Page 100 of Bought By the Ruthless Pakhan

Sharp heels clicked out a rhythm that struck straight to the heart.

The hallway lights flicked on. A figure stepped into view, familiar yet strange.

Victoria.

She dressed bold. Wine-red velvet slip dress, slit all the way up to the hip, collarbone exposed, skin glowing ivory under the lights. Her full breasts rose and fell with each breath. Everything designed to hook a man was on display, perfectly calculated.

Any other man would've found it sexy as hell. I just felt irritated. Didn't even light the cigarette I'd pulled out.

"Who let you in?"

Victoria wasn't scared off by my cold face. She clicked closer on those stilettos, perfume thick enough to choke on. I wrinkled my nose.

When did she get so cheap? I couldn't even stand to look at her.

"Ivan." She slid onto my lap uninvited, arms looping around my neck. "Such a beautiful night. How could you bear to turn me away?"

Same old Victoria. She knew exactly how to serve herself up like a piece of meat.

I turned my head, grabbed her arm, and hauled her off my lap. "How did you get in here?"

I'd specifically told the guards to keep her out.

Victoria's face crumpled. "I missed you."

Tears dripped down, landing on my pressed slacks.

I pulled my foot back in disgust. "Answer my question. How did you get in here?"

Victoria wouldn't answer. She just kept sniffling and pressing closer. "Ivan, remember how close we used to be?"

Her fingertips brushed my collarbone, deliberately teasing.

Before Anna, maybe I would've been moved by this scene—

Victoria was a flawless beauty. She knew how to stoke a man's desire. But now? I just felt uncomfortable all over, like a fly had landed on my skin.

Honestly, my marriage to Victoria was a family arrangement.

I'd never been head over heels for her, but I'd treated her as a lifelong partner. Respected her. Cared for her. Anything she wanted, I could lay at her feet.

But the moment she betrayed me, we had nothing left to say.

I stared at her, eyes landing on her dark brown hair.

Her deliberate flattery didn't surprise me.

Victoria's last few years had been rough. I'd stripped her of all privileges. She'd wilted like a rose pulled from water, none of that bright, bold energy left. Just a wrinkled shell holding up appearances.

Before, she never would've bent. But now...

Was Anna's appearance making her uneasy?

I wasn't sure.

But I knew for certain that the arousal Anna had sparked in me died the instant Victoria sat down.

She pressed her whole body against me. That soft contact didn't provoke any physical response. Instead, my earlier hardness deflated completely.