Page 52 of Keeping My Enemies Closer: Pt. 1

“Thank you for meeting with me today, Ms.Orlova,” my father began.“I’m sure that this isn’t quite part of your normal day or routine.”

“My...my last name is Kuzmin...uh, legally,” she stammered, and it was hard not to wince.Understandably, Zoya was nervous, but it wouldn’t do well for my father to think that she was weak, especially when I knew that she wasn’t.

My father tilted his head, regarding her carefully.“Well, according to my son, he says that you’re last name will soon be Korolev.Is that true?”

Zoya’s hazel gaze shot my way, and I just shrugged.“I’ve told him everything about our relationship,lepestok.So, there’s no need to not be completely honest.”

She looked back at my father, then said, “I don’t know.I don’t know...despite all that...that has transpired between us, I really don’t know what’s going on.”

“You are feeling overwhelmed, yes?”he asked, and I immediately grew suspicious.Aleksei Korolev wasn’t one to use kid gloves, no matter the situation.

“A bit,” she admitted.

“What is your objection, exactly?”he asked as he got comfortable in the wingback chair that was placed at the head of the Boca do Lobo Royal table that decorated the right side of the library.“What are your concerns?”

“Uhm...I guess...well, I always assumed that I’d marry for love,” she answered.“Plus...given the reputation of your family, I just don’t think that I...I don’t think that I’d blend in very well.”

“And why is that?”he pressed.“Do you work for the police?Are you an informant for the FBI?Does any of your family work in law enforcement?”

Zoya’s hazel eyes widened.“Wh...what?N...no.”

“As for love, what makes you think that my son doesn’t love you?”he asked her, and I just smirked.

“Uhm...because my family betrayed yours,” she blurted out.“Plus...we’ve only known each other a couple of days.”

My father cocked his head again as he said, “But that is where you’re wrong.We know everything about you, Ms.Kuzmin.We know everything about every living member of your family, and we also know that your mother has been...how do I say this?Behavingunwellas of late.”

Zoya began shaking her head.“I’m sorry...I...I think I might be misunderstanding your questions, Mr.Korolev.Surely, you can see how...how rushed and complicated this...this courtship has been.I mean...you’re inviting a practical stranger into your inner fold, and...and I’m confused about that.”

“Again, you are not a stranger,” my father replied.“In fact, you’d be dead already if we had deemed you a liability, Ms.Kuzmin.”

Zoya blanched at that.

“It’s quite simple,lepestok,” I told her.“My father just wants to make sure that you’re not going to run off to the police, reporting me for kidnapping.”

“I thought I’d gone therewillingly?”she drawled out sarcastically.

That had my lips twitching.“False imprisonment, then.”

Zoya shot me another sarcastic look.“Oh, so he’s questioning your romanticism?”

My father tried to hide a smirk, but it was clear that Zoya was impressing him more than he’d been expecting, which was the point.Whether I liked it or not, things would run a lot smoother if he approved of her.Even though it wouldn’t stop me, I didn’t have the time to be at odds with my family over the woman that was going to be the mother of my children eventually.

“Despite what has previously occurred between our families, I just need to know that you will not run out to contact the police once you’ve formed a plan to free yourself from my son’s...uh, affections,” my father told her.“I need to know that the betrayal ends with Armen, Ms.Kuzmin.”

Zoya’s eyes widened again.“Because you think that I’m stupid enough to report Kasimir to the police?OranyKorolev for that matter?”

My father grinned at her.“I think that my son can be challenging, and it is important that you understand what you are getting yourself into.”

“I didn’t get myself into anything,” she bit out.“Your son has been stalking me, harassing me, and then manipulated my desperation to...to serve as his personal entertainment.So, with all due respect,Ididn’t get myself into anything.”

Instead of apologizing for my rude behavior, my father said, “Which is why I need to know that you don’t have any plans on running to the police for a heroic saving, Ms.Kuzmin.Especially, when my son has made it very clear that he has no plans on letting you...uh, carry on with a life that doesn’t include him.”

Not appreciating my father’s vernacular verbiage, she answered, “No, I do not plan on reporting your son for harassment, intimidation, or false imprisonment.”

“And what of his future crimes?”he asked.“Because I’ve no doubt that Kasimir’s...unique personality is bound to upset you constantly throughout your marriage.”

Zoya leaned forward in her seat as she said, “Since I’m a fan of living, I can’t see myself ever reporting Kasimir to the police for anything.”