Don't Call Me Baby

Chapter 2

"Mr. Petrov..."

"A Petrov...?"

"Why a Petrov is here...?"

Hushed, terrified mumblings erupted as Samuel Petrov stood in the middle of the room, looking foreboding. A lot of questions are whirling around but no one dared ask aloud.

Tense silence rules as everyone nervously waits. No one dared move more so leave despite wanting to scurry away from his dark gaze.

While everyone's attention is on the Petrov entourage, Kamilla is busy lamenting her miserable state. More than her throbbing cheek, her fortitude is ebbing away.

She felt like being stripped of whatever dignity was left in her. She was slapped not because of the insult she hurled, but because people regarded her as insignificant. An irrelevant member of society she thought she belonged to.

She had been too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the intent gaze that bore down on her. Only she realized the attention after a huge hand cupped her chin.

She looked up, startled, only to be met with a piercing cold gaze she had previously encountered. A pair of dark orbs that only belong to certain people known for their immense power and ferocity in the underworld.

The Petrovs.

For a fleeting moment, she seemed drawn to the realm of the unknown as she locked gazes with the man. But before she could grasp what was happening, the baleful pair looked away.

"What plausible explanation for such violence...?" Though he sounded calm, no one was convinced as his cold questioning eyes drifted and bore at Desiree Baranov.

For a mere woman, under the scrutiny of a formidable man whose presence is feared by strong men and even criminals, Desiree seemed to have lost her tongue as she gaped in fear at Samuel Petrov.

"Waiting is not my cup of tea, woman" Samuel gritted his every word as he impatiently issued his warning to Desiree.

"I'm demanding repayment of my money, Mrs. Desiree Baranov's son owed me"

Though nervous, Kamilla brazenly blurted out, earning everyone's attention including Samuel.

"Shut up, you crazy girl. Stop these lies" In a low and hushed voice, Desiree tried to silence her. But Samuel's threatening look made the older woman nervously step back. Seemingly trying to get away from the man's piercing sharp eyes.

Samuel narrowed his eyes to Desiree before they averted to the guy next to her.

"Mama to the rescue?" Samuel snickers in mockery after grasping the situation he arrived at.

"No, Mr. Petrov. It's not what you think" Vehemently shaking his head, Ivan tried to salvage his pride.

"That girl is just fabricating stories, Mr. Petrov. My son doesn't owe her anything. She is a liar. She can't accept that my son dumped her" Desiree, after gulping hard, defended her son.

"Is that so?" Samuel turns to Kamilla with raised brows.

"Ivan Baranov owed me thirty grand eight months ago to pay for his car. It has nothing to do with his betrayal. Anything borrowed should be returned" Kamilla, undeterred to prove her point, met Samuel Petrov's unnerving stare as she grits her anger.

For a while, Samuel stares at her, seemingly gauging her words. Though she was intimidated, she met his eyes with equal intensity.

"Thirty grand for a slap" His eyes averted at the side of her cheek that still shows the imprint of Desiree's palm.