Page 61 of Keeping My Enemies Closer: Pt. 1

“I can understand that,” I remarked, giving her a terse nod.

Eyeing me, she said, “You’re also going to have to pay Zoya the three-hundred-thousand dollars that you owe her.”

“That’s rather pointless, don’t you think?She’s moving in with me tomorrow, and I plan on spending Monday adding her to my credit cards and my personal bank accounts.”

“Which is all good and well, but that money is hers, Kasimir,” Aurora countered.“No matter where you guys go from here, she was promised money for services rendered from the auction, and I will not have it be said that we’re not honoring our commitments.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a pain in the ass?”

“Your brother, almost every morning,” she retorted.

I grinned as I leaned back in my seat.“Well, he’s not wrong.”

Shooting me a look, she said, “Just make it right, Kasimir.”

“The woman is going to have access to millions of dollars within the next few days, who cares about three-hundred-thousand dollars?”I snorted.

“Icare,” she shot back.“I’m already going to have to send a message once I confirm who was behind helping Zoya get into the auction, Kasimir.The last thing that I need is for it to get out that Zoya didn’t get paid, either.”

“You’re killing me,” I sighed.“But fine, I’ll pay her tomorrow.”

“Cash, Kasimir,” she ordered pointedly.

I smiled again.“Cash.”

“Thank you,” she replied firmly but sincerely.

After a few seconds, I said, “You really look like you need to get some rest.”

“See, I fucking told you.”

I turned to see my brother standing in the doorway of Aurora’s office, and he looked pissed, which only made me smile wider.Viktor was too serious in life, and so I loved riling him up when I could.Granted, he wasn’t one to fuck with when it came to his wife, but still.We lived a dark life, so I needed to get my laughs where I could.

“I am not going to spend the next two months laid up in bed, Viktor,” she told him.“I’m home, and I’m already in my goddamn pajamas...what more do you want from me?”

“I want you to rest,” he answered unreasonably.“I want you to get rid of those damn circles under your eyes.”

“Well, hate to break it to you, but creating a whole other human being can take a lot out of a woman,” she replied sarcastically.“As long as the doctor says that my labs are fine, you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“You’d like to think so,” Viktor threatened as he made his way into her office.“Don’t make me lock you in our bedroom, because I will.”

Aurora just snorted.“I’d like to see you try.”

“Okay, this sounds a lot like foreplay happening here, and that’s not anything that I need to be a part of,” I quipped as I stood up to greet my brother.

“What are you doing here anyway?”he asked, though he patted my back after I’d done the same to him.

“Your wife summoned me like a servant just waiting to grant his queen’s every wish,” I answered cheekily.

“You’re such a strange bird, Kasimir,” Aurora remarked, but you could hear the smile in her tone.

I just winked at her before telling Viktor what I was doing here.“She wanted to know why I didn’t tell her about Zoya sneaking her way into the auction.”

Shooting Aurora a look, he said, “So, you’re working.”

“I was having a conversation with my brother-in-law,” she countered, playing semantics.“Quality time, if you will.”

Viktor shook his head as he walked over to his wife, and then I watched as he leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head, and if our enemies could only see us now.It was plain as day that Viktor Korolev finally had a weakness, but he was lucky that Aurora was just as deadly as he was.