Page 64 of Silken Chains
My mind races, trying to place her in the Morozov family puzzle, but my thoughts scatter as she stands before me.
She enters with measured steps, her stare drilling into me, icy and sharp.
“Don’t do that,” she snaps, catching me biting my nails again.
I jerk my hands away, feeling like a kid caught stealing cookies. “So-sorry,” I stammer, dropping my hands to my lap.
Damn, she’s terrifying.
Her gaze sweeps over me, cold and calculating, from the top of my head down to the soles of my feet. I feel her taking inventory, noting every detail, every reaction. Finally, landing on the contract sprawled across my lap.
“Looks like you’ve hit the jackpot, haven’t you?” she remarks, a sardonic edge to her voice.
Caught off guard, I fidget uncomfortably. “Uh, well… I wasn’t exactly expecting this,” I admit, voice a notch too high.
She’s got me feeling smaller than small. My nails find my lip in a nervous tic.
“Drop that nasty habit,” she says, her gaze slicing through me, taking stock of every twitch and flinch. With a casual flick, she locks her arms across her chest.
My hands fall to my sides, quick and obedient, shrinking under her stare.
Fucking great, now she’s channeling my dad.
I bite back a curse, yanking my hand from my mouth like it’s suddenly gone rogue.
Then, Ksenia snaps her fingers, and the door swings open. In stride a bunch of women dressed in gray, white, and black.
A tall, stunning blond charges in, gripping her makeup kit as if it’s her armor, her heels clicking on the floor like gunfire. Right on her heels, another woman, her hair yanked back into a strict bun, drags a rack brimming with dresses.
“What… now?” I ask, turning back to Ksenia for some clue… any clue.
Ksenia gives me a disapproving look. “Time for a bath. You look like something we’d scrape off the floor.” She nods at the maids to take action.
…And whose brilliant idea was it to kidnap me, huh?
Before my mind even has a chance to catch up, I’m suddenly being dragged by a group of women who seem to know their way around my body, stripping me down like I’m just another task on their to-do list.
This can’t be happening.
“Wait, what the hell?” My voice spikes in alarm, clutching at the robe I’m barely in.
Suddenly, I’m swarmed by hands, quick and practiced, stripping away my clothes with alarming efficiency.
“Stop!” The command bursts from me, filling the room, but it’s futile—I’m left standing there, completely naked.
“What the hell is this?” I scream, my voice trembling with fear and anger as I try to cover myself with shaking hands.
“I see why Victor likes you,” Ksenia smirks, her eyes scanning my naked body with amusement.
This woman is pure evil.
I cannot believe this. Left standing naked, the focus of a room full of strangers.
“Make her presentable,” Ksenia commands, her tone dismissive, like I’m nothing more than a project.
“Da, mem,” one of the maids responds, her voice devoid of any emotion.
“Hey, let me go!” I struggle, but it’s like trying to shake off steel grips. “This is insane; do you hear me?” Fury and shock mix in my veins. “You can’t do this!” I yell. “What is all of this for?” I manage to sputter out in confusion.
