Page 236

Seri turned red. “Vassi, please.”
But Vassi only gave her a devilish smile, which of course made her heart race.He was such a rascal, she thought helplessly. He had been like this from the very start, always wanting to yank their older brothers’ chains because seeing them pissed off gave him too much pleasure.
The door swung open again, and this time it was Fyodor Grachyov, the patriarch of the family, stepping inside. At the sight of her stepfather, Seri didn’t even think, guiltily elbowing Vassi away as she rushed forward.
Vassi’s grunt of pain had Misha and Sergei fist-bumping each other behind their father’s back.
“Dobroye utro,’ Seri said extra brightly as she curled an arm around Fyodor’s and walked with him to the dining table, her three stepbrothers following suit from behind.
“Good morning,kroshka,” Fyodor murmured indulgently. He watched his family settle in their seats, taking pleasure at seeing them together and at peace. Even now, the memories of the time that they had once been divided still haunted him, and Fyodor was determined he would not let such a thing happen again.
He would do everything possible to prevent his family from suffering such pain, even if it called for meddling – which was what he was about to do. The 44-year-old billionaire bided his time patiently, allowing his children to enjoy their meal leisurely. Only when they had moved to coffee did he finally broach the subject that was uppermost on his mind, turning to his eldest son, saying, “Today is the day Fredericka will leave,da?”
“Da.” Sergei’s face was impassive, his tone unruffled.
Misha raised a brow. “And you are not bothered by this?”
Sergei’s brow lifted back at his brother. “Why should I?” The question was asked with genuine curiosity. Did his family not know him better?
Precisely two hours later, Sergei arrived at the airport to see Fredericka off and the sight of her swollen eyes and red nose almost made him smile, and the temptation became harder to resist when she glared up at him, snapping, “What part of ‘you don’t need to see me off’ did you not understand?” He shrugged, saying, “I had time to spare.”
The boarding announcement for her flight sounded before she could reply, and Fredericka’s heart became so heavy it was a miracle she could still bear its weight without struggling. She gazed up at the Russian billionaire, a part of her unable to believe how much he had managed to make himself important to her at so short a time.
And he wasn’t even her boyfriend, dammit!
“So...” Fredericka gnawed on her lip, her voice trailing off as her mind turned blank. She suddenly couldn’t think of anything to say or, more to the point, she couldn’t think of anything worth saying other than ‘are you okay with me leaving just like this?’
The Russian billionaire’s lips curved in a gentle smile. “Take care of yourself, da?”
His words had her torn between bursting into tears and wanting to smack the smile off his face.That was all he was going to say? Really?Fredericka swallowed hard. “D-don’t promise you’re always gonna call.” Her tone was brusque, but the way it shook at the end killed her. “We both know you won’t. K-knowing you, you’d be too busy working and flirting you’d forget me in a blink.”
But Sergei only chuckled, saying nothing.
Frustration filled her, and she choked, “I mean, who am I to you, right? I’m probably just a nuisance.” As soon as the words came out, Fredericka wished she could bite off her tongue.I’ve hit rock bottom,she realized sickly. She had become what she swore she would never be – one of those clingy girls who acted like they couldn’t survive one second without a guy at their side.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and told herself there was still time to change. In fact, Florida wasthebest solution right now. Over two thousand miles of distance would teach her how to be happily single. Her move might even pave the way to a new romance and—-
Fingers cupped her chin, cutting through her thoughts as it made her look up, and her gaze clashed with amused dark eyes.
She immediately forgot all about finding a new romance as her thoughts were once again consumed with despair. He was so beautiful and sophisticated, dammit. Of course he would forget her, and it would hurt so bad!
“You should go now,” the billionaire advised softly, “if you don’t want to miss your plane.”
And oh my God, now he was acting like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her!
“I really am a nuisance to you, aren’t I?” Fredericka couldn’t help choking out.
“My favorite nuisance,” he murmured gallantly.
“Ha!” She blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay, thinking that jokes were half meant. She may be his favorite, but he said it himself. Shewasa nuisance to him.
“A uniquely adorable nuisance,” he continued as his hands settled on her shoulders, “who’s about to miss her flight if she doesn’t get moving...right now.” And with that, he turned her around so she would be facing the queues.
And then she felt it, a tiny nudge from behind, as if the billionaire was urging her to get on with it and leave.
Fredericka walked away without a word.
When she heard him say ‘take care,pchelka’, she neither allowed herself to slow down nor look back.Talk to the effing hand,she thought numbly. She boarded the plane in a daze. Wasn’t the Russian billionaire unusually callous in his treatment? Even if he wasn’t as unaffected as she was by their parting, couldn’t he at least...pretend?