Page 34 of Bought to Bear Bratva Heir

Hands on her hips, she stepped into the room, kicking the door shut behind her. "I cooked because Alec was hungry and so was I. I bathed him and read him his story because that’s what needed to be done. Don’t you dare try to make this into something it’s not. If you want to do the nighttime routine with him, then fine." Her eyes glittered. And she had never looked so fucking hot. "Just make sure you are available to them."

"Watch your tone when you talk to me, Daisy," I growled out.

For a second she let her eyes wander over my face, and then she sighed. "I’ll be in my room if you need me, Mr. Popovitch."

My eyebrows slammed down. What the fuck was she doing calling me Mr. Popovitch? "My name is Ilya." My voice had dropped to a hissing whisper.

"I am your employee. I think it’s best if we keep things more formal. Do you have the contract for me?"

I continued to stare at her. Truth was, I hadn’t even started on the contract. I had been too busy digging into her life.

"I’ll have it for you by morning, Daisy. And I’m very glad to see you know your place in my home." A cruel smile spread across my lips. "Not as Alec’s mother, but as his caregiver. The paid help."

I watched as her face paled. My words had hurt her. Good. Settling back on the soft leather, I basked in her pain.

Good, everything she was feeling was nothing compared to what she had made me feel. No amount of emotional torture would ever compare to the hell she had shoved me into back then.

"I am Alec’s mother, though," she said softly. "You can pretend I’m not, but I am. So keep your money. I don’t want it. I have enough to live on."

"Because of the big prize you won?" I asked, my chair bouncing as I rocked back and forth and studied her.

For a second she looked shocked. "How do you know about that?" Then her eyes drifted to the closed laptop. "Ah, you’ve been researching me?"

I shrugged. "You graduated early and top of your class at your dream grad school." I stared at her, half expecting her to lower her eyes. Or at least show some kind of shame. "Oxford." I whistled through my teeth. "Was published in several peer-reviewed papers and won an award for your work in the field. What was it you found again?"

Finally, her eyes darted downward. "Does it matter?"

Laughing, I shook my head. "I guess not, but it was enough for you to win a pretty substantial amount of money. And then," steepling my hands on the desk, I leant forward. "You became the youngest professor in modern history."

Her eyes narrowed. "I am a guest lecturer, not a professor."

Tap, tap, tap went my fingers on the desk. Each drum a little faster than the one before because I was struggling to maintain control now. The way she just stood there and let me list off her achievements was infuriating.

"You have the life you always dreamt of, Daisy," I smiled at her, the kind of smile that had absolutely no warmth but did promise pain. "Was it worth it?"

She didn’t answer me.

Laughing, I rounded the desk to lean on it and stare at her. "Was it worth abandoning your child?" My voice was growing more ragged by the second. It rasped in my throat. "Was it worth being a fucking ho?"

Daisy's head snapped up so quickly that I heard something pop. "Fuck you, Ilya."

"Been there, done that." I shrugged. "You weren’t that memorable. But hey, it got you your dream, didn’t it? Tell me," reaching out, I pushed a curl of hair behind her ear. I wanted to see her face as I hurt her. "Is that how you got your dream job?" Back and forth I ran my fingers down her cheek. It was like I couldn’t help myself. I wanted nothing more than to rip her black heart out, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but want to touch her. "You been screwing that Graham guy? He’s your boss, isn’t he?"

She crossed the rug and lifted her hand to slap me. I didn’t move a muscle. If she wanted to hit me, I would let her do it. Once. All it did was prove to me that what I was saying was the truth.

Throwing back my head, I laughed right into her face. "That’s it, isn’t it? You can’t get anywhere by yourself. So you use that sweet cunt of yours to get what you want. Well, Daisy, it’s not going to work on me this time. Alec is my son and—"

Her slap, even though I knew it was coming, took me by surprise.

"He’s my child too, Ilya," she spat and lifted her arm to hit me again. "I won’t let you take him away from me again. So keep belittling me, keep making this whole situation my fault. You’re right, I should have fought harder. I should have let you kill me, but you aren’t innocent."

I grabbed her wrist before her hand could make contact with my face again. "But you are to blame. You are the reason I—"

God, the skin of her wrist was so soft. Absently, I ran my thumb over her pulse point. I didn’t understand what she was talking about. Why would she have been killed? Why on earth would she think I would have murdered her, the mother of my son and the only woman I had ever let myself love?

Hell, she was the only person I had ever loved until Alec had been born.

"Your lies don’t work on me anymore, Daisy."