Page 99 of His to Own

Maxim

Elena rushes out of the bedroom and I go to follow when Masha stops me. “Leave my daughter to be,” she says. “She’s not in her right mind right now. She needs some space.”

“She’s upset,” I growl. “She needs me.” I had no idea Elena was dealing with any of the things she dropped on me. She kept it all in. Why? Why didn’t she trust me enough to tell me she got suspended from school?

Or that she learned about me and Alisa?

I shouldn’t have kept that from her but I know how Elena feels about my playboy days before we met. It makes her uncomfortable and I was trying to avoid that. I was trying to protect her.

Why doesn’t she see that?

I rush out of the room and down the stairs and spy Elena going out the back door but before I can follow, Gregory intercepts my path. “Maxim.” His upturned nose and pinched lips tells me he’s not happy to see me. But then again, I think Gregory is never happy to see anyone.

“What?” I snap.

His expression turns even more to stone. “Where were you? And my daughter? I invited you to this party – not because I wanted you here – but because it’s good for appearances. You and Elena cannot go off and disappear like that.”

“I just saw Elena. She left out the back door. I’m going to go get her.”

“My daughter. So insolent. She never learned her place.”

I cross my arms. “And what place is that? It’s clear you’ve always treated her like shit. You broke that girl down. Why? Why do you hate her so much?”

Gregory doesn’t give me an answer to my question. “Just bring her back inside.”

“I was just about to do that when you stopped me.”

“I don’t like you. I would be careful, boy.”

I look down at Gregory’s small, pathetic face. “Or what? You’ll kill me? Then you’d have more problems on your hands. I think you and I are stuck with each other, Gregory. Forever. Whether we like it or not.” If it were up to me, I’d kill Gregory in a heartbeat for how he’s treated Elena. But then I would lose my alliance with Nikolai. There’s a chance a war would start. While wars can be fun, it also increases the chances of getting killed myself and I like my life, thank you very much. My shoulder aches. A reminder that I almost died from Aleksander Baranov’s hand.

“Just watch yourself,” Gregory warns.

“What is going on here?” Nikolai says, coming over. He can sense tension a mile away.

“Nothing,” Gregory spits out.

“Yeah, nothing,” I agree, offering Nikolai my most charming smile. It doesn’t work on him. A shame. It always works on women.

His eyes flick between me and Gregory. “I’m not sure I believe either one of you. But we have to play nice. Remember that.”

“Play nice?” Gregory scoffs. “You worked with this asshole to kill the man who I wanted to marry Elena to.”

“To Mikhail Kozlov. The man was going to beat Elena every day. I knew Maxim would be a better choice for her.”

Gregory’s hands clench into fists. “She’s my daughter. I get to make those decisions. Not you. Or you,” he adds, glaring at me.

I can only smirk. “We did make that decision and Elena is happier for it.”

“You think she’s happy with you? My daughter always had bouts of melancholy. She looks even more depressed being married to you. I wouldn’t brag about your relationship.”

My mind flicks back to Elena saying all those things to me in her bedroom. The pain in her eyes. The fact that she kept it buried within until it exploded over. She’s holding herself too tight and I know I can help her. She just has to stop fighting me on it.

“I am going to find my wife,” I say. “Like you ordered. Excuse me.” I head out the back door I saw Elena go. The guard on duty is smoking a cigarette. “Have you seen my wife?” There’s no one else in the large backyard.

The guard nods towards the side of the house. “She ran past here.”

“You didn’t stop her?”