Chapter 20 - Elena

Being home is strange, and my father wastes no time planning a party. Apparently, the family thinks I was away on a short holiday, and we are now celebrating my return.

When I ask my father where I should say I've been he says to say I went to a cabin in the mountains, like I actually was. Just don't furnish the details about the kidnapping. We don't need people taking revenge unnecessarily.

Not that he'll hear me say anything about the kidnapping to him. He doesn't care how I was treated or what Arseny did. In his books, the Milovs are simply enemies, and that's the end of the story.

I dress in a short flowery dress and sandals for the party, leaving my hair loose in big curls. I'm downstairs before any of the younger family members arrive and oversee the last-minute preparations. I stand by my father"s bar and sip a glass of champagne, popping the finger snacks into my mouth as I wait.

I'm incredibly hungry and finish about half the tray before my brother Ethan arrives.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting this party started," I say, picking up my champagne glass. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I came to make sure everything was ready and to ensure that you were ready. Remember, you're not supposed to let on…"

"That I was kidnapped. God, Ethan, I have a brain, okay?" I down my champagne and hand the flute to a waiter passing by. I pop another cheese and cocktail onion combo in my mouth and chew on it thoughtfully. "Do you honestly know I have a brain?"

"Of course, you have a brain," Ethan says. "I just don't think you have business sense and realize how important these kinds of things are to the family."

"So, I don't have a brain," I say, pushing past my bully of a brother and walking into the large entertainment room where the main part of the party will be held. I go to the table with the food and pick up a cocktail sausage roll, chewing it thoughtfully.

My older cousin Darius wanders in and smiles when he sees me. "Welcome back, little cousin."

I smile and swallow, wiping my mouth on a napkin before I kiss his cheek. "You get taller every time I see you."

"Perhaps you're just getting shorter," he smiles brightly. He kisses my forehead and lets me go. "How was your holiday?"

"It was fine, thank you." I feel uncomfortable lying to him. "It was certainly eye-opening."

"I would imagine so. Sevan is looking forward to seeing you. He just got back from a trip to Europe." Darius picks at the food and pops something into his mouth.

"Well, that sounds far more interesting than my trip to the woods." I smile as a waiter brings me another flute of champagne. "Care for some champagne?"

"Whiskey, please. Neat." The waiter nods and hurries off.

"You look beautiful, Elena, and it's good to see you. I best go say hello to your father before he thinks I'm rude. Sevan will be in shortly."

"I'll join you after I talk to Sevan."

I wait beside the table as Darius goes to the next room, where our parents are talking about the family business. Once the other partygoers arrive, they won't discuss anything with women around.

My baby cousin walks in and looks around before spotting me.

"Elena, you look radiant," he says.

"You look well, Sevan. Europe treated you nicely." I smile and flag a waiter. "Vodka and Lime."

The waiter hesitates for a moment, and I smile. "I say he can drink, so don't worry."

The waiter nods and hurries off.

"Thanks. I don't think my father will be too impressed, though." He slings an arm around my shoulders.

"So, any boyfriends?" he asks.

"Is that all you want to know from me? Is that the only thing that's interesting about me?" I ask, glancing at him. "Don't want to talk business with a lowly girl in the family."

"I didn't say that," he says, removing his arm and holding his hands up.

"Yeah, but it's what everyone thinks," I say. "Why don't we just go join your brother in the next room with our fathers."

I follow him across the room and into the next room, where my father is sitting with some of the older family members who arrived early to discuss business.

"Elena, this is not a proper discussion for a young lady," Darius's father, Jonathan, says. "Why don't you go and arrange a bottle of vodka for us old folks."

I grit my teeth. I hate being spoken to like a maid. I flag down a waiter, "Bottle of vodka for the old folks, please."

Jonathan chuckles. "She has her mother"s spirit."

"And temper," my father says. "Elena, if you're going to sit here, you need to be quiet. We're discussing business."

He turns back to my uncles. My brother and Darius stand behind their fathers, each looking at me. I ignore them and pay attention to what my father is saying about importing illegal cheap liquor.

"It's not like we have a harbor at our disposal," my father says. "Where we can ship things in from there."

"Well, we can't get the delivery companies to doctor their paperwork to make it look like something else is coming in. It would take us bribing straight from the top."

"Unless we…" I start to say.

"Not now, Elena," Ethan says.

The conversation pauses, and my father continues, "They are wising up to us using unmarked trucks to bring the shipments in. We don't even need them to come in big shipments. Smaller shipments are fine."

