Page 59 of Savage Little Lies

I shake my head as I stride past her. “I know he’s probably mad that I’m late, but I’ll make up for the time by working an extra hour tonight.”

I hurry to the double doors, fixing my mostly dried hair on the way. Muffled voices sound inside, but I don’t stop to listen to them. Instead, I quietly open the doors and Annika’s voice fills the entire office floor.

“You want to put off setting a date? You can’t be serious!”

My jaw drops as I stare at Annika and Dmitri as they face each other in a heated argument. What the hell did I just walk into?

“This is for the best,” Dmitri assures her. “You want me to do a million things for this wedding, and I’ve been slammed at work. It’s better if we wait a few more weeks before deciding on a date.”

“A few weeks! You’re ruining everything!” Annika shrieks at him as she stomps her foot on the ground like a child. Her face has grown nearly as red as her Prada handbag which she’s waving around erratically. When she switches to shouting at him in Russian, I have no clue what insults she’s heaping on Dmitri.

Adrenaline fires through me as I remain frozen in place, watching their argument unfold without even knowing that I’m here yet. If things escalate, Dmitri might just cancel the whole thing.

I can’t believe he’s refusing to set the date, basically postponing the wedding.

Did something happen?

Or is this because of one little kiss with me yesterday?

“Annika, calm down!” Dmitri snaps at her. “It’s not like we’ve even sent out invitations. We just need to wait a little longer than you anticipated so we have time to get our shit together.”

“Get our shit together? I’m together! You’re not!” Annika bites out as she points her finger at him, her fingernail as sharp as a dagger. “This isn’t fair! You don’t want to marry me!”

“We’re still going to get married,” Dmitri tells her, but even I can hear the doubt in his voice.

“This is unacceptable! My father will be furious!” Annika shouts at him before swiping at his cup of pens, making it hit the floor with a loud clang as all his pens scatter across the floor. She then looks up and spots me in the doorway, fire filling her eyes. “What do you want, whore?”

Whore? I just thought she was calling me a bitch in Russian. Whore is much worse, especially after Dmitri offered to pay me to have sex with him and a part of me wanted to accept.

I quietly grit my teeth when I fully step into the office, keeping myself from saying anything that’ll make me look bad. I have to be the cool, collected woman who doesn’t lose her head.

Before I can respond, the doors open wide behind me as Gabe and Isaak rush into the room.

“Everything okay, sir? Karly reported hearing a loud noise,” Gabe says, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger.

Dmitri waves his men off. “Everything is fine. Annika was just leaving.”

Damn. That’s one brutal dismissal.

“It’s not fine! You’re crushing my heart, you asshole! I can’t believe you’re blowing off our wedding!” Annika snaps at him. She then covers her face with her hands, and I swear that her sniffling is fake.

“You’re postponing the wedding?” Isaak questions Dmitri.

Surprise fills me as I glance at Isaak. I’m shocked he has the nerve to question his boss’s actions like that.

“I’m going to speak with my father,” Annika hisses at Dmitri before storming away from him, shooting me a death glare on the way out.

“Sir, I don’t think that’s wise,” Isaak tells Dmitri as Gabe shuts the door.

Dmitri narrows his eyes at Isaak. “Frankly, I don’t give a shit what you think on the matter, Isaak. It’s none of your goddamn business.”

“It’s Ivanov business, which means it’s my business too,” Isaak replies. “I’ve worked for the family for years now. This marriage is necessary for you, for us. Why are you putting it off?”

Dmitri’s jaw clenches as his eyes dart over to Gabe. “Do you feel the same way as him, Gabe?”

Gabe lowers his eyes at first, but then he looks Dmitri in the eyes and nods. “The arrangement is essential for the family, right? One that has to happen sooner or later for…our expansion?” His eyes shift momentarily toward me, as if he’s censoring his words because I’m in the room.

An expansion? Does he mean Pakhan?