Chương 2 - The Unwilling Guest
The entire restaurant seemed to hold its breath.
Cassidy kept her heart rate steady through sheer force of will.
She knew the golden rule of surviving dangerous men was never to show them your pulse.
“I am not a spy, sir,” Cassidy answered in perfect English.
“I am simply a waitress trying to pay off a mountain of medical debt.”
Victor stared at her, dissecting her micro-expressions for any sign of deception.
Dominic was practically vibrating with rage at being ignored at his own table.
“Simon!” Dominic barked across the room, snapping his fingers at the general manager.
“Fire this arrogant woman right now and get her out of my sight.”
Simon hurried over, his face pale and dripping with nervous sweat.
“I am so sorry, Mr. Pierce, I will have her removed immediately,” Simon stammered.
Victor held up a single, thick finger.
Simon froze mid-step, terrified of the imposing oligarch.
“The girl stays,” Victor commanded with a voice like grinding stones.
“In fact, she is going to sit down right here and translate the rest of this negotiation.”
Dominic looked as if he had been physically struck.
“Victor, be reasonable, this is a highly classified corporate merger,” Dominic protested.
“She is an untrustworthy peasant who serves food for a living.”
Natalia finally spoke, her voice dripping with venomous elegance.
“She speaks better Russian than you do, Dominic,” Natalia noted coldly.
Victor pulled out the empty chair beside him and gestured for Cassidy to sit.
Cassidy knew that refusing an oligarch in public was a death sentence.
She carefully placed her silver tray on the serving stand and sat down at the table.
Simon backed away in sheer panic, abandoning her to the wolves.
Victor pushed a thick leather folder across the table toward her.
“Read page four, little bird,” Victor instructed.
Cassidy opened the file and scanned the complex Cyrillic text.
It was disguised as a logistics contract, but the technical terms were unmistakable.
They were not negotiating the sale of cargo ships.
They were negotiating the transfer of military-grade ballistic guidance systems.
Cassidy looked up, her blood running cold.
“Well?” Victor asked, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
May you like
Before Cassidy could speak, she felt a sharp pressure against her ribs beneath the table.
Dominic had leaned over, pressing the muzzle of a silenced pistol directly into her side.
