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“She sent me a text. She seems busy.”
“She didn’t mention anything else?”
“No. There was no mention of your cousin or any nefarious dealings.”
“Isn’t she a useful asset?” he mutters with an eye roll.
“Hey,” I protest, “she isn’t aware of anything that’s happening here. As far as my sister is concerned, she’s just landed a great job.”
“So she’s just ignorant. Much better.”
I open my mouth to defend Geneva, but I hesitate a little too hard. Sighing, I throw him a defeated glare. “Fine.”
He chuckles as the limo rolls up to a glittering building with the tallest columns I’ve ever seen. There’s a whole bunch of staff standing outside the steps. Valets and pursers, greeters in white tailcoats and fake smiles. A red carpet winds up to the entrance.
“Ravil isn’t big on subtlety, is he?” I remark, peering out the window until my door is opened by one of the valets.
I get out of the car and step out onto the red carpet. “I’ve got it from here,” Kolya says, appearing at my side and offering the valet a tip in exchange for my arm.
We make our way up the steps. I keep my eyes riveted on my own feet because I’m one unexpected sneeze away from tripping and breaking my tailbone in front of what feels like a million onlookers.
“There she is,” Kolya says as soon as we enter the ballroom. That’s when I finally look up.
Through the crowd, Geneva appears. She’s in a tight black dress with a slit that ends alarmingly close to her lady bits and a neckline that dips down to her navel. Her hair is loose and sleek and there’s about three pounds of makeup caked onto her face.
She takes one look at me and her eyes go wide with awe. “Damn, Juju!”
I give her a self-conscious smile and smooth out my dress. “I’d like to take the credit, but it’s all the dress.”
“Nonsense,” Kolya purrs. “You’re a vision.”
I look at him in surprise, taken aback by the compliment. He’s smiling down at me with an affection he’s never revealed before. Why would he show it now, in front of all these—
Oh.Right.
He’s just putting on a show, like we discussed. I’m such an idiot sometimes.
“I gotta say, the two of you make quite the couple,” Geneva says begrudgingly, looking between the two of us as though we’re got crowns on our heads.
Kolya wraps an arm around my waist. “Geneva.”
Her eyes narrow ever so slightly. “Kolya. Been treating my sister right?”
“As well as Ravil has been treating you, I’m sure.”
Geneva’s face melts into a pouty frown. “How did you—? Never mind.” An influx of people surges through the entrance behind us. When it clears, Geneva’s frown is the same, but with a veneer of impatience plastered over it. “Excuse me. I’ve got to get back to work.”
Just like that, she disappears into the swarms once again.
“What?” I snap, feeling Kolya’s eyes on the side of my face.
“She’s quite something, your sister.”
“She grows on you.”
“Like a fungus?”
I try to turn my laugh into a cough, albeit with mixed results. Kolya takes my arm again and we wander around the perimeter of the room. I’m not sure exactly how much of this is Geneva’s doing, but it’s jaw-dropping nonetheless. The whole ceiling glows with fairy lights strung from chandelier to chandelier. It’s blinding and soothing at the same time, somehow. I feel like we’re floating in a cloud.
