Viktor was in rehab and I had paid the entire thing with the money Milo had given me. Viktor cussed me and called me all sorts of names because he hated that I was forcing him to get the help he needed.
However, at the end of the day, I knew that he would appreciate everything I was doing. What good was my money anyway if it didn't help the man who contributed sperm to bring me into the world?
I also hadn't seen Milo in three days and I didn't make any move to text him or ask him where he had gone. That would only make me look desperate.
He had made it clear that I was nothing but his mistress the last time he visited me. It was obvious that his heart still belonged to his ex-wife.
Otherwise, there was no other reason he had to refuse to pursue anything with any other woman.
In the meantime, I was looking for something to do. I always thought I was really good at convincing people to buy items. When I was in high school, I made money by being a saleswoman in a boutique.
I decided if I could do that, then I at least had a stable job that would give me a little income. Unfortunately, no matter how much I tried to look for a job, I was either rejected because I had few qualifications or they took one look at Boris and decided I didn't need one.
I tried to make him stay in the car while I asked for a job and he outright refused. I wondered what his problem was. I was safe in a store.
Plus, I was Milo's dirty little secret. If no one knew we were together, how could someone manage to come after me?
"Boris, this is so unfair. I'm never going to find a job this way." I said.
"It's not safe. This is how it has to be." He said to try and make me understand but I didn't want to.
As I was walking by a gallery, I decided to try my luck. This time, Boris agreed to stand at the exit and wait for me to come out.
A lady in a skirt suit came up to me and smiled.
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"Oh, I was just looking for a job. I could help sell paintings."
She sized me up as she was trying to figure out if I was worth hiring or not.
"We're not hiring," a girl said from behind her but she held out her hand as if to silence the girl who had just spoken.
"If you sell ten paintings within two hours then I will hire you," she said. She had an English accent which indicated she wasn't a Russian native.
I was too concerned with the fact that I had gotten a job to even weigh the extent of it. Ten paintings in two hours were way too many to sell in such a short time considering galleries barely sold a painting in a single day.
However, I wasn't going to give up. As soon as I was given the go-ahead, I put on my charming smile and coerced people to get themselves some paintings. I pitched the paintings like customers needed them the same way they needed air to breathe.
Some bought into it while others didn't. Either way, I sold paintings. I focused on making sure to get to know what a person needed and the perfect painting for their preference.
It wasn't that hard to sell the paintings since the artist behind them was also very talented. They were really good paintings but expensive which explained why the gallery was found in the better parts of town.
By the time the two hours lapsed, I had only sold six paintings. I got ready to be told to leave but the English lady looked at me with a smile on her face.
"I knew you had it in you the minute I saw you. You have a way with people. You can convince someone to jump off a bridge and for you, they would."
I laughed at her words.
"That's an exaggeration," I said.
"I know a soul-whisperer when I see them. You just don't know that you can get people to do what you want. Don't waste that kind of talent."
"But I didn't even sell ten paintings…"
"Don't be ridiculous. That was an impossible task. One would even argue that to sell six paintings in two hours is impossible. You're hired!" She said, "My name is Grace and welcome."
I screamed and hugged her. We discussed my rates and it was better pay than I had ever gotten before. I was so impressed with myself that I forgot all about Boris. It wasn't until Grace mentioned him that I finally remembered he was there.
"Make sure your bodyguard is lowkey and won't push customers away," she said.
"Don't worry about him. He's supposed to remain low-key. He won't bother anyone."
Boris came inside the gallery and blended in as one of the staff members. Even though he was covered in tattoos, he still had a charm to him that made people not suspect him as a member of the Bratva.
I sold paintings the whole day and enjoyed myself in the process. I got to dress like a classy office lady—the kind of wear I never thought would ever be on my body.
As a girl who never went to college, the chances of a corporate job were next to none.
It was the end of the day and the gallery was almost closing when a customer came in. Two guards walked in front of him and assessed the surroundings and he came in with two more guards behind him.
"He's the Capo dei Capi of the Italian Mafia. Make sure you address him with a lot of respect. Don't do anything that will upset him. I hear he has a very short fuse."
My heart was racing as I looked at him. It wasn't because I was scared of him or that he made me nervous. It was because I knew him. I had met him before when I didn't know who he even was.
Maximo.
"Is the Italian mafia even allowed in Russia?" I asked.
No one answered. Instead, Grace pushed me towards him and rushed away.
Maximo approached me with confident steps. His sharp blue eyes pierced into me the closer he got. I swallowed all the fear I felt and plastered a smile on my face.
"We meet again…" he paused as he read the name tag on my shirt, "…Emilie. Weird, I could have sworn your name was Cassie. Although I have to admit that Emilie suits you better."
I fumbled to defend myself but nothing came out of my mouth. I closed and opened it a couple of times, aware that I had been caught in a lie.
"I-I—"
"You never thought you would ever see me again," he replied. "No hard feelings. This is fate playing its tricks on us. Our paths were meant to cross again."
He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it.
"You're way too gorgeous to work. If you were mine, I would take care of you for as long as you lived."
I cleared my throat and pried my hand from his. He may have been charming but he was also a man that was dangerous. There was mischief in his demeanor and I could tell he was trouble before I even got to know him.
I wasn't sure he was the kind of man any woman would be lucky to have. There was something off about him.
"Let me show you some paintings. You could tell me what you want so I can guide you into what you're going to buy."
The entire time he was there, I spent trying to get him to buy a painting but he was more concerned with staring at my body than he was at looking at paintings.
"Come on a date with me," he said.
I smiled and shook my head. "That is not a good idea. If you're not going to buy a painting then maybe I should go to other customers."
I started to walk off but he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. Boris came rushing towards us in an instant. He glared at Maximo like he was urging him to let go of my arm.
"Let her go," Boris said.
Maximo's guards stepped forward to defend their boss but he held out his hand to stop them.
"Boris, was it you that day at the ball preventing me from taking her home? I've never seen you five feet away from your master. You're always wiggling your tail around him wherever he goes. She must be special for him to give you to her."
I didn't understand a word Maximo was saying but he was causing a scene.
"I think you should leave," I said and I was serious. I didn't want to lose my job on the first day.
"I'll see you soon, bambina."
He walked off but not before he bought off all the paintings in the gallery. I didn't know whether to be angry or worried that yet another Mafioso leader had taken an interest in me.