Page 7 of Venomous Desires

My eyebrows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into my hairline.

Alina’s finger trembled as she jabbed at the bottom of the newspaper, as if she’d just discovered the lost treasure of El Dorado.

“The details...!” she squealed, her Russian spilling out in excitement.

I swear my soul temporarily evacuated my body. Ten thousand dollars? There had to be a catch. With trembling hands, I yanked out my phone and dialed the number before common sense could interfere. If I got this job, I’d personally start thanking every god ever worshipped.

The line rang once and twice.

My heart was beating so hard I was fairly certain the entire cafeteria could hear it.

Pick up, pick up, pick up—

“???????”

I swallowed hard.

“Am I speaking to Kyle Molotov?”

A long, awkward pause stretched between us. I mentally kicked myself—English,really? Of course, he wouldn’t understand.

I took a deep breath and tried again, my Russian wobbling like a newborn deer.

“Hello, this is Seraphina. I saw the advertisement and wanted to know if this vacancy is available.”

The man’s voice was deep yet polite. “I’ll send you the address, and we can meet to discuss.”

“Oh, yes, yes!”

The call ended, and I stared at my screen, my grin stretching so wide it might’ve split my face in half. I probably looked like an overexcited puppy that just realized it was getting a treat.

But who cared?

I had aninterview.

This was happening.

I just had tonotfuck it up.

Chapter 3

The Prey

The next day, I decided to skip the first class.

I exited the taxi, my heart pounding with excitement and nerves.

“Thank you.”

But instead of a friendly response, he waved his hand dismissively before snatching the bills from my fingers. Rude much.

Shrugging off the cold—both literal and figurative—I focused on the only thing that mattered.Ten thousand dollars.

I checked the location Kyle sent and frowned. The mansion sat far beyond the city, buried in a stretch of forest with no neighbouring houses, but a single estate isolated beneath a blanket of snow.

A knot tightened in my stomach.

As the taxi disappeared down the road behind me, silence swallowed everything. Only the wind weaving through the trees.