaut every day.

I tried not to look his way, keeping my eyes down, but yeah, right! As they say, IT SEES YOU FIRST!

The couple leisurely walked through the hall. Beautiful, both of them. This girl, Milа, seemed to cling to the brunette’s arm, chatting animatedly, while he walked with the air of an untouchable deity—proud, haughty, as if perched at the very top of the food chain.

“Seriously? Is she a floozy?!” my inner voice nervously giggled, and I couldn’t help laughing. How ridiculous we must look now, ready to sell ourselves to some desperate housewife… or an inexperienced young girl.

His hair was neatly combed and styled, and in my mind, I could see him peacefully sleeping with his hair in disarray. How damn good he looks in that suit! It fits perfectly on his exquisite body, which I still remember under my fingers.

At least it’s reassuring that the biological material was good and the boys will be incredibly handsome, since they resemble this… donor like two or three drops of water.

A sharp pang grazed under my ribs when the brunette leaned in for a kiss with our dad, to which he quickly responded, looking at her promisingly and fiercely. The girl smiled sweetly at that and pressed closer to him.

I wondered—does she know about his work? Maybe he’s changed? Or is she his favorite girlfriend, although from their conversation in the boutique, I wouldn’t have said that. Or maybe she’s just a colleague? And they were called to some group… Oh, my God…

While my mind was spinning through all the possible explanations for this couple’s presence at the event, I didn’t immediately notice that two green eyes were fixed on me.

My breath caught, and I had to swallow hard when I saw that piercing gaze. Instinctively, I pressed closer to Danil’s arm, as if seeking protection and shelter, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

My eyes felt as if they were under the hypnosis of a skilled sorcerer, reaching through them into my mind to see my soul. The man was angry and frowning, standing with tightly pressed lips, simply scorching me with his deadly stare, and for some reason, I got the impression that this rage was directed at me.