Chapter 89
Katerina:
“Are you sure that going is going to be a good idea, Katerina?” Viktor asked, looking at me as I took my last sip of coffee.
“The fact that you invited me for coffee to delay and actually hope that I would forget about going is not something that I missed, Viktor. But I am one of the representatives, and I am going to go to the auction. Plus, if you are worried about me arguing with Ashley, the most that I would do is put her in place.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow. “It is a woman foundation. If she thinks that going because she is being sponsored by Nikolay is something, there are those who have been dealing with this for years. We have never seen ourselves better than others simply because we are being sponsored by our
men,”
“Your lips are saying something, but your eyes are saying otherwise, Katerina.” He said, and I smiled.
“Don’t worry, my anger with them is not one that I am going to show in public. While I have to admit, the desire to make her regret thinking of crossing her limits with me is one that I have, I know not to bother with a woman like herself. It is not like she is going to be able to harm me, unless, of course, I allow her to do so.” I said, and he nodded.
“Just be sure not to get in too much trouble with them. The last thing that you are going to need is to deal with a woman like herself, and Nikolay is going to want to get his hands on anything against you.” He said, and I raised an amused eyebrow.
“You do realize that the woman that I am talking about is his mistress, right?” I asked, and Viktor chuckled.
“Yes, but you growing aggressive with that mistress, no matter how much you don’t like her, can be a reason for her to be putting herself against you in a winning cause. You aren’t going to want that, are you?” He asked, and I nodded in understanding.
“Fine,” I said, playfully rolling my eyes. “The coffee is on me this time,
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though.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He said, and I smiled, raising my hand to call the waiter. Viktor looked me in the eye and shook his head. “Katerina, I am the one who called you to come. You are not going to be the one to pay…”
“You really need to try a different approach, Viktor.” I said, smiling at the waiter as he brought over the bill.
“She is not going to pay.” Viktor said, glaring at the waiter who stood, dumbfounded, trying to find an answer to give.
“You paid the last time, I will do so this time.”
“A gentleman doesn’t make a woman pay.” He said, and I scoffed.
“Well, I don’t need you to be one right now, I am going to…” I went to hand my card to the waiter only for Viktor to wrap his hand around mine, taking me by surprise.
Sparks coursed through my veins and goosebumps rose over my skin as he did. Our eyes met, and I couldn’t help but find myself wanting to look away from him as I slowly pulled my hand back.
He handed the man the card, and he smirked, shaking his head at me as a small smile formed on his lips, revealing a dimple, that I doubt that I ever saw, on his right cheek.
“I told you that you weren’t going to pay.” He said, and I shook my head, snapping myself out of my momentary daze.
“I am going to get you for this, by the way.” I said, and he chuckled.
“Well, that would mean that you are going to be willing to go out for another cup of coffee.” He said, and I smiled.
“You are one manipulative man,” I said, and he winked.
“I am a lawyer, I doubt that you would have expected me to be anything otherwise, no?” He asked, making me laugh. “So, what do you think? Next week, maybe?”
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Chupier in
“We’ll see. It might be a lot earlier. You know, depending on whether or not I burn the foundation over Ashley’s head.” I said, getting up from the chair. He kept his eyes on me and the man shook his head, letting me know that this wasn’t something that he liked. I had to admit, the strength that he gave me the other day in front of the girls was one that I wasn’t going to forget. The way he had me speaking to the paparazzi, letting them know Nikolay’s true face, somehow, and my own side of the story was one that I would have never had myself.
Flashback:
I walked out as he stood inside the restaurant, looking at me through the window, waiting for what I was going to say.
The door was open, and though the press couldn’t go inside, he could hear everything that I was saying.
“Mrs. Katerina, is it true that you are getting a divorce?”
“Mrs. Katerina, do you confirm or deny your husband’s scandal?”
“Mrs. Katerina, you haven’t been working for a long time, how are you going to support yourself after the divorce?”
“Is it true that you don’t have any money? That your husband has your accounts blocked?”
“Now, now, while I understand your curiosity, can a single woman not be happy with her friends? You know, without the fuss of having a husband to sulk over?” I asked, smiling at them. “I do believe that I was always a good investor, my one failed investment was my scandalous marriage, I can’t say the same about everything else, thankfully…”
I walked inside the restaurant, forcing myself to stand tall as my heart raced against my chest. Viktor’s eyes met mine from a distance and he smirked, giving me a quick nod before walking out. The paparazzi cleared the space for him to pass, and I couldn’t help the small smile that formed on my lips.
“Who is that hot man?”
“My lawyer,” I said, looking at the girls, knowing that they were going to have a
Chapter 89
lot to gossip about. “So, we were saying…?”
End of Flashback.
“As long as you don’t get the cops involved, you can do whatever you want.” He said, and I laughed.
“Deal.” I said, making him smile. “We’ll arrange for a coffee meeting before the court meeting.”
“Fine by me,” he said, getting up. “Please don’t literally burn the place down.”
“I make no promises,” I said, and he shook his head, his smile not fading from his face. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Have a lovely evening, Katerina…”
