“Once again, thank you for agreeing to work with our company.” Yuki Himura bowed, and beside him, his American girlfriend Katerina, who was also the mangaka, bowed as well.

While Seri bowed in return, she also simultaneously inched towards the door, hoping to be the first one to leave. Even now, her mind was still reeling, unable to comprehend how it was that a project of this scale could actually take such a risk, casting---

No.

Don’t go there, Seri. Not until you’re alone. Not here. Not when he can see you reacting.

As she inched closer to the door, she felt a pair of eyes burning through her back and almost stumbled. B’lyad. She wanted to think she was imagining it, but she knew she wasn’t.

He was staring at her, silently commanding her with his gaze to stop and wait for him.

No way!

She hurriedly reached for the knob and had already opened the door when she heard the young Russian-Japanese scion call out to her, “Ms. Devereaux?”

D’err mo.

The others started to leave, and for one moment Seri seriously considered bolting anyway. She could always pretend she hadn’t heard Yuki Himura call out to her. He would have no reason to think she was lying---

Seri took another step towards the door.

“Ms. Devereaux?” The redheaded mangaka suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking Seri’s only way out. At the same time, she felt a strong, dark presence coming towards her from behind, and Seri knew she was trapped.

The mangaka’s smile was shy but friendly as she peered over Seri’s shoulder. “Mr. Grachyov.”

Someone’s chest pressed alarmingly close to her back, and Seri suddenly had trouble breathing properly. She knew who it was of course, but even so, she did her best to keep his name from crossing her brain.

This was how she had survived the past two months. If it had worked then, it should work now.

“If it is not too forward---” A pause as Yuki came to stand beside his girlfriend. “It would be my pleasure to have you and Mr. Himura call me by my name.” A strong arm suddenly settled around Seri’s shoulders, and she almost jumped.

The arm tightened, drawing her body closer. “I’m sure Seri feels the same.” The man holding Seri peered down at her. “Right, leech?” And this time, there was no avoiding it. No avoiding seeing him, no avoiding thinking of him, no avoiding hurting---

Vassi.

Her knees threatened to give out as Seri stared up at the beautiful face she had tried so, so hard to make herself immune to. Night after night, she had watched endless replays of his various kissing scenes in films and commercials, hoping it would somehow kill her love for this man. But it hadn’t.

All it did was make her…hurt.

The silver eyes staring down at hers were unreadable, and so was the rest of Vassi Grachyov’s perfectly sculpted face despite the polite smile playing on his lips.

Knowing she had to answer, she heard herself say, “Of course.” Somehow, Seri managed to tear her gaze away from Vassi without breaking down. Even so, her vision was blurry for a second, and she couldn’t quite see the couple in front of her properly. “W-we would be honored if you c-called us by our names.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded too shaky, too shrill – it sounded everything that it shouldn’t.

But the couple didn’t even blink. “We’d love to,” the redhead bubbled cheerfully, and her boyfriend seconded this with a nod and a smile. She was about to say something else when her boyfriend shook his head.

“We can talk with them more next time,” Yuki murmured gently. “We have a dinner to go to, remember?”

KC groaned. “Oh, right. I almost forgot.” She gave Vassi and Seri a regretful look. “Catch up with you guys next time?”

Seeing a chance to escape, Seri said quickly, “Actually, I have somewhere I need to be---”

“What a coincidence.” The mocking gleam in Vassi’s gaze was at odds with his smooth tone. “I’ve a pressing engagement to attend as well. Shall we all take the elevator together?”

The mangaka was staring at them in fascination. “You guys…”

To Seri’s surprise, the redhead’s green gaze seemed to be getting a little…dreamy.

Yuki’s angelically handsome face became grim, but his tone remained perfectly polite as he said, “I’m afraid we won’t be leaving right away.” He took his girlfriend’s hand.

The contact seemed to snap the mangaka out of her reverie. She blinked, saw her boyfriend’s face, and turned red. “Did I do it again?”

Yuki Himura’s smile was extremely dazzling. “Yes.”

“Umm…” Seri was surprised as KC started backing away from her boyfriend. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Yuki murmured soothingly even as he began to stalk his girlfriend.

KC suddenly turned away and ran. Yuki caught after her easily, and curving an arm around his girlfriend’s waist, he made KC turn to face Vassi and Seri. “Excuse us please,” he said with a bow just before leading his girlfriend towards what seemed like the CEO’s office.

The door slammed shut behind the couple.

A second later, they heard Yuki half-growling, “You were fantasizing again, senpai!”

“I’m sorry,” they heard KC wail. “I didn’t mean to. I just saw her, and then I saw him and---” The words ended with the kind of whimper that could only mean one thing.

Another whimper followed, and this time there couldn’t be any doubt as to what was happening.

Seri tried to pick her jaw off the floor. “S-should we be concerned?” She wasn’t exactly sure about what she had seen. KC had looked anxious, and Yuki had looked grimly furious. And now those two were alone in a locked room---

Unable to help it, she glanced at Vassi. Old habits died hard, and for so long she had depended on Vassi and the boys to clear things up whenever she was worried or confused.

But while Seri appeared unconscious of the way her gaze spoke of mute appeal, Vassi wasn’t.

Everything inside of him clenched at the way Seri looked at him.

Two months, he thought tautly.

He had not seen her for two months, and in those sixty fucking days that she had not been beside him, he had been unable to keep himself from missing her, from thinking about her, from hating and loving her at the same time.

But even so---

He could not make himself ignore the way Seri was looking at him.

No matter if he now knew her for the heartlessly calculating girl that she was.

He said quietly, “They were like that as well when we first met.” He nodded towards the door. “It’s just Yuki Himura being extremely possessive over his girlfriend. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure?” Seri asked uneasily. “Look at Yuki’s secretary.”

Vassi spared the older woman a glance and his lip curled, thinking that wasn’t worry on the woman’s face but jealousy. “Don’t mind her,” he dismissed.

She was about to protest when she suddenly felt Vassi’s fingers curl around her wrist. “Vassi---”

But he was already pulling her towards the elevator, and she found herself following him, the scorching-hot feel of his touch draining Seri of her will to resist.

When the elevator doors closed, Vassi asked abruptly, “When did you come back?”

“Just yesterday,” she answered stiltedly.

“Have you spoken to Sergei or Misha?”

“No.” Her voice was tight. “And I would rather you don’t talk about either of them.” Because if he did, she would be forced to learn the truth, and she didn’t think she was ready for that yet.

In the two months she had stayed in Tokyo, Seri had deliberately isolated herself from all news back home. She hadn’t gone online a single time and even changed her number. This way, she wouldn’t be able to know if her older brothers had tried to contact her. This way, she could pretend that those two boys didn’t believe that she had betrayed them.

What you don’t know won’t hurt you.

Seri didn’t use to believe in this, but she did so now.

When the elevator doors opened to the lobby, Seri didn’t even pause to think. She wrenched her hand out of his hold and half-ran.

A familiar figure came through the revolving doors, and Seri almost sagged with relief.

Thank God.

“We need to talk, Seri.” Vassi had caught up with her, and once again his fingers encircled her wrist.

“There’s nothing to talk about---”

As if he didn’t hear her at all, Vassi said, “Let me drive you to your place.” His hold tightened on her, and then he was forcing her to turn around to look at him. “Where are you staying now?”

Before she could answer, someone came to stand beside her, and Seri saw Vassi’s face whiten.

I’m sorry, she cried inside of her.

So, so sorry.

But I’m doing this for you.

And she clung to this thought as she once again pulled her hand away from Vassi. Forcing herself to meet his gaze, she said, “I’m staying with Max.”