Page 143 of Savage Lies

Elena keeps checking her phone for messages while Leonid’s jaw ticks. Alexei maintains his poker face, but I can tell he’s beginning to think this arrangement is a waste of time.

Then the dining room door opens again, and a young woman marches through the door and into the room. She’s beautiful, with dark hair and blue eyes, but the first thing anyone notices is that she’s obviously pregnant.

“Jesus Christ,” Alexei mutters under his breath.

Elena shoots up from her chair, gawking at her daughter. “Irina?”

“Hi, Mama,” Irina says casually, like she hasn’t just walked into her own marriage negotiation visibly carrying another man’s child.

Leonid’s face goes white. “What… when did you…”

“I came back early,” she replies, moving to the center of the room instead of sitting down.

“We sent you to London to handle the shipping contracts,” Elena whispers through her fingers, which are covering her mouth.

“I was. Among other things.”

Leonid’s face burns bright red, and he opens his mouth to speak, but his daughter cuts him off.

“Before we waste any more time on this, I think everyone should know I’m five months pregnant. Just in case it wasn’t obvious.”

The silence that follows could stop a heartbeat.

“Furthermore, I have no intention of lying about who the father is or pretending this baby belongs to someone else.”

Alexei’s face has gone cold as winter. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know about this?” he asks Leonid, his voice deadly quiet.

“Alexei,” I interject, but he cuts me off.

“No, Dmitri. This is a setup. They brought us here to humiliate our family in public.”

Elena Andreeva finally finds her voice, though it comes out trembling. “Irina, what have you done?”

“What I should have done weeks ago instead of letting this charade continue,” Irina replies without backing down. “I’m not going to marry someone I’ve never met to advance family business.”

Leonid stands up so quickly that his chair tips backward and crashes to the floor. “Who is the father of this child?”

“That information is not relevant to these business proceedings.”

“It’s extremely relevant when it affects our family’s reputation and our business relationships throughout the region.”

Mila, who’s been sitting quietly near the back of the room, finally speaks up. “Papa, maybe we should discuss this privately.”

“There’s nothing to discuss privately.” Irina maintains her defiant posture. “I’m pregnant, and I’m not getting married to advance business interests. That’s the end of it.”

Alexei stands and smooths his jacket with threatening calm. “Mr. Andreev, I believe this ends our negotiations.”

“Wait a moment.” Leonid is desperate to salvage something. “Perhaps we can work out an alternative arrangement thatbenefits both families. Mila is also of marriageable age, and she’s proven herself quite capable.”

Mila’s face flushes but she lifts her chin. “If you think I’m an easy second choice, then you don’t know me.”

Alexei’s gaze drags over her, unreadable. But then I see the flash in his eyes — intrigue, challenge, and hunger. The look he gets when he smells opportunity, even in the middle of a shitstorm.

This meeting is either going to become the most humiliating family gathering in Moscow’s recent history… or be the beginning of something much more interesting than any of us planned.