82

[ARTEMY]
I didn’t know how long I stayed like this. Hours maybe, but I couldn’t move. Eventually, a knock sounded on my door, and I opened my eyes. “Come in,” I ordered. The door opened to reveal Tiffany, one of the maids, holding a tray.
“Mr. Loskutov, Brayden told me to bring your dinner to your office,” she said.
Dinner? Looking at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was already past seven.
“Place it on the coffee table,” I replied before closing my eyes again. I expected to hear the door close, but when none of that happened, my eyes snapped open.
Tiffany was standing in front of my desk. Her eyes roamed over my chest, and she bit down on her lower lip. “Artemy,” she started, her voice turning more sultry and softer. “You look really stressed out. Can I help in any way?”
With a sigh, I closed my eyes again. I used to fuck her. A pastime when I needed the distraction. But since Rebecca came into my life, not once did I think of going back to Tiffany. Rebecca had my absolute attention.
I felt something on my crotch, and my hand quickly snaked around Tiffany’s wandering fingers, stopping her movement. “Get the fuck out of here,” I snapped, pushing her hand away.
“I can make you feel good. Like always,” she whispered in my ear.
“No. Leave.”
I heard her frustrated sigh as she moved away. But Damian’s words echoed in my ears, and my fists clenched in anger as I fought for control.
Come to your senses before it’s too late. Get rid of her. Build that fucking wall around your heart again. Don’t do the same thing I did.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
My eyes snapped open, and I moved my chair back. Standing up, I quickly grabbed Tiffany’s hand, and I pulled her toward me.
I placed a hand on her back and pushed her front against the desk, bending her forward so her ass was pushed back. I heard her gasp of surprise, but then she moaned, moving her ass against my cock.
“Fuck me, Artemy.”
I grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back. “Don’t tell me what to do,” I hissed in her ear.
“Hmm, okay. Do whatever you want,” she murmured huskily. Releasing her hair, I moved her dress upward until her red lace thong was visible.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the words, my fingers digging into Tiffany’s hips. Blindly moving my hand to her thong, I ripped it away and dropped it on the floor. I let go of her to unbutton my slacks and pulled my cock out.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
I kicked her legs open, my body pressed against hers. Without touching her, I already knew she was wet and ready for me. The tip of the soft cock brushed against her inner thigh. Tiffany let out a moan and wiggled closer to me.
At the sound of her moan, my eyes snapped open. Fuck. No.
What the fuck am I doing?
Pushing away from her body, I stumbled back, completely horrified at what I was about to do. I couldn’t this. Not to my Rebecca. She trusted me. She gave me herself. I couldn’t betray her like this.
Shame filled my body, and I sucked in a painful breath. “Get out. Get the fuck out now,” I growled, zipping my pants again.
“But…” She glanced over her shoulders, her face a mask of confusion. Just then, the door crashed open, and I saw Brayden coming in. He took his gun out and pointed it at Tiffany.
“Get out before I blow your fucking brains out,” he snapped. Tiffany gasped in shock and fear before quickly bending down and grabbing her ripped panties. She ran out of the room, closing the door behind her with a bang.
“Are you serious?” Brayden roared at me, his eyes glistening with anger and disgust.
“Don’t.” I raised a hand, but he talked over me.
“Were you going to fuck her?”
“No!” I quickly answered. “I stopped.”
Shaking his head, he walked toward me. “Are you really going to let your father’s words take over your head? Are you going to let him control your life?”
“No,” I growled.
Brayden shook his head. “What’s Rebecca to you?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Brayden. None of this was supposed to happen. My plan was to get close to Rebecca to make her reveal her truth. We had to know if she was a traitor. That was the fucking plan,” I snapped, running my fingers to my hair in frustration.
That was the plan from the beginning. Get close to Rebecca, gain her trust, and make her reveal her truth. But it didn’t end that way.
“I wasn’t meant to feel anything,” I ended brokenly.
