Page 3 of Ruthless Rustanovs

EIGHT YEARS LATER

WHILE most of the guests at Layla’s New Year’s Day wedding were dancing, drinking, or mingling, Eva stayed tucked away in the barely lit corner of an alcove near the Sinclair Mansion’s first-floor bathroom, busily texting Aaron, the love of her life.

“When are you coming home?”

“Soon, sweetness. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t say, “I miss you.” He’d never been one for big shows of affection. But the fact that he was texting her instead of playing video games or watching mindless TV like he usually did meant he missed her very much. Still, Eva liked to see the words so she texted, “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Eva sighed and lowered the phone, once again feeling guilty about leaving Aaron in Texas during the holidays so she could attend Layla’s wedding.

She’d considered bringing him with her but weddings really weren’t his scene.

He hated wearing suits and standing around while Eva made small talk with people he didn’t have anything in common with.

Then again, it’s not as if Eva could have skipped this wedding.

She and Layla met in a CPR class years ago.

And though they hadn’t known each other well at the time, Layla proved to be a godsend when Eva left Alexei.

She put Eva up for the few weeks it took her to complete her remaining summer field-work hours.

As a result, Eva managed to transfer her credits to the University of Texas-Arlington and finish out her final semester of social work there.

Layla had also come through when Eva’s father still refused to talk to her because of what had gone down with Alexei.

She helped Eva figure out the student loan process and find an apartment.

Most importantly, Layla constantly reminded Eva that everything would work out even when she called her in the middle of the night, crying for reasons she couldn’t fully explain to her compassionate friend.

In exchange, Eva took Layla under her wing and made sure no one took advantage of her while she was at UTD.

This was always a risk for Layla. The compassionate nature that made her go all out for a girl she’d met only once in a CPR class also made her a target for deadbeat guys and toxic friendships.

Layla was kind to a fault and would have ended up with every lazy classmate, clueless sorority girl, and lost-cause politico sponging off her if Eva hadn’t acted as her personal gatekeeper.

So when Layla called to tell Eva she was getting married to Nathan Sinclair, the Pittsburgh steel magnate, Eva immediately accepted the wedding invitation to support her best friend and make sure this Nathan guy was on the up and up.

Before retreating to her alcove hiding place, Eva overheard a number of guests gossiping about the strange match sugary-sweet Layla and hard-as-nails Nathan made.

But once she finally had the chance to meet Layla’s no-nonsense husband, Eva felt peace of mind where her friend was concerned.

She could tell Nathan would never let her friend be taken advantage of again.

Anyone with eyes could see how much he adored her, and she was happy Layla found a safe harbor with him.

Eva glanced at her phone’s clock. The wedding reception had been happening for over two hours. She figured by now it was okay to head back to the hotel and curl up with a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel in her room.

But still, Eva’s a deep longing to see Aaron lingered in her heart. She wasn’t accustomed to being away from him for this long and she missed their domestic routine. She didn’t know what she was going to do when he left for Italy this summer. Die of loneliness, probably.

But enough of the pity party for one. Eva pushed herself off the wall she’d been leaning against and dropped her phone into her small clutch. She’d find Layla and Nathan, congratulate them, and then leave—

Suddenly, she stopped short. A chill came over her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight.

The only other times she’d reacted like this was when Alexei was nearby.

But he wasn’t at Layla’s wedding. Was he?

With her heart pounding in her ears, Eva cautiously looked around just to be sure.

And that’s when she locked eyes with her former boyfriend, the now billionaire Alexei Rustanov.