An Heiress for His Empire (Ruthless Russians 1)

So Maddie did and, even more importantly, she talked to Vik about it.

“Yes, the contract your father offered is beneficial to me, but getting married right now is important for you, too.”

“You think I said yes to the whole marriage thing because of the school, don’t you?” Had she?

She’d told herself on that crazy, surrealistic day that was exactly why she needed to consider the idea seriously.

But Vik just shrugged. “Even if the scandal had blown up like it could have, you would not have given up on the school. Romi would have been the public face to run it and you would have been the silent partner as I now will be.”

She loved his confidence in her. The pleasure of it masked the full import of his words for a moment, but then it settled in.

“You will?” When had Vik offered to partner with her and Romi in founding the school?

“We made promises to see one another’s dreams fulfilled. Marriage to you will give me AIH. I’ve told you that I will ensure it provides for your dreams as well.”

Maybe she should have expected something like this, but she hadn’t. “You really are my white knight.”

“I thought you did not believe in fairy tales.” His voice and expression were teasing, but something told her he liked her claim.

“Maybe I just believe in you.” He had always been the exception, the one man she trusted—even when she hadn’t thought she had a reason to.

Refusing to admit it didn’t make it any less true.

“You do,” he said with a mix of implacability and smugness that should have annoyed her.

It didn’t. She liked it. “So certain.”

“Of you? Yes.”

Ultimately, it all came down to that simple truth. She trusted Vik to keep the promises he’d made at the Marin Headlands overlook.

The fact that she was falling in love with Viktor Beck all over again? Well, that was something she didn’t bring up even to Romi.

How could she help it? The man spent more time masquerading as a white knight than a business tycoon.

The wedding was going forward. And soon.

For the ceremony itself, they planned a very small gathering, but the reception would be huge and attended by the cream of society, the scions of the business world and even a few celebrities.

When Maddie’s follow-up therapy appointment conflicted with a meeting with the caterers for their wedding reception, she told Vik she didn’t want to reschedule her time with Dr. MacKenzie.

“You are seeing a therapist?” Vik asked. “Why didn’t I know this?” The latter clearly the only thing that bothered him about her revelation.

“Because I didn’t tell you?”

He made a scoffing sound.

“No one knows except Romi.”

“When did you start seeing him?”

“Her. And right after the skydiving incident.” Maddie had realized she was taking the same self-destructive path as her mother and she wasn’t going to do that. “I saw her weekly for a couple of months and then a few more times after that.”

“I’m impressed.”

“You are?” She had worried a little he would think she was weak for needing to see someone.

“You realized you couldn’t help children if you didn’t deal with your own childhood issues.”

That had been exactly it. “How do you know me so well?” she asked, falling a little more in love with him right then.

“You know the answer to that.”

“You make it a point to get to know everything about the people and businesses you plan to partner with, or take over.”

“Our partnership will supersede all others. Of course, I will know everything about you.”

She liked hearing that, even if it wasn’t exactly true. “But you didn’t know I was seeing Dr. MacKenzie.”

“No.” He sounded chagrined.

Maddie laughed. “Even you are not infallible, Vik.”

“Miss Grayson knew.”

“She’s my best friend.”

“What am I?”

“The man I’m going to marry. The man I’m falling in love with all over again.” There, she’d said it.

What he did with that knowledge was up to him. But one thing she knew, it was time he met Maddie Grace.

Silence stretched between them.

“Vik?”

“I am...honored.”

“Good.” That was better than thinking she was a fool for believing in the emotion.

“You...I...” For the first time in memory, Vik didn’t sound in complete control of his words or his thoughts.

“I don’t expect you to say it back.”

“Good.” The relief in his tone was not complimentary, but she wasn’t surprised by it, either.

“You’ll never lie to me,” she said, as if just making that revelation.

But maybe she understood the depth of his commitment to honesty between them fully for the first time.

“No, I will not.”

That included not claiming to love her when he didn’t, but it also meant that his promises? Were written in concrete as far as Viktor Beck was concerned.

CHAPTER NINE

MADDIE WAS SHOCKED when her father called and asked her to come to dinner. Alone.

They ate in the formal dining room. Even with the leaves removed from the table, it would easily seat six.

Maddie sat to her father’s left and swirled her soup with her spoon, pretending to eat.

Her father didn’t seem any more at ease than she felt.

Finally she gave in and asked, “Why am I here?”

“It’s been a long time since we had a family dinner.”

“There’s a two-page magazine spread to prove otherwise.”

He shook his head, an expression she couldn’t quite decipher on his familiar features. “That is not the same.”

“I’m not sure what you mean then.”

“You and me. Family.”

“We stopped being a family when Mom died.” She didn’t say it with accusation, or even anger.

He could thank the therapist he didn’t know about for that, but it was still the truth.

“It was never my intention for that to happen.”

She couldn’t hold back a small scoffing sound. “You sent me to boarding school within months of her death. I’d say your intentions were pretty clear.”

“That was a mistake.”

Something inside Maddie cracked at that admission, but she merely shrugged. What could she say? Yes, it had been a huge, painful mistake.

Somehow agreeing didn’t seem like the thing to do, though. Not least of which because no acknowledgment now could change the consequences of his choice when she was fifteen.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he admitted with a candidness rare for Jeremy Archer. “I failed your mother and I was terrified of failing you, so I sent you away, hoping they could do for you at school what I was so clearly not qualified to do at home.”

Maddie stared at him as an emotional maelstrom swirled inside her. “Who are you and what have you done with my father?”

It was an old joke, but man, was it appropriate.

Her dad barked out a laugh. “I told Viktor this wouldn’t be easy.”

“He wanted you to talk to me?” Why wasn’t she surprised?

“Yes.” Jeremy sighed. “Viktor thinks our relationship is salvageable.”

“He’s an optimist.”

“He is.”

Giving up on the pretense of eating, she set her spoon down. “You sound surprised by that fact.”

“It’s not a side of him I noticed before.”

“You don’t think his business world-domination plans take optimism?” she asked, only partially tongue in cheek.

Her dad laughed again, this time longer and with more real humor. “I suppose they do.”

“I guess that makes you something of an optimist, too.” Which wasn’t something she’d ever ackno

wledged before.

“Enough of one to believe things could be different for you than Helene.” He sounded like he meant it.

“We all have our demons. I’m learning to cope with mine without jumping out of airplanes.” Maddie could give him that at least.

Her father took a ruminative sip of his wine. “I used to think Helene got into trouble just to get my attention. She seemed to take a perverse pleasure in being written up in the media.”

“She did.”

He looked startled at Maddie’s agreement. “But she was a risk taker before we ever met. You know that, don’t you?”

“She used to tell me stories over her scrapbooks.” It had all sounded so thrilling to a young girl.

Jeremy nodded. “It was one of the things I admired about her.”

“You weren’t the first important man in her life to ignore her.” That was one of the things Maddie had come to realize.