“I know,” he agreed softly. “But that’s not the plan anymore. That plan ended the same day it was made. It ended the moment you gave her your jacket and you felt her tears as if they were your own.”
“He’s right. Rebecca will be my downfall,” I whispered, turning around to face the window.
It was pitch black outside, so similar to the darkness inside of me. I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the glass. “I can’t lose her, Brayden. She is everything.”
“If something happens to her because of me…” I started but didn’t finish the sentence. I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I couldn’t imagine myself without Rebecca. She was a part of me.
“I agree. Damian was right. She is your weakness,” Brayden replied coldly. I sucked in a harsh breath, my chest squeezing tightly in pain.
“But she is also your strength,” he finished. My heart raced at his words, and I opened my eyes, swiveling around to face him.
He nodded with a sigh, his eyes turning slightly softer. “You’ve changed a lot since she came into our lives. Rebecca is your strength. She is the one who’s going to stop you from stumbling in the darkness every time. It’s for you to choose if you’ll let her be your weakness or your strength.”
Sinking down on my chair, I placed my head in my hands. How was I going to protect Rebecca?
“Don’t hurt her, Artemy. After all she’s been through, she doesn’t deserve to be hurt by you.”
“I don’t want to, Brayden. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do.” I spoke my harrowing thoughts, the words tasting bitter against my lips.
“Only you can answer that. Just remember one thing, though.” Brayden paused, and I looked up, waiting for him continue. “She is your Angel.”
With that, he gave me a nod and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
My Angel.
Rubbing my hands over the back of my neck, I tried to relieve the tense muscles there. I spent hours thinking about what Damian and Brayden said. I paced, frustration building inside of me with each passing minute.
The next time I checked the clock, it was almost ten. Rebecca would be waiting for me in the piano room. Closing my eyes, I sighed. Rebecca’s smiling face flashed behind my closed eyelids. After many frustrating hours, I came to only one conclusion.
I needed Rebecca.
Remembering my father’s words from twenty years ago, I stood up.
An angel is the person you can’t see yourself living without. Don’t ever let her go. Because if you lose her, then you will forever be incomplete.
He was right. I would be incomplete without Rebecca. I thought about her sweet voice, gentle touch and kisses, and her loving eyes. She was mine.
As I walked out of my office, I prayed that Rebecca could forgive me. I had to tell her the truth about Tiffany. I didn’t fuck her, but I still touched her. I wasn’t going to lie. Rebecca didn’t deserve anything less.
I also prayed that she accepted me. I wasn’t going to change. I was still the Boss and would be until my last breath. I prayed she was ready for this fucked-up life.
I stopped in front of the piano room and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. All I wanted was to hold her in my arms and forget everything.
Opening the door, I stopped when I saw the room empty and dark.
What the fuck?
Quickly walking out of the piano room, I made my way to our room. I opened the door and saw it was only gently illuminated with the lamp on the nightstand.
Rebecca was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the wall. The soft glow danced over her beautiful face as she sat stoically.
“Rebecca?” I questioned, walking further into the room and closing the door behind me.
“Cold. Ruthless. Heartless. Arrogant. Killer. Unlovable. Artemy Loskutov can’t love or be loved. Those are all the words that you are known as, right?”
Rebecca’s words stopped me dead in my tracks, my heart stuttering at her bleak, distant tone. She let out a small laugh, shaking her head.
“Rebecca, what are you talking about?” I asked, panic welling inside of me. I didn’t like her tone or the way she avoided looking at me. She didn’t sound like my Rebecca.
“I wanted to believe you were different,” she whispered, this time her voice breaking over the words.
I lurched forward, desperately wanting to wrap her in my arms and erase all her sorrow. Rebecca’s head snapped toward me, and I sucked in a painful breath at her expression.
Her eyes were filled with tears, her face red and filled with pain and grief. She looked at me as if I betrayed her.
The look in her eyes was enough to tell me what I needed to know.
No. No. No. I panicked.
“I thought you were different.” She wiped her tears away. “But I was wrong.”