Okay. He wanted me to have the money. He was adamant about that.

“How much money are we talking here?” I asked quietly.

Motioning with his fingers, I brought my head close to his and he whispered the figure into my ear. My eyes widened and I pulled back with a gasp, shoving him in the chest. “Get out!” My mouth gaping, my head swam. “Oh, my God. Shut up!”

And Alessio’s body shook with silent laughter. “Yeah.”

My mind was a mess. That was more money than one person would ever need in a lifetime. I couldn’t think. I was a mess.

Then suddenly, I blurt out, “What if I wanted to donate it to charity?”

Alessio’s brows rose. He clearly wasn’t expecting that response. He thought a moment before answering, “It’s your money, Mina. You can do what you want with it. If you want to donate it, then go for it.”

“Hey, Mina?” someone spoke from behind me. I turned to see Cora staring patiently up at Alessio, her eyes grazing over the scarred half of his face. She didn’t look at me when she spoke again, but remained fixed on the tall, brooding man. “Lev’s looking for you.”

“Cora, this in my brother Alessio. Alessio, this is Cora, our new bar girl.”

That broke Cora out of her state. Her brows rose and she smiled. “You have a brother?” Then suddenly, it was as if Alessio’s scars had disappeared and she only had eyes for the man behind them. She stepped forward and held her hand out. “You’re a lucky guy to have a sister like Mina,” she finished with a wink.

Alessio stared down at the pocket-rocket that was Cora then slowly, carefully, he took her hand, shaking it lightly. “I know.”

She bunched her nose adorably. “I’m sure you’re not so bad yourself though.”

I added on a chuckle, “He’s not.” I smiled softly up at Alessio. “He’s kind of awesome.”

Alessio released Cora’s hand and she placed that hand on his arm. “Would you like a drink? I can bring it over.”

Oh my.

Cora was giving all her attention to Alessio, and he looked as if he wasn’t sure how to handle it. He lowered his gaze and shook his head. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

I was sure it had been a long time since Alessio got the kind of attention he used to, and from the way Cora was looking at him, he’d just gained an unlikely admirer.

I didn’t want their one-sided conversation to end, so I did something I probably shouldn’t have. “Hey, Cora, you’ve done so well this evening. I don’t want to push you too hard. You’re off for the rest of the night.”

Cora’s brow furrowed. “Oh, okay. So what do I do now?”

“Sit. Have a drink. Enjoy the show,” I told her.

“By myself?” she questioned, looking a little uncomfortable.

“No,” I stated then blinked up innocently at my brother. “Hang out with Alessio.”

They both went silent.

I had made my move; it was time for them to connect four. Alessio spoke first, and he glared at me while doing it. “I should go.”

I blew him a teasing kiss. But then Cora looked up at him with wide eyes. The regret she wore was genuine. “You need to go?”

Alessio’s neck flushed. “I don’t need to go, but I should.”

Cora looked mildly devastated, but she played it off coolly. “Oh, okay. Sure.” She laughed quietly, and uttered graciously, “You have better things to do than babysit.”

Alessio looked down at her and blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion, and he asked slowly, “Unless…do you want me to stay?”

Her shoulders slumped in relief and a real smile appeared. “Would you?”

No hesitation. “Fuck yeah.”

And that was how it was done, people.

Cora beamed, stepping forward to link her arm through Alessio’s, and I watched them walk away to find a table.

I watched them for the rest of the night, and when Nas questioned where the oompa loompa was, I pointed out to the floor, and we both spotted them laughing together, sitting thigh-to-thigh.

Alessio turned his face to talk directly into Cora’s ear, but she turned to him at the same time. They stared into each other’s eyes a second before Cora closed hers and leaned forward a little. Her lips connected with Alessio’s, and after his moment of stunned disbelief, he closed his eyes and let it happen. They kissed so sweetly, so tamely, that my heart skipped a beat.

Nas wore a look of shock, and I seconded that expression.

Well, that was fast.

Cora reached her hands up to cup Alessio’s cheeks, and Alessio pulled back as if he’d been electrically shocked. He lowered his face and said something before standing and leaving Cora sitting there on her own.

She slumped into her chair and shook her head, looking miserable. Alessio was a proud man. She needed to give him time. His scars were a plague on him.

I looked to Nas, and she returned my sad look. I hoped Alessio would give Cora a chance.

After all, time healed all wounds. Or so they said.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Nastasia

I stood by the windowsill looking out at the moon, lost in thought. Dressed in the black and red kimono Vik had bought me, my gut clenched from nerves.

It was time.

I turned to where he lay on my bed, naked as the day he was born, and reached up to grasp the gold cross hanging around my neck—another gift from Vik— before I swallowed hard and spoke quietly, “Vik…honey…I need you to do something for me, okay? No questions. I just need you to do it.”

His face turned up to look at me and he frowned. “For you, baby? Anything.”

And he meant it too.

Goddamn it.

My lips quivered. I took in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. “I need you to go home.” The first of my tears fell and I inhaled brokenly. “I need you to go home and not come back here, okay?” My chin dipped and my arms tightened around myself. “It needs to be you. You have to leave. Because I’ll keep doing this.” I averted my eyes when I looked up again. “Because I’ll keep loving you, and I can’t do it anymore.” I swallowed hard, swiping at the tears on my cheeks, and tried to pull off calm. “So you need to go.” When he made no move to leave, my face crumbled and I begged through a whisper, “Please.”

There it was, out in the open, and I was shocked by how shitty it felt.  There was no relief, no weight off my shoulders. If anything, the weight had tripled.

I was losing myself.

He blinked at me a long moment before he sat up. “What are you talking about, baby?” He held his arms out and my heart cried out to be wrapped up in them. “Come back to bed,” he uttered.

I shook my head. “No.” My voice was rougher than I wanted it to be.

I walked over to the bed, sitting with my thigh grazing his. I looked him in the eye and uttered the words I dreaded to say. “Tell me you love you, Vik.” My hand shot out to grip his and I almost pled, “Just tell me you love me.”

His thumb grazed mine for a long moment before he muttered, “What’s this all about?”

At my silence, he asked, “For real, baby? You gonna let me go? Just like that?” His brow furrowed in confusion.

I understood the confusion. I’d never done this before. I wasn’t a drama queen, and I never demanded anything from Viktor Nikulin.

He was my heart and soul, and I loved him with everything I had, but I was officially worn out by our non-relationship. I wanted more. I needed more.

It was all or nothing.

My face impassive, I stated, “I can’t do this anymore, Vik. I can’t be the woman you call at three a.m. for a nightly booty call. I deserve better, like a man who isn’t afraid of loving a woman.” I shook my head. “I don’t understand you. One minute, you’re hot, and the next, you’re cold.” My voice shook. “I’m almost thirty years old. I can’t wait forever.”

His arms came around me. He pulled me close and I let him. He lifted me onto his lap, wrapped me up tight, and held me close when he stated, “I want you to think on this, okay? Don’t make any rash decisions. Just…just think on it. And if this is what you really want in the morning, I’ll go. I’ll leave you alone. Deal?”