Page 37 of Sinful Lord

I ignore her.

“So, Manfred thinks you’re a virgin, huh?”

Yasha’s eyes narrow as she tries to pierce through my soul. Luckily, I don’t have one.

“Fuck, I knew I shouldn’t have brought him. That simpleton can’t keep his mouth shut.”

“That man might be naïve, but he’s no simpleton. That suit looks like it costs even more than your dress.”

“You can be a brilliant businessman while also being blind in all other areas of life.”

“Do you think he’s a virgin too?” I taunt her.

“Enough!” Yasha shouts, her sharp voice echoing around the cavernous ballroom. “Manfred is none of your concern. He’s of use to me simply from a business perspective. That fool will help me take over the company when my father passes, and then he’ll make sure I am given the respect I deserve. From the other members of the board, from our business partners, and from our clients. That will be his duty.”

“And all you have to give him in return is your non-existent cherry…” I nod.

“Don’t act like you were the one who took my innocence.”

“What a curse that would have been.”

In response, Yasha’s pale green eyes fall to the carpeted floor. “He can’t know,” she says. “You can’t show him that video… or any of the others you supposedly have.”

“I won’t,” I quickly reply. “That is, if you give me what I want.”

Those green eyes quickly come flying back off the floor. “I’ve already given you what you want,” she glares at me.

“You know how insatiable I am.”

I immediately regret my choice of words. It’s too flirty. Yasha will pounce on any opening I give her.

“What do you really want?” she whispers, dipping her chin as she struts closer to me.

I raise my palm and stop her.

“Last time we met, you said you had contacts in the Berlin underworld. I want to meet them. There are some questions I need answers to.”

Yasha looks intrigued.

“What questions?”

“That’s none of your business,” I growl, suddenly upset.

She’s hit a sore spot. A man like me shouldn’t be slinking around asking favors from women like her. But I’ve hit dead end after dead end, and I’m no closer to finding out who put Melina in danger.

Hell, even the manager from the bar she was working at has disappeared. And the only worker who knew anything about Melina had just met her the night of the incident. There was frustratingly little information to find at that place. But there was even less at every other crime scene.

Somehow, the street where the van had crashed had been swept clean before I could search it for myself. And when I’d used Yasha’s cameras to trace the route of the van back to its place of origin, I’d found a blind spot in the security system. Still, I managed to sweep the camera-less area and find one possible garage where it could have come out of. Unfortunately, the place had recently been burned to the ground.

Someone has to know what’s going on. This is too big to be kept secret. I just need to find a way into the right circles. And right now, Yasha’s my best bet.

“If you’re asking me to stick my neck out and introduce you to these scumbags, then it is my business,” the feisty heiress says. “I’m already on thin ice with them.”

“Why are you on thin ice with a bunch of crooks?” I ask, raising my brow.

Yasha hesitates to respond.

“There have been some… recent complications in our arrangement.”