With This Ring

To my horror my eyes filled with tears, and before I could stop them they dropped to the phone screen. Pain like this I didn’t think I’d ever feel again. Only my mom’s death had ever hacked my soul apart like this. I took a deep shuddering breath and tried to get my thoughts together. The longer I thought about it the more livid I became. I got into such a rage I started shaking.

How dare he?

How dare he?

I made some excuse to Britney and quickly got ready. A few minutes later I hailed a taxi in front of our apartment building and headed straight to Citigroup bank. On my way there I called Hailey Carpenter. She handled all my father’s financial dealings in the country before I had completely broken away from being his beneficiary.

It would only be through her that I would be able to go in to do exactly what I wanted to, without being delayed. She knew exactly who and what the name Fedorov meant.

“No need to involve the IRS,” I said to her. “The money will be gone soon. There was an error in transfer from Ivanov holdings.”

“Oh! Ah … alright then,” she said uncertainly. “So what do you want me to do?”

“Arrange so I can withdraw the whole million in cash.”

“Uh … that will not be possible, Freya.”

“Then I want as much as you can get me right now.”

“Maybe … a quarter of a million?”

“That’ll do,” I replied. “I’ll be there soon.”

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Freya

Three hours later, I arrived at Ivanov Holdings with half a million dollars in cash in a shopping bag. I headed straight to the receptionist’s desk and knew in an instant that they recognized me.

The last time I had arrived in a wheelchair, wild haired, and under dressed. This time I was out of a wheelchair, but looked no better. The real difference was my eyes were reddened with rage.

“I want to see Maxim,” I announced.

She tapped away at her computer and then raised her gaze to mine. “Mr. Ivanov is not taking any meetings without an appointment today.”

“Tell him its Freya Fedorov.”

“I can’t do it while the do not disturb sign is on.” She took great delight in telling me that.

I was shaking. “Can you please connect me to his secretary?”

“I need to know for what purpose ma’am. We have to screen callers to the executive secretaries too.”

“Just tell him my name please, he’ll know who is calling.”

“Just a second ma’am.” She tapped away at her computer. “I’m sorry, but its lunch time and he’s currently not at his desk.”

I walked away from the desk and pulled out my phone. I called Maxim, several times and the phone simply rang out. I was running out of patience, tears of red hot anger close to blinding me. I felt so utterly broken, beyond hurt.

I had given my body, and a precious part of me to a piece of shit. He had labeled it worthless and thrown it back into my face. The level of disrespect he had shown me, I was sure, would haunt me for the rest of my days.

All I wanted to do was return the money back to that unfeeling beast.

But that was proving impossible.

I felt a sob grow inside my chest. No, no tears, Freya. He’s not worth it.

I put the shopping bag on the floor and pulled it open to reveal the bundles of cash. I snapped the band of the first bundle of cash and threw it up into the air. Hundred dollar bills flew into the air and rained back down onto the ground. I worked quickly through the bundles. The entire room… I stopped at the sight, but I didn’t give a damn. Security guards started running towards me.

“Excuse me ma’am,” they shouted. “You’re not allowed to do that here.”

“Tell Mr. Ivanov,” I shouted back to them, “that I will keep doing this every day until the money is all gone, and if I am blocked tomorrow from entering the building, that I will do it out on the street.”

I cut another bundle of ten thousand dollars, and flung the notes into the air.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and kept going.

Chapter Sixty

Maxim

Gary burst into the conference room.

I raised my head from the acquisition documents we were reviewing and turned my gaze to him with irritation. The room was filled with twenty executives from seven countries.

“Uh … sorry to interrupt,” he apologized, before adjusting his glasses, and walking over to me. “You should see this.” He held his phone in front of my face, and there she was, and for a while I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.

Then it hit me. Jesus! I rose to my feet.

“Gentlemen, please excuse me. I won’t be too long,” I said to the curious faces around, and walked out, Gary’s phone in hand.