Page 115 of Ruthless God

“Massimo doesn’t make me do anything. He treats me well.”

More than that. He treated me like a princess.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. This isn’t a competition.”

“I never said it was,” I answered placatingly, moving out of the way just in time as she pushed her way forward to get to the food. I was never trying to compete with her. It was Lina who saw me as her competitor, as someone who needed to be eliminated, even if she had been the one with her parents’ love.

“He was mine first, you know,” she said quietly. So quietly, I almost didn’t hear her. “And fucking Boris should have been yours.”

“Massimo isn’t yours,” I gritted out, trying to keep the anger and possessiveness from my voice. Massimo was mine, and I would be damned if I ever let her or anyone else take him away from me.

“What did he do to you?” I asked. She always said Boris’s name like he was something truly awful to have happened to her, but—and I could be wrong—there wasn’t any fear there.

“What didn’t he do? Want to know what the douchebag did on his wedding night?”

She turned to me when she finished scooping up a large portion of chicken Alfredo pasta.

“What?”

“He visited a brothel! He would much rather have his wedding night with his whores than his wife!”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Boris doesn’t have the best reputation. What if he… what if he couldn’t be gentle with you?”

“Was Massimo gentle with you?” Lina snapped.

He had been perfect on our wedding night.

I didn’t say anything. But it didn’t look like I needed to. Lina knew Massimo didn’t break me on our wedding night, the way she had so gleefully exclaimed to me as she was congratulating me on my wedding.

Her expression soured, and not for the first time that day, I really wished Lina hadn’t come here. But turning her out meant easy pickings for the Russians, and I just couldn’t have that on my conscience.

I moved past her to get some food for myself.

We ate in silence. Despite growing up together and being close in age, we didn’t have all that much in common.

The silence was stilted and uncomfortable. I shifted around in my seat, not really tasting anything.

Finally, when I got to the last bite, I stood up.

Lina watched me. Her plate was still half-full.

“I’m going to head in for the night. It’s been a long day. You should probably turn in too. Just leave the plate in the sink. I’ll take care of it tomorrow morning.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you have servants for that?”

“We fired ours not too long ago.”

“Why?” she asked. When I didn’t answer her, she laughed. “Did poor little Luna get picked on again?”

The taunt in her tone set my teeth on edge.

“Good night.” I turned away from her before she could say anything to that.

I let out a small sigh of relief once I was in my room alone, taking in the stillness of it all. How long did we have to keep Lina here? And would it make me such a terrible person, terriblesister,for wanting her out of my house?

I shook my head and moved to the bathroom, taking a long, hot shower to help relax my muscles.

When I came out, my skin was warm and pink, but at least I felt better. I was sitting on the bed, brushing my hair, when the door opened, and Massimo came in.