Sin of Silence (Sinner's Empire #1) - Nikita Slater Page 0,80

idea from time to time.”

“No wonder you’re a doctor,” Saskia said emphatically. “You’re a fucking genius.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Over the next several days the mansion was turned upside down as they prepared for the engagement party. Servants clogged the hallways as they moved furniture, carried bolts of cloth, brought in brand new kitchen equipment and hauled armloads of groceries. More staff was hired to cook and serve while still more were hired to help the head gardener and his team make sure the grounds were immaculate.

The entire weeklong process left Shaun speechless. She couldn’t fathom that a party of this opulence and magnitude was being pulled together so quickly. The amount of resources going into an event meant to celebrate the engagement of two people who only met a few weeks ago was simply stunning. Yet no one seemed concerned about the bride and groom’s lack of history together.

“More flowers arrived.”

Shaun turned from where she was standing next to a long serving table in the massive ball room. Dasha had tasked her with making sure it was in the correct place. Shaun had no idea what the correct placement might be, but if there was anything she’d learned about Dasha since arriving in Prague, it was that a person simply nodded and quietly excused themselves to immediately go do whatever it was Dasha asked for. Life was pleasanter, it seemed, when Dasha was happy. Shaun liked to think of her as a loving, pleasantly kind matriarch who could turn into a fire-breathing dragon in the blink of an eye if she wasn’t happy about something.

Leeza stood hesitantly in the entrance of the ballroom holding a massive bouquet of flowers. Unlike the other flowers arriving, these were big and bright, much prettier than the carefully chosen bouquets from Dasha’s personal florist. Displays had been pouring in all week; black roses dipped in some kind of liquid gold, which made them look like they were dripping. The arrangements were set high on pedestals all around the perimeter of the ballroom. Shaun hadn’t known roses could come in black, but was quickly learning that if Dasha wanted something, she always got it. Shaun was told the roses were native to Turkey and extremely expensive.

According to Saskia, Dasha set up a flower donation fund for anyone who couldn’t attend the engagement party. They sent money into the florist, which paid for an arrangement of Dasha’s choice. Shaun didn’t understand the system, since the Kobas could easily afford the flowers themselves. The super-rich baffled her. Whoever had sent this display hadn’t gotten the colour coordination memo.

“Thank you.” Shaun approached Leeza carefully. They hadn’t spoken more than a few words since Leeza had pointed a gun at her. Shaun supposed it was only natural that their budding relationship would become stilted after such a thing. She reached out to take the card from the flowers.

She glanced at the card and started laughing. “This has to be a joke.”

“Who’s it from?” Leeza asked, setting the heavy arrangement down on the nearest table.

A servant gave the flowers a scandalized look and whisked them out of the carefully decorated black and gold room before Dasha could see them. Shaun didn’t blame the staff member for his concern. She’d seen things that week that would make a drill sergeant flinch, and now had a new respect for anyone who worked on the Koba grounds.

“The card says it’s from Buckingham palace,” Shaun said with another laugh. “It says, best wishes on your upcoming nuptials. Yours Sincerely, the Duke and Duchess of Wales.”

“Yes,” Leeza said with a knowing nod. “Mom went to boarding school with a few royals. The families occasionally hunted together when my grandparents were in England.”

Shaun felt dizzy and reached for the nearest chair. “Who exactly is coming to this party?”

Leeza’s face creased in understanding and she took the chair next to Shaun, reaching for her hand. Shaun stiffened at the contact, the image of a gun in that delicate hand haunting her. Then she shook the thought away and forced herself to relax. Leeza was just trying to put her at ease, like she’d done the first day Shaun spent in the mansion.

“You really don’t want to know,” Leeza assured Shaun, humour in her accented tones. “It doesn’t matter though. They’re still people, with or without their money. Their shit still stinks, just like the rest of us.”

Shaun laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand. “I don’t think you can put yourself in the ‘un-monied’ category with the