Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
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90 hours ago
"Oh, Aleksei. It's been so long since I saw you." The sickeningly sweet scent of cherries and something I couldn't place engulfed my nostrils as slender arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing me tightly. "You've grown bigger, my boy."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, reciprocating her action. "It hasn't been that long."
"Nonsense. It's almost been a year now. I'm sorry I missed your wedding. I was stuck in a rehabilitation facility, but news of how smitten you are have reached my ears." She pulled back to grin up at me, golden blonde hair creating a halo around her heart-shaped face. "I can already tell she's so amazing to have caught your attention, and I can't wait to meet her."
Having known the story behind her relationship with my dead uncle, it was no surprise that he'd dropped everything to be with her. If there were fallen angels on earth, she'd definitely be one of those divine creatures.
It was what I'd mistaken her for when I first saw her, albeit I'd been in a slightly inebriated state back then.
"Yes, you would love her."
"I'm sure." Still beaming at me, she led me to a chair in the living room, taking the seat next to me. "How about my Vit'ka? Have you heard from my little boy as of recent? How's he doing? He barely returns my calls these days."
I snorted. "Viktor's hardly a boy anymore, Zoya. He's been grown for a long time now."
She patted my cheek fondly. "Yes, yes. You're both grown, but it's hard to come to terms with that. I can only imagine how charming you were as a younger boy."
"Hardly. I was a pain in the ass, if word of mouth is anything to go by."
Her melodic laughter filled the room. "Nonsense. They might turn into little rascals down the lane, but all babies are charming. I just wished I could've savored my little boy's charm a little more when I had the chance." A wistful look mixed with a deep-seated sadness that never seemed to leave her features, no matter how happy she pretended to be, filled her cornflower blue eyes. "He hates me, doesn't he?"
"No."
Viktor's relationship with his parents was nothing short of complicated as was the norm in our family, but I never once saw his feelings lean toward resentment. At least, not as fiercely as that emotion had consumed me until Anya finally returned to the Hell where she belonged.
In that way, he was better than me, and sometimes, I admired him for it.
He could let go and forgive—or at least pretend to.
I couldn't.
"I'm sure he's just busy with work. You know how much my old man loves to run him ragged."
Her dull smile returned. "I'm glad he could find a father figure in his life after how miserably we failed to parent him. Thank Igor for me, will you?"
"Of course. You're doing better now?" My gaze wandered down her body discreetly in scrutiny.
