Artyom stammered, trying to come up with some excuse. “I’m… sick,” he muttered, his eyes darting nervously toward Nelya.

Lyudmila was barely holding herself together as she stepped through the front door of her apartment. Her body felt heavy, and her stomach churned with a strange, unsettling discomfort. She had barely managed to get through the morning at work, trying to hide the ache that gnawed at her insides. But all she could think … Read more

Liza stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, to his surprise, she smiled. “I think I can help with that.”

Kirill Krasilnikov was in a rush. The night was already late, and he had barely started preparing for his mother’s birthday dinner. Svetlana Eduardovna, the woman who ran the empire, who could command respect just with a glance, was celebrating another year at the country house. Kirill dreaded these family dinners. It wasn’t the grand … Read more