"Yes, but we can…"

"Elena, you should be more concerned about who you're going to marry and how big your wedding party will be," Darius jokes.

"Maybe we can marry you off as part of the bribe," Ethan adds.

Everyone chuckles, and I stand up angrily.

"I was going to say you could set up an application like Uber Eats to drive around your deliveries. No one would suspect that. A taxi service is a great way to move things without constantly being inspected. And for your information, I am worth more than some bribe to a stupid man who might be able to assist our family. I have a bigger brain than all of you combined."

I take a step away from them. "Furthermore, if you import decent booze, you could sell it at a higher markup than the cheap one. Either they'll cave and buy the expensive hooch to keep their customers happy, or they'll buy the cheaper one because it's a competitive price. Especially if you make out that it's coming from two different families. Finally, if you had any common sense, you'd launder the money through something known to make a lot of cash, like a video store, an arcade, or a laundromat. Certainly not some stupid butchers."

I turn and storm out of the room, followed closely by two guards.

"I'm going to the yard," I snap at them as I walk toward the back deck. They continue to follow me, so I stop and turn around. "You don't have to hound me. No one is going to kidnap me out of my own backyard. Stay here, or I swear to God I'll have your heads on a pike in the desert for fun."

They look at each other uneasily and then return to the party to stand watch. I walk outside and take a few deep breaths. I'm shaking like a leaf as the anger broils inside of me.

A bride, that's all they think of me—a way to align us with someone who can further the family. At least Arseny appreciated my intelligence and challenged me. It's incredible how much I miss him now that I'm home, even if it's only been a short time.

I'm so used to having him around that being without him feels almost lonely, even though my house is brimming with guests.

I can hear more people arriving by the minute. I sit down on a stone bench, and I feel absolutely miserable. Even if I wanted to send word to Arseny, I have no one I can trust who won't tell my father. I just want to let him know I'm okay, and I just want to find out that they didn't hurt him or if my father's lying and they did do something to him.

I feel like I'm betraying my family, but at the same time, I need to follow my heart, and that is currently with the enemy.

I hear footsteps coming up behind me, and I clench my fists. "I said I don't need a fucking babysitter."

"Shh," a hand claps over my mouth, and I look up at Arseny's face. He lets me go, and I drag him into a dark corner.

"What are you doing here?" I whisper.

"I had to see you," he murmurs. "If my family knew I'd be hung out to dry."

We look into each other's eyes, and he swoops down and kisses me deeply.

I slip my arms around his neck and return the kiss, moaning softly. He presses me back against the wall as we continue to make out, his hand stroking down my side ever so slowly before he lifts my skirt and slides his hand into my panties.

I can't think straight. I don't want to think straight.

He massages my clit as we kiss, and I groan into his mouth, moving against his hand in a bit of a wild movement. His other hand gropes my left breast, and I break the kiss as he kisses down my neck. I'm breathing hard, reaching down to massage him through his pants.

He presses against me, recapturing my lips and kissing me hungrily. If I could, I would devour him.

I want to devour him.

I break the kiss and whisper, "Not here."

"Where?" he murmurs, slowly releasing me.

He pulls his hand out of my panties and licks his fingers. "Hmm."

I bite my lip. "There's a back entrance to my room. The guards won't be there. Go down this yard, turn right, and climb up to the balcony. I'll let you in. Go, hurry."

I fix my clothes and hurry inside, careful not to alert anyone that something is up. Ethan walks out of the room and looks at me. "Elena…"

"Don't," I say sternly. "I've never been more insulted in my life. I'm going to bed."

I storm upstairs, but really, I just use it as an excuse to get to Arseny before someone goes into the yard and sees him on my balcony.

I shut my bedroom door and lock it, then rush to the balcony and open it. He grabs me and kisses me hungrily. "I want you so badly."

"Me first," I breathe against his lips.

I turn him around and push him against the wall before I get on my knees and quickly unzip his pants.

"Elena…" he growls.

"Hush in case someone walks past." I free his erection and start to stroke it.

I look at him as I stick my tongue out and lick his tip. His eyes are dark with passion, and he shivers slightly. I suck on the head, trying to keep eye contact, but he grabs my hair and entangles his hand in it, forcing me to take him deeper into my mouth.

He starts to move his hips, and I suck and try not to make too much noise slurping. I reach up and massage his balls, and I can feel him stiffen even more, twitching in my mouth. I taste his precum, and I swallow around him.

"Elena," I hear my father call from downstairs.

"Fuck," I say, pulling off Arseny and wiping my mouth. "Quick, get under the bed."