“You missed your calling, little brother,” I say sarcastically. “If the whole Bratva lifestyle is getting too much for you, you’d make an excellent psychologist. Either that or a fortune cookie writer.”
His face goes from red to white to blue in rapid succession. He’s never been one for controlling his emotions. “Fuck you, Anton,” Yulian says finally. Then he slams the door in my face.
Smirking, I turn back to my view. It is more fun than it should be to get under his skin. It happens so rarely. Mostly because Yulian has always adopted a more freewheeling attitude to life.
But when it comes to our father, he doesn’t have a sense of humor.
“What did you say to Yulian?” Lev asks as soon as he walks through the door a few minutes later.
I bark out a laugh. “The truth. It’s not my fault he doesn’t like hearing it.”
“I’ve never seen the man so rattled before.”
“He’s a daddy’s boy. Daddy being dead doesn’t change that.”
“Ah. How empathetic of you.”
Lev takes the same spot that Yulian was standing in. He runs his hand through his thick head of hair and turns to me.
“They’ll congregate in The Gilded Room in five,” he informs me.
“Let’s get going then.”
The dinner will take place in a suite of rooms designed for parties. The central space is a ballroom with high ceilings and intricate moldings and gold leaf details on the walls and ceiling—hence the name, The Gilded Room. From there, smaller, more private rooms branch out in the shadows.
For tonight’s purposes, I’ll only be using the large room. I want to see all of my guests. There will be no sneaking away into darkened corners.
“Yulian thinks I’m being stubborn by not kissing Rodion’s ass. He wants me to put on a show for the bastard.”
“A show of what?”
“Love for his daughter.”
Lev laughs. “That would only come off as disingenuous.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“That, and the fact that your problems with Marina weren’t exactly a secret,” he says.
“Only because she ran to her daddy every time we argued.”
“She was just trying to get your attention,” Lev says as we approach the massive double doors of The Gilded Room.
“Yeah, she did love the fucking drama.”
“Drama?” Lev says, as he pulls open one of the double doors. “Nah, she wanted your attention because she was in love with you.”
He walks through the door, leaving me standing there completely floored.
Did he just say that she was in love with me? That traitorous bitch didn’t know the meaning of the word. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t make a lick of sense.
And yet it resonates somewhere inside me.
I push that feeling away, compose myself, and stride through the double doors. Just inside, the hired staff is waiting in a long line to greet me. They’re dressed in matching outfits of black pants and white aprons.
I spot Jessa immediately. She’s dressed in a freshly pressed white chef’s coat with the words “Sous Chef” stitched over her right breast. Her blonde hair has been combed back into a tight bun and her makeup is subtle and understated.
Her chin is lifted, professional—and then she sees me.