AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t think he’ll loan us the money?” asked Kendra, concerned.
“I don’t care what Viktor will or won’t do. I won’t take it. He can take his money and his stupid Fabergé egg and shove ‘em.”
Tegan pulled back, looking at her sister with a mix of confusion and worry. "You should call Viktor. He must be worried sick."
“If he’s even noticed I’m gone. No. Wait. Aren’t men supposed to get horny from a fight? If so, I’m sure he’s missed me by now. But he’ll have to learn to live with disappointment and without me.”
Emerson sighed, moving toward the staircase. She rubbed her wrists, the red marks from the bindings still visible. "I need a few hours to sleep. Then I’ll call the bank and see if there’s any chance we can borrow the money to pay off Toney."
Tegan stood across the foyer from Emerson, her expression confused. "He made a mistake, Em. You went to him to prove your innocence, and it sounds like he was already realizing he was wrong about you. Then he risked his life to save you.”
“Cerberus saved me. The billionaire was just along for the ride.”
“I don’t know how I feel about Viktor at the moment,” said Kendra, “but trust me, Viktor Romanov has never hung onto anyone’s coattails. Most likely he was going, and Cerberus backed him up.”
“Whatever,” said Emerson, wearily. “I don’t care.”
“But you have to,” said Tegan. “He saved you. Why aren’t you with him right now?"
Emerson looked up, meeting Tegan’s imploring gaze. "Because... because he didn’t trust me in the first place. He believed I was capable of something terrible—not just theft, but betrayal."
Kendra crossed to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Emerson, he saved you. That has to mean something."
"It does," Emerson admitted, her voice breaking slightly. "It means he felt guilty and responsible. But it doesn’t erase the fact that he didn’t believe in me when it mattered most. I can't just forget that."
Tegan sighed, joining her sisters. "Trust is hard to rebuild, I get that. But maybe he deserves a chance to explain himself, to make things right."
Emerson shook her head. "I’m not sure that he can or even if I want him to. I don’t know that we want the same things. I need time to process everything. To figure out what I want. I can't just go back to him as if nothing happened. But before any of that, I need to figure out how to deal with Toney."
Tegan squeezed her shoulder gently. "Take the time you need. We’re here for you, no matter what."
Emerson managed a small smile, grateful for her sisters' support. "Thanks. I just... I need to get some sleep, deal with Toney and sort through all of this."
The three sisters stood, silent for a moment, the weight of the recent events hanging heavily in the air. Emerson knew that the road ahead would be difficult, filled with hard decisions and painful truths. But for now, she was home, surrounded by the people who believed in and loved her unconditionally.
As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window, Emerson took a deep breath, trying to let go of fear and exhaustion as she headed up the stairs.
VIKTOR
She had barely started up the staircase when the door burst open, and Viktor stepped inside. “Emerson, thank god. I took my eyes off you for just a second, and you were gone.”
“Yeah, well, I figured the fun and games were over for the night. The morning after was closing in, and I wanted a shower and some sleep. Both of which you’re keeping me from. Go away, Viktor.”
“I am not going away, dushka,” he said, moving towards her.
“Don’t,” she snarled. “Just don’t. I have had enough of you and your bullshit. Go away and leave me alone.”
“Come home with me, malenkaya. You can rest, and then we will…”
“We will do nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing. You know, a few minutes ago I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do about you, about us, about anything. But you just clarified it for me. I don’t—scratch that, I won’t be with someone who has so little faith and trust in me. I won’t live in continual fear that I will say or do something you don’t like, and you’ll just abandon me… again. Do you have any idea what that felt like? Do you? No, you do not. You may not have enough respect for me for that to be an issue, but I can assure you, I do. Now, get out, Viktor. I’m going upstairs to take a shower and get some sleep. Don’t be here when I come back down.”
She was upset and distraught. She had a right to be. He had failed her in the way that mattered most to her. He watched her ascending the staircase like an exhausted warrior who may have won the battle but feared she had lost the war. He waited until he heard her door close before addressing her sisters.
He held up his hand to wave off Kendra’s angry accusations. “Don’t. You will feel foolish if you do. I fucked up where your sister is concerned, but I will fix what is wrong between us. Toney has already been paid off. I have made it clear that should he cross Ravenel Reliance again, he will be crossing me, and I will not pay him off a second time. Cerberus is already working on proving that your parents did nothing wrong. Nothing. The whole thing is a house of cards that we will bring tumbling down on Oliver Toney’s head.”
“The egg?” asked Tegan.
“I have no idea. It is not important…”
