Beautiful Revenge (A Good Wife #1) - Sienna Blake Page 0,28
to be near him in any way possible. Even if it kills me.
22
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Dimitri
Look at her, just sitting there, ignoring me.
I practically have Emily in my lap and yet Alena just sits there, picking at her food. She barely feels a damn thing, the heartless she-devil.
Her husband reaches over and slides a hand on hers. She looks up, smiling at him.
A stab goes through me.
What if they are in love? What if five years was enough to wash away any hold I had on her?
“Darling,” he says, “would you care to join me upstairs after dinner?”
Her eyes slide to mine, a glitter of defiance in them, before she gifts her husband with a radiant smile. A smile that she used to reserve only for me. “Of course.”
I almost choke at an image of crusty old Edgar lowering his body onto hers. It sears me. I grip my fork in my hand strong enough that I’m near to bending it. It takes everything in me not to throw this table aside and roar like a beast.
I seethe quietly inside. He’s old enough to be her fucking father. How could she let him touch her?
“Mr Wolf?”
Right, Emily was asking something. She seems a sweet enough girl, if a bit naïve.
I turn to her, forcing a smile. “Yes, Emily.”
“I was thinking of going for a walk through the gardens tomorrow after breakfast,” she says in a shy tone. “Would you like to join me? We have one of the most beautiful grounds in Yorkshire. I know all the best spots.”
“I’d like that,” I say.
“Perfect.” Emily’s eyes shine with such joy. I feel a thread of guilt worming through me. She is the only innocent one here. I’m sorry she’ll be caught up in my plan.
“You should come too, Mrs Worthington,” I say, turning to Alena.
Alena starts, blinking at me a few times. “Me?”
“We can’t tour the gardens without the mistress of the house. Isn’t that right, Emily?”
I catch the look of disappointment on Emily’s face before she hides it with a forced smile. “Of course you should come, Leni.”
“And she will,” her husband says, patting Alena’s hand as if she were a well-behaved dog.
“But, Edgar,” Alena begins to protest, “tomorrow I must—”
“Nonsense. Mr Wolf is our guest. You shall do whatever it takes to make his stay a pleasant one.”
Alena sinks back into her chair with a nod of acquiescence.
A sense of triumph goes through me. At the same time, I want to hit Edgar Worthington for being such a sexist, patronizing ass.
Alena catches my eye and straightens, a flare of fire and defiance going through her, an echo of the girl I stupidly used to love. I glare right back.
This is who you chose, Alena. This is who you threw away our love for. I hope you regret your choice. Even if you don’t, you will soon.
23
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Alena
Dimitri spears the last piece of chicken on his plate with his fork. “This was delicious, Emily. Thank you.”
She giggles like a twit. I strain not to kick her under the table, especially since we all know that she didn’t actually cook anything. We have staff for that. “Thank you, Mr Wolf,” says Emily. “I aim to please.”
I lift my eyes—dammit, Alena—in time to see him gift her with one of his dazzling smiles, a smile he used to reserve only for me. “Please, call me Dimitri.”
Emily’s breath releases in a sigh. “Dimitri. Such a strong name.”
“It doesn’t sound American,” my husband says.
I cringe. Even with all his money, he’s an uncultured boor with no sense of much beyond the borders of England.
“It’s Russian, actually,” Dimitri says.
“Oh,” Emily cries, “Alena is Russian too.” I almost choke on my chicken. “Whereabouts in Russia are you from?”
“St Petersburg.”
Emily gasps. “So is Alena! You two could have met before.”
“No,” Dimitri and I both say together.
I clear my throat. “St Petersburg is a big city. Lots of people. You could grow up there all your life and never really know the person living beside you.” I shoot a small glare towards Dimitri.
He stares back, a lazy smile on his face like he doesn’t care.
“Say something in Russian,” Emily begs him, “please?”
Dimitri’s smile widens as he gazes at her, Russian leaving his mouth. “Look at you fawning over me, you beautiful, naive creature.”
My stomach stabs.
“What did you say?” Emily asks him.
“I said you are the most beautiful creature in all of England.”
Emily giggles, her cheeks staining pink. “Now say something to Papa.”
Dimitri turns to my husband, but not before glancing at me.