ViktorDamn her intuitive nature. I turned away, my shoulders tight. “Loved. J used to love my brother. But that wasa long time ago. When I was too stupid to know better. Now, I couldn't care less if he existed.”“You shouldn’t give up on him. He is not the only person you can call family now. You're all alone and I am sure that you wish to reconnect with him. You should—”“Leave it alone,” I ground out. "I don't care about family. Relationships are not built on blood but trust. He broke my trust and betrayed me. So he is nothing more than a stranger and a thief. And yes, I am not lonely like you think. I have women come up to my penthouse every day. I don't need anyone."“But you’ve spent the last ten years trying to destroy him—in thisinternecine battle. If you truly have forgotten he existed, why do you keep trying to get in his way? Why are you hell bent on clashing with him?”“Internecine?”“Mutually destructive.”“Ah.” My lips tugged up at the edges. “Well. Our rivalry has ce

“Move!” I barked at Lyra who didn't understand the urgency of the situation. Every second we wasted bickering about our problems was precious. I was terrified that Andrei would show up and take me. I couldn't let the man that hurt me years ago take me as his possession. Never!Jumping, my sister turned and grabbed her knapsack. She began to dump her clothes and every piece of valuable item she had inside. I could see the confusion in her eyes as she packed her things. But that wasn't the first time we were running at the last minute. She had to get used to it especially since we were running from a man who had the power to run the world. A scant hundred seconds later, I was pulling on her hand and yanking her toward the door.“Hurry.” I flung open the door. “We’ll get our last paychecks and—”Andrei stood across the open-air hallway. His broad-shouldered, powerful body leaned casually against the wall in the shadows. His eyes gleamed with slight amusement and fury.“Going somewhere?”

"I told you, we had —""Debts? I've heard that before, haven't I? I don't feel sorry for you. Your father was a con artist and thief. And he raised his daughter to be just like him. Too bad he didn't leave any thing but debts behind."I tried not to let the words he said sink in but I couldn't. How could he say that to me? "Don't talk about my father that way. He was not a saint but he did everything for us. You're no better than him and you have no one beside you. You're just lonely and —""I won't be lonely anymore. You might have forgotten I bought you tonight."I gritted my teeth and blinked fast, staring at the Aloha Tower and the cruise ships. Without warning, Andrei suddenly veered the Lamborghini to the right.Glancing behind us, I saw the SUV with my sister continuing straight down the Nimitz Highway, a different direction from the Lamborghini. I turned to him with a gasp.“Where are you taking my sister? Why is she not coming with us? Tell me!”He pressed down more firmly o

I didn't think about what I did until I saw his expression. I had never been so scared of him until then. I shifted slightly to the door, my eyes not leaving his face. "How dare you hit me?" He asked again, and I felt heat rising to my face. "I'm sorr—sorry," I squeaked. "It was an accident." I didn't know why I apologized when he was totally at fault, but I was terrified then. "Hmmm," he voiced, rubbing the area on his face. "I didn't think you had it in you."“I get it. You don’t want me to fall in love with you. No worries aboutthat! I wasn't planning on falling in love with the devil anyway!!” A lump rose in my throat. “You turned a memory that should havebeen sacred into a mockery, and you think that makes me feel alright?” I whispered. Tears spilled over my lashes asI looked away and turned to the glass. “Don’t ever touch me again.”Silence fell in the backseat of the limo. I waited for him to apologize for his wrongs,to say he was sorry.Instead, he said in a low voice,

“Yeah, why,” I muttered. My husband could seduce any woman with a smile. He could have any woman he desired. He’d melted me into an infatuated, delusional puddle with a singlecareless, stolen kiss. I wonder what effect he had on other women.I scowled. “Look. I just want to know if I’m wearing clothes you bought for someone else. That would make me completely uncomfortable.”He gave an exaggerated sigh. “They were purchased in Marrakech for you, Lyra. Specifically for you. And if you don’t believe me...” He gave me a wicked grin as he opened a drawer. “Check this out.”My lips parted as I looked down at all the lacy unmentionable undergarments. They were a lot of panties in the drawer and my cheeks suddenly turned red. No one had ever gone shopping for me, talk more of buying under wears.“You’ll never have to go commando again,” he said smugly. His eyes met mine. “Unless you want to. That would be totally fine.”I swallowed, then turned away as my cheeks burned. “Great—Thanks.”“And