Roman Pestov was trouble. Elena could see that even from a mile away.He was charming and flirtatious, always saying the right thing to make Elena laugh. And she hated that she was enjoying herself so much, especially when she was here for answers, not to make friends.But then again, perhaps this was the only way she could get them to lower their guards around her. Perhaps if they took a liking to her, it would be much easier for her to gain their trust. After all, Roman was already on her side, flirting and complimenting her. All she needed to do was play her part and keep him happy.Easy enough, Elena thought as she took a bite of the delicious food served before her. She glanced over to Roman, who was busy talking to one of the guests, telling them about an incident in Russia. Elena couldn’t help but listen to him as he talked animatedly, all the while exchanging glances with his brother, Danis, who seemed to talking to no one in particular, just nodding and humming whenever his p
Simon noticed the changes in Elena’s expression in slow motion.Normally, she was good at keeping her thoughts to herself, sometimes even better than good. But right then, as Nina Pestov revealed their relationship among the dozen attendees, her thoughts were somehow written all over her face. She couldn’t hide the way questions rose in her head, the way she frowned and tipped her face to the side as if wondering what the hell was going on.Not liking what he was seeing, he tore his gaze away from Elena, focusing instead on Nina Pestov, who was beaming proudly. He had the terrible urge to roll his eyes, not sure how she could act as if everything between them was alright when it clearly wasn’t.Nina placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Simon fought the urge to pull away from her touch, knowing that it would be rude. Not that he cares—not even a bit—but he couldn’t exactly create a scene as well. He was curious to find out why she was interested in making contact with
Elena was glad the dinner was finally over.Damn! She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. Being surrounded by people with unlimited wealth was one thing, but being trapped in a room with men like Simon, Roman and Ian Pestov was something else. They all had the vibes of Alpha males, and seemed to be competing for dominance somehow. Elena had no idea what was going on between them, but she was certain that Roman was doing his best to piss Simon off. And damn, he was succeeding.After Simon had hit the table, effectively breaking his fork in the process, Nina had quickly ushered Elena out of the dining room. Elena had no idea what Nina was thinking, but she was grateful to her nevertheless. She had hated seeing Simon upset. He seemed like he was struggling to control his anger, and Elena had no doubt that if he had stayed there for another second, he would have ended up punching Roman right in the face.Nina led Elena to her bedroom, gesturing for her to take a seat on the cou
Elena stared at the room she was led to by one of the maids.It was one of the guest rooms. There was a king-sized bed in the centre, with white sheets and pillows. There were two nightstands on both sides of the bed, each having a lamp on top of them. A wardrobe stood on the other side of the room, next to a door that probably led to a bathroom. Upon looking up, Elena noticed a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Crystals and diamonds decorated it, reflecting the light coming from the lamps. The room looked beautiful, elegant and expensive.Elena thanked the maid and entered the room. As soon as she closed the door, she slumped down on the bed, breathing out a sigh of relief. She was exhausted. Everything that had happened today had taken its toll on her. She could have never expected the drama that unfolded right in front of her eyes.One would think, a family like Pestov would do better to keep their family affairs and controversies under wraps. However, it seemed as if they could
Elena couldn’t believe she had decided to leave the Pestov castle with Simon. Seriously, what the hell was she thinking? Why would she do something so reckless when everything was going according to the plan? Well, maybe she didn’t have a choice in the matter. Or better yet, Simon didn’t give her much choice in the first place. He dragged her out of the castle in less than three minutes and had her sitting in his car in the next five minutes. The whole thing was crazy. Elena had no idea why he was so adamant about leaving that house, or why he looked so damn pissed off all of a sudden. One minute he was being civil towards her, the next minute he was practically manhandling her out of the house. It was as if he was a different person altogether. She bit her lip, as she stole a glance at the man sitting next to her. He had told her driver to follow them, while giving instructions to his own driver to not let anyone know that she had left the house. But why? Why did he want to kee
Elena woke with a severe headache the next morning, her body aching and sore. God! She thought, as she rubbed her temples and sat up slowly, trying to focus around herself. It was taking a lot of time and effort for her brain to make sense of everything that was in front of her, her eyesight blurry as she blinked several times in succession, trying to figure out where she was exactly. “Fuck!” She cursed out loud when she realized she was completely naked under the covers. And then, it dawned on her. The dinner at the Pestovs. Sex with Simon in his car, and then at his place, in his room, on his bed, in his bathroom, and then, on the floor and then, back in the bedroom and then… “Fuck!” She covered her face with her hands, trying to block out all the memories of the night before. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have lost control like that? Ugh. Why would she sleep with the man she swore not to have anything with? Why would she break her own vow? What the hell was wro
“What is it?” She asked him after finishing half of her plate. “You’re beautiful,” he replied simply. No shame. No hesitation. No joking tone. He was completely serious. She felt her cheeks burn slightly, unable to meet his gaze. “Um…thanks?” He chuckled lightly before placing his hand on top of hers, caressing the skin gently with his thumb. “I mean it,” he whispered huskily, causing goosebumps to run down her spine. “You’re absolutely breathtaking.” She glanced up at him for a brief moment, catching a glimpse of something strange flickering across his eyes, but then, it was gone completely, replaced by his usual charming smile. “Thank you.” She mumbled under her breath, avoiding eye contact with him. “I appreciate your compliment.” “I’ll be honest with you.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek tenderly in his palm. “You were gorgeous yesterday in that dress but right now, you look even better.” She arched a brow, not able to help
Richard McDowell stared at the picture the detective had sent him on his number, scowling darkly as he studied it carefully. The image was blurry and taken from a distance, but Richard could still make out the subject clearly enough.Elena, with no one else but Simon Walsh. They were stepping out of his car, him carrying her in his arms and into his house. It was like they were…Anger jolted against frustration in his mind as he clenched his jaw tightly, and barely held himself back from tossing the damn phone across the room.“What the hell?” He growled, dialling instantly for the detective. “When did you take this picture?”“Yesterday,” the man answered calmly, not bothered by the anger in Richard’s voice whatsoever.“Why the fuck didn’t you call me earlier? I could have done something…anything.”“Well, Mr. McDowell, I did send you the text message on this morning.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “And besides, you told me to keep an eye on Elena Matthews. Not interfere wi