Page 77 of The Lies Between Lovers

No warning.

Just like that.

You’re fired.

“Excuse me?” Vera asked. “Feliks, I already quit. I even gave you a deadline to find a replacement.”

“And that means nothing to my decision. I’ve already officially ended the program you were in charge of and have notified anyone that would need to know.”

A chill settled in Vera’s heart. Cold enough that pins and needles prickled into the beating organ and her chest. “What are you talking about?”

Planting his brown leather loafers shoulder width apart, Feliks crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down where he stood fifteen feet away. The expression on his face, however, made it feel like the man was standing over her, looming there and glaring down. She refused to move, or look away from him even if it did make her uncomfortable. Part of her issue with this man was the fact she let him get away with far too much.

With everything.

When they dated.

For the company.

In general.

All of it, she let him get away with too much disrespect, and now it was simply his second nature where she was concerned. Vera was done with it.

And him.

“No, you misunderstand,” Feliks said, his tone reverting to one she recognized enough to make her bristle. It was the same way he liked to talk to anyone he considered less than or unworthy of his time and attention. “As of today, your employment with this company is over, Vera. Your services are no longer needed, and as your contract already expired, we don’t need to bother with any of the standard business to get things between us cleared up. You’re welcome to clean out any locker you’ve been using, and make your way off the property as soon as possible. Is that clear enough?”

This is what you wanted.

Despite telling herself that, and knowing it was true, Vera couldn’t help the anger that welled inside. “Why?”

Feliks blinked at her sharp question. “I don’t—”

“You couldn’t even let me say goodbye to the kids? Or give me a chance to—”

“I was more than willing to go with your decision, actually,” Feliks interjected, cocking a single eyebrow in challenge. “I even spent two weeks trying to find the funds to fix your precious fucking studio on the off chance that I could keep you working here a little bit longer, but then it didn’t even matter because a better opportunity presented itself and all I need to do is get rid of you to make it happen.”

What?

Vera shook her head a little bit like that might help all of this make sense. It didn’t. “What opportunity?”

That question pulled another one of those irritating chuckles from the man. “Vaslav Pashkov—who else?”

He said that as if she should already know. All she could think about was how her heart felt as it splintered and broke.

Vera barely even spoke to Feliks about her private business, never mind her burgeoning relationship. He didn’t make her wait long before he filled in the missing pieces.

“Seven-point-seven trillion rubles.”

“What does money have anything to do—”

“That’s how much Vaslav offered to pay me to remove you from this company in any capacity, and my life,” Feliks said, shrugging with little remorse or care. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but The Swan House hasn’t seen that kind of profit in ever, and I couldn’t justify worrying about your feelings in the matter when all I really need at the moment is money.”

Of course.

The fact she was too shocked to decide which man she wanted to be angrier with spoke volumes to Vera.

“I hate you,” she told Feliks.