Page 15 of Konstantin

“Please.” She rises to her feet, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. “You’re never going to fire me.”

I arch a brow. “You underestimate me.”

She winks, amusement dancing in her blue eyes. “Believe me, I never underestimate you. I just know you won’t.”

With that, she struts out of my office, closing the door behind her. I stare at it for a long moment, willing her words away.

But they don’t go anywhere. Because she’s right. Tessa has been on my mind since the moment she walked out of my office, and that pisses me off more than anything.

I lean back in my chair, exhaling slowly. This isn’t like me. Awoman gets under my skin, I fuck her, then she ceases to exist. That’s the natural order of things.

But Tessa? She’s lingering. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had my fill. Maybe after I take her, this madness will end.

I pick up my phone, scrolling until I find her social media profile. It’s new, only a few months old. Strange. Most women her age have years’ worth of pictures and overshared moments. But not her. Maybe she’s like me and doesn’t like to have her business splattered everywhere. Smart girl.

She hasn’t posted anything new for a few days. A handful of pictures of her smiling—bright, warm, genuine.

That smile does something to me. Something unsettling, something I don’t like.

My fingers hover over the screen. I could find her right now. See where she is. Who she’s with or who she’s screwing.

The thought makes something sharp and possessive coil in my chest.

I could break into her place. Take a look inside when she’s not home. See how she lives. What she reads, what she drinks, what toys she uses to pleasure herself. Maybe I could wait until she gets home, then fuck her. Maybe then I’d get her out of my system and purge this fascination once and for all.

But that would be too easy. Too predictable.

If she really wants the job, if she’s resilient enough, she’ll come back. And when she does, I’ll decide what to do with her and how to use her for my own satisfaction.

This isn’t about love. Veronika doesn’t know me if she thinks I’d ever seek it. I crave control. Discipline.

But love? Love is a weakness. Love gets you killed. My father taught me that lesson early, and I never forgot it. Love is nothing but a noose, and I have no intention of slipping it around my neck.

Yet as I sit here, my phone still open to her profile, I can’t help butwonder.

What the hell is it about her that makes me want to ignore every rule I’ve ever set for myself?

CHAPTER FIVE

EMILIA

As I sitin the car, waiting for Konstantin to arrive, my fingers glide over my phone screen, scrolling through photos of him. Images he has no idea I’ve been taking.

Men like him, men who see themselves as kings, never notice the little birds watching from the shadows. They’re too busy basking in their own power, convinced they’re untouchable.

But I’ve spent weeks tracking him, slipping into his world like a ghost. I know his routines. I know this bar is his preferred meeting spot for business—mostly illegal, though he’s careful, hiding behind the legitimacy of his vast enterprise.

He shares his empire with his three brothers and cousins. I’ve been watching them too. Learning their habits. Mapping their weaknesses. When he isn’t here, he’s at his corporate job where he plays the CEO to his billions.

I should be working too, but work isn’t an option right now. Notafter my boss, Gerardo, forced me into taking time off.

“Take a step back before you ruin your career. Or worse, get yourself killed. You’re too unstable right now.”

Unstable. What a joke.

Yeah, my brother got arrested. And sure, maybe I’ve been on edge about that. Maybe I tooksomecreativeliberties at work. But every single one was justified.

The interrogation I pushed too far? It was because the prick had information about a child in danger. I nearly blew his head off. So what? He deserved it.