The bedroom door opened slowly, and she saw a massive frame darkening the entryway. It was Dmitry. He came in without acknowledging her presence and went over to his daughter. Bending down on his knees, he ran his hands through her hair. Anya sniffled at little and then turned her back to him and continued to sleep.
Dmitry crumpled over from exhaustion and sighed. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Victoria. He looked over at her quickly.
"Victoria?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I need to talk to you," he said, standing up.
"Meet me in my study. I'll be down in a minute."
"Yes, sir," she repeated.
She noticed his drastic change from a curly brunette to now a short, nearly bald fade. She was still confused as to why his changing his hair color had created a near massacre of the entire household. Yet another mystery of this already elusive family.
Victoria left the room quickly and walked through the long hall, past the staff that hurriedly cleaned the mess as Stepan oversaw them.
In need of another hit, she ducked into the guest bathroom and closed the door. Taking out the vile in her bra, she emptied the last of the cocaine on her hand and snorted it up.
Sucking in hard through her nostrils, she wiped her nose quickly and looked in the mirror.
It was time to shine. If she was ever going to make a move, it would have to be now. She would be understanding and gentle with Dmitry, give him a shoulder to cry on and give her regrets for having to leave, as she was sure that he did not know already of his wife's decision to end her contract. She would watch him grow infuriated that Royal had usurped him, and then she would throw herself at his mercy.
By the time Mistress Medlov woke up from her slumber, Victoria would have Dmitry right where she wanted him—in between her thighs. She smiled at the thought and licked her lips.
Pushing her bra up and positioning her breasts where they showed more, she sprayed a little more perfume, fixed her hair and then left the bathroom, headed for Dmitry's study. When she arrived, he was already there sitting by the fireplace. She came in and closed the door quietly. He looked up at her as she did so.
"Please have a seat," he said in a deep baritone.
His voice sent chills through her aroused body.
"Alright," she said, taking the seat closest to him.
Rubbing his temples, he sat back in the chair with his eyes planted on her. He hated dealing with women. In truth, he despised a sneaky woman more than any other being in the world. It was too much of a reminder of his mother and his late sister-in-law.
"Did you tell my wife what I asked?" He watched her cross her legs.
"No," Victoria said, swallowing hard. "I couldn't find her, sir. I went looking everywhere."
"Everywhere?"
"Yes, sir?"
"My house is rather large. How could you look everywhere and still be at the front door to open it when I arrived home?"
"The bottom floor was the last place that I looked."
"I see." His jaw clenched tighter.
"I had no idea that something so small would create such a horrible … catastrophe."
"Of course not. How could you?"
He sat up in his seat and leaned towards her. "Your eyes… they're dilated like my wife's." He smiled and tilted his head. "Did you two get into something tonight?"
"No, sir. We had one drink earlier. She fixed them for us right after she told me that tomorrow would be my last day here."
Dmitry didn't blink. "Why did she tell you that?"
"She said that you all had reached a decision together and my contract would be paid in-full, and I would be expected to leave."
Dmitry raised his brow. "Well, she's correct. Your contract has ended, and you will be paid in full… after I get to the bottom of this."
Victoria's heart raced. "Bottom of what, sir? You can't believe that I had anything to do with what just happened upstairs?"
"But… I do believe that you had something to do with what happened upstairs whether knowingly or unknowingly. That's going to be the key for you, Victoria. If it was done maliciously, it will be bad for you. If it was not, it will be just a mistake that we all forget about."
Victoria watched his eyes. They were unreadable and cold. Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine.
"Since I'm leaving tomorrow, may I speak freely with you, then?" She breathed deeply. Her small breast pressed against her silk blouse.
Dmitry smiled. The full prominence of his jaw bone and his deep dimples emerged. His eyes sparkled. Licking his lips, he sat back in the chair with his long, muscular legs open.
"Talk," he said, giving her a sensual look. "Tell me what's on that mind of yours."
"I love your family. In the short time that I have worked for you, you all have grown to be very important to me."
Dmitry smiled but was silent.
"And I have to say, in watching Anya and how alone she is, I am very concerned. Mistress Medlov spends all of her time in a drunken haze or on pills… I've seen her take them… and I feel like you all deserve more."
"More? How much more can one family have, Victoria?"
"Money doesn't solve every problem, sir."
"No?" Dmitry licked his lips. "I have yet to run across a problem that could not be solved by the all mighty dollar," he lied facetiously. If he had thought just once that his money would have saved his wife, he would be a happy poor man.
"I have a good
