As I looked at my niece, I understood that April had taken her with good intentions. If only she could have fathomed the danger she had exposed Yulia to by removing her from the compound, she would never had done it. She had no idea how dangerous a thing she had risked because she hadn’t been brought into the picture. She couldn’t. Not for the time being, but…
I needed a way to bring April back into the picture.
All I’d been able to think about since the previous day had been her. How I had fucked us both out of our minds, and how at the end of it all, she had flinched at my touch. That act had bruised and angered me because I couldn’t understand the reason behind it.
I never had a woman do that to me before.
The sight of her packed luggage the following morning was rejection in its most brutal form. It had shot the bullet straight into my eyes. I even cut my trip short because of her. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. A few times Alex gave me a funny look. Well, what the fuck did he know? He’d never had a woman grab his cock the way April did mine.
It was drastic to put my entire domestic staff out of a job, but it was the only way to bring April back. She couldn’t leave yet, no way, not when I wasn’t done with her.
I looked at my watch. Anytime now, I expected her to come back. If I knew anything about her, I knew she had a big heart.
I was on the phone when her feeble knock sounded on the door. I didn’t respond and kept my eye on the heavy oak for a moment before turning to watch her from the surveillance monitor by my desk. She dropped her head into her hands and then tousled her hair in frustration. For a second, she put her palms on either side of her face and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she rapped her knuckles on the door… a lot louder this time.
I waited, enthralled even by the sight of her on my tiny monitor, until my Lawyer spoke up, “Mr. Volkov?” he called. “Are you there?”
“I am,” I said and looked at the monitor in amusement as she pounded the door with her fist.
I held a hand to the speaker. “Hold on,” I said to my lawyer and turned towards the door. “Come in.”
A few moments later, it was swung open. She’d been in my home office before so her eyes immediately went to my chair, but when she didn’t see me there, she turned and found me leaning against the mantle. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself when she realized I was on the phone.
I watched her, my gaze boring into hers, until she looked away.
I finished my conversation with my lawyer, returned to my chair, and took my seat. “What do you want?” I asked.
For a second, she looked as though she was going to cry. “I want to apologize. Please don’t fire everyone.”
I stared at her expressionlessly.
She looked pale. There were blue shadows under her eyes. “I’ll take all the blame. It was my fault, they had absolutely nothing to do with it. Why punish them when it is clear that it was my fault?”
“It’s the responsibility of the entire household to ensure Yulia’s safety.”
“She wasn’t in any danger. I just thought that it would do her some good to get out of the house. She was a bit down earlier in the day.”
I watched her for a few moments and then my response came, “No.”
“Yuri,” she called.
At the sound of my name from her mouth, I raised my head. I wanted to hear it again.
As usual, she instantly withdrew. “I beg of you, please. I cannot have the entire household’s unemployment on my conscience.”
“Didn’t you read the terms of your employment contract? Her removal from the compound without permission was explicitly banned.”
She shut her eyes. “I am so sorry. Look Yuri, if there’s something I can do to make up for it, I will.”
“Fine, I’ll keep everyone…”
Her eyes shot wide open.
“If you return.”
She looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean. I saw Yulia laughing for the first time in almost a year and that was because of you. I want to you to carry on doing what you were, only please do not take her out of this compound again, or you could endanger her life.”
Her eyes became huge. “Why is she in danger?”
“I cannot divulge that information to you at this present moment, but you must take my word for it.”
She dropped her eyes. “All right, I’ll return.”
I didn’t let her see how glad I was with my easy victory. “Good. You may return to your duties. Call Zelda and tell her the good news.”