“Sorry. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”
“No, no, it’s quite alright,” she says quickly, as though her window of honesty is closing. “It’s okay. I do like him. He’s definitely scary sometimes—”
I smirk in agreement. “Tell me about it.”
“But for a man that’s as powerful as he is, he can also be rather kind.”
Kind. Now that’s a word I never expected to hear in relation to Isaak Vorobev. The fact that it’s coming from a house servant makes it all the more impactful.
“There was this one semester that was really hectic. I was behind on my assignments and working to try and put a dent in my student loans. I was stressed all the time. Not many employers would even notice.” She raises her eyes and looks at me. “But he did. And when I told him, he just listened. He was sympathetic. Then I went back to work and that was that. About a week later, I got a call from the bank about my student loan. He had paid it in full.”
“Wow…”
Edith nods. “He’s not taking it out of my salary, either. It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”
“That… that is a nice story,” I stammer awkwardly.
She smiles. “It’s not just me. He takes care of all his employees. I think it’s part of the reason why his men are so loyal to him.”
I stare at the fire, absorbing all this information. I’m suddenly regretting having this conversation at all. I don’t need a reason to like Isaak. Quite the opposite, actually. The fact that I’m insanely attracted to him is bad enough. I was looking for things to despise.
“I know how you got here,” Edith says cautiously. “I’m not trying to belittle your experience. Or make light of it. But…”
“You’re on his side?” I ask.
She flushes. “No, of course not. I just… Some things aren’t as black and white as all that. Isaak Vorobev may not be a hero. But I don’t think he’s the villain, either.”
“Maybe he’s not your villain, Edith,” I tell her grimly. “But he is mine.”
She purses up her lips. I know she disagrees with me. She’s just too polite to say so.
We both look into the fireplace for a while. “I… I used to have a massive crush on him when I first started working here,” she admits suddenly.
I raise my eyebrows, amused that she’s even made that admission. She looks slightly shocked at her own bravado.
“I can’t really blame you,” I say, mostly to put her at ease. “He’s very handsome. Annoyingly handsome, in fact.”
She giggles. “Every single maid who’s starting working here has fantasized about him at some point. Trust me; I’ve heard them all.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Must be entertaining.”
“But you know something? He’s never brought a woman to any of his homes before,” Edith tells me. “Not even for a meal.”
I freeze. “Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“No,” she says quickly. “I just thought you should know.”
Then I can see it in her eyes: the moment of honesty is over.
She stands and retrieves the cushion I’d thrown earlier. “I really should get back to work. I have to tidy up the credenza in the den.”
I nod distractedly. “Thanks Edith. For… talking to me.”
She smiles, the very picture of politeness. “Of course, Miss Camila.”
And just like that, we’re fallen back into our roles.
She’s the maid.
I’m the entrapped wife.
She has a way out of here one day. But as for me? There’s no end in sight.
24
Camila
Edith slips out of the room, leaving me behind to ponder my own isolation. I’ve been lonely so long that I’ve gotten used to the feeling. But with Isaak… I don’t feel quite so hollow inside. And that part of this whole ordeal terrifies me as much as it confuses me.
I get to my feet and start pacing. But this time, I walk slow. I think instead of rage.
Mostly, though, I long for Jo.
I was so close to having a life that involved her. Then again, if Isaak is right about everything Maxim was scheming, maybe that life only ever existed in my head.
The idea that Alex is really Maxim Vorobev… it still doesn’t feel real. More like a convenient excuse for Isaak to storm back into my life and seize control of it.
But really, what other reason would he have had, if not for Alex—I mean, Maxim?
We had one night together. How many nights like that has he had with how many different women?
My thoughts are getting more frenzied and less organized. I need to get out of my own head before I go berserk.
I glance at the clock, and decide to call Bree a little early. Plopping onto my bed, I dial in her number. There’s no option for video calling in my room, but I’ll take what I can get. I’m not ready to leave my room and face anyone at the moment.
Brr. Brr. Brr—
The ringing of the line severs like someone sliced the phone cables. “Weird,” I breathe. Frowning, I punch in her number and try again.
Brr. Brr. Brr—
The exact same thing repeats itself. And I start to wonder.
“He wouldn’t…”
Then I recall our last fight in this room. Right before he had pinned me to the wall and stolen a savage kiss from me.
He had accused me of contacting Alex.
I know it suddenly and surely without even having to ask. He’s blocking the line. It’s not enough to keep my body prisoner in his house. Now, he’s cutting me off from the rest of the world entirely.
Just when Edith almost had me convinced that there was more to Isaak than the cruel, dominant don…
He gives me another reason to fight him.
I slam the phone down on the nightstand and storm out of my room.
Had I really been feeling guiltily only a moment before? For keeping Jo’s existence from Isaak?
I need to remind myself not to be so fucking precious about these things. He’s been ruthless from the start. So why shouldn’t I be the same?
I have a duty to protect my daughter, after all. From him as much as anyone else. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just the sperm donor. His feelings—if he’s even capable of having them—are irrelevant.
I’m rushing around so fast I nearly collide into one of the maids. Thankfully, it’s not the one who walked in on Isaak and me on the staircase.
“Miss Cam—”
“Where is Isaak?” I demand.
She looks startled. “I, um, think he’s in his office, ma’am.”
I change direction and head downstairs.
“Miss Camila, he’s in a meeting!”
“Don’t care,” I say, waving my hand in the air without bothering to turn around.
I blaze through the house, but I get turned around on the second floor and realize abruptly that I have no idea which way Isaak’s office lies.
Then I catch sight of Bogdan across the way. Going off a hunch, I hang back to make sure he can’t see me before I follow him through the house.
Just as I’d hoped, he leads me right to Isaak’s office. He walks in and I race after him, refusing to wait or knock. I don’t care if it’s an inconvenient time. He can make time for this.
“You bas—”