“What did she call Nina?” Kingston asked his brother in a stage whisper.
“Something insulting, based on Nina’s face,” Maverik said casually before taking a sip of his water. “Maybe a Russian whore?”
I completely ignored both Maverik’s and Kingston’s comments as I stood up and picked up my handbag. If they hated Nina, then there was no way they would want the bastard child that she threw away polluting their precious home. I hoped they would find a way to convince their father to just leave me here where I belonged.
“Katya didn’t call her anything, she just said to leave her alone,” Ryan said irritably as he stood by my side.
I turned my back on the entire table, took Ryan’s arm, then marched toward the door, my head held high.
“Give her some time,” I heard Richard tell Nina before we were out of hearing range.
Once we were outside in the warm New York air, I whirled around to face Ryan. “This is absurd, right? They can’t do this!”
Ryan put his hands on my shoulders. “Relax, Katya. Let’s go home and talk to my parents. Richard didn’t seem to want to listen to anything we had to say because we’re just a couple of teenagers, but maybe they can intervene for you.”
I nodded, hope blooming in my chest. The Logans would make everything okay. They would talk to Richard, I would stay here with Ryan, and my life would go on without my mother in it.
Chapter 8
Katya
I stretched into Warrior I pose and tried to ignore Ryan and Brett beside me. Ryan was helping Brett get into a One-Handed Tree pose so he could get a good Instagram pic. Their flirting was so cute I couldn’t stand it. Still, it was a distraction from all the drama going on with my mother.
Ryan and I had invited some of our classmates here to the park to do yoga with us. It gave Ryan an excuse to hang out with Brett without officially calling it a date. Plus, weirdos were less likely to mess with us if there was a bigger group.
“So, Katya,” Isobel said slyly. “Is it true Richard Wilder came to see you dance?”
Rachael and Jenna both paused their conversation to stare while I thought carefully about my answer. My life was changing so quickly, and I wasn’t ready to let go. Yes, Richard planned on dragging me away from New York, but I was fighting it as hard as possible. What could I say to keep this a secret, but still avoid lying?
“I heard he’s worth, like, a trillion dollars,” Rachael interjected when I took too long to answer.
Of course, she would only care about the money. If she wanted to be adopted by a billionaire so badly, she could have my spot.
“I heard he shut Alexander down hard when he asked for a donation,” Brett said with a chuckle.
“You know he could probably afford to give a million dollars or something without ever noticing a dent in his bank account,” Rachael said snarkily. “I guess the rumors about him being one of the stingiest people on the planet is true.”
“Or he just has other things he wants to donate to,” I snapped as I gave up on having a relaxing yoga session.
“Who were those guys with him?” Jenna asked. “They were super-hot.”
“They were assholes,” Ryan said bluntly.
I shot him a grateful look, but he missed it because his attention was completely on Brett.
“Are they your brothers?” Isobel blurted out.
My head snapped over to her. “What makes you ask that?” I asked sharply.
Rachael tittered. “Everyone knows you don’t have parents. So when he showed up, everyone just assumed…”
I stared at her in confusion before the dots connected.
“You assumed I was his secret illegitimate kid?” I asked in disbelief.
Jenna shrugged. “We did the research last night. He was married when you were born, and there is literally no information about any of his kids.”
“It’s weird,” Isobel added. “All you can find is that he has kids, but no pictures, no social media. We couldn’t even find their names!”
“He probably buys media silence,” Brett said knowledgeably. “Think about how much a kidnapper could get from ransoming one of his kids.”
“That a good point,” Ryan agreed with a smile at Brett.
“Katya?” Jenna prompted me.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered.
I wanted to just blurt out the truth. Richard wasn’t my absentee parent, Nina was. I didn’t understand why the impending marriage was such a big secret, but Richard seemed like a decent guy. I didn’t want to screw over the only person that showed a glimmer of interest in my future, even though he seemed determined to ruin mine.
“The story about your dead parents is just a cover, isn’t it?” Isobel said callously. “That’s how he managed to hide you for so long.”
Rachael leaned forward. “Why’s he coming forward now?” she asked eagerly. “Is it because his wife has been dead for a while, and he’s not ashamed of you anymore?”
“Oh my god,” I huffed.
Ryan could be helping me out right now, but he was too busy making googley eyes at his crush. The girls weren’t going to stop harassing me about something I had no intention of speaking to them about, so my only option was to leave.
“I’ve had enough yoga for today,” I announced as I stood.
“Katya!” Rachael complained. “You haven’t even answered one of our questions. We didn’t come all the way out here for nothing.”
My jaw dropped. That was the only reason they agreed to come with us? I should have expected something like this, but I still felt a flash of anger. We weren’t close, and things could get competitive at times, but
