Maximilian Rockford’s arm went around Seri’s stiff shoulders before drawing her closer to him. Dressed in a lab coat over his black suit, he looked more like a model posing as a doctor, when in truth he was a scientist-in-training who happened to be exceedingly attractive.

Plan Fucking B, Vassi thought tautly. Seri’s Plan Fucking B was standing right in front of him, and if he had any ounce of pride left, he would have simply turned away and they could go to hell for all he cared.

But he could not.

Conscious of the way almost everyone in the lobby was looking at them, Vassi forced himself to maintain his tight-lipped smile even as his teeth clenched behind it. Seri might no longer care about their family –

No, it was his family now, and Vassi would be damned if he would allow for any rumors that could make Fyodor sink further into the black hole he was already drowning in.

The hazel-eyed graduate student looked down at Seri with visible concern. “I’m sorry for just coming now. Did I make you wait too long?”

Vassi watched Seri shake her head with an adoring smile. “You’re just in time.”

Classic gold-digger look, Vassi thought sickly.

Was this truly the girl he had loved almost his entire life?

Wanting this to be over with, he offered his right hand to the other guy, forcing Maximilian to release Seri to shake Vassi’s.

“Rockford.” Gripping the man’s hand tightly, Vassi said with practiced charm, “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Grachyov.” Maximilian squeezed the other man’s hand back just as hard. “Good to see you, too.” Releasing Vassi’s hand, he wasted no time drawing Seri back to his side, his arm going around her waist as he murmured, “I hope you haven’t given your little sister a hard time about dating me.”

“Why should I?” His voice was curious, even perplexed. “While I do want to talk to Seri about her ongoing misunderstanding with our father, other than that---” His broad shoulders moved in an elegantly dismissive shrug. “She’s eighteen now. She can do whatever she wants, and I won’t stop her.”

Seri was having a hard time hanging on to her fake smile. God, she was such a fool. He had only wanted to speak to her about Fyodor. Only Fyodor, she thought painfully, and not the way he had loved her---

Or thought he loved her.

“I’m so lucky,” she managed to say softly, “that I have a brother as understanding as you.” Looking up at Max, she asked, “Aren’t we going to be late for your reservation?” Her eyes pleaded with him to ride along.

Not missing a beat, Max turned to Vassi, saying, “I’m afraid your beautiful sister’s right. We need to go now. Let’s catch up next time.”

Seri fluttered her fingers at Vassi. “See you.”

Vassi watched the two leave.

Plan Fucking B was clearly sailing smoothly. One only had to observe the way Rockford looked and talked to Seri---

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the other man placed a ring on Seri’s finger soon, and his jaw tightened at the thought.

Damn it.

Why the fuck did he still care?

Turning away so he would be spared the sight of the two holding hands as they walked out of the building, Vassi headed back to the elevator to get to the basement parking. The doors slid open almost right away, and their co-actress Daniela almost barreled into him as she came flying out of the elevator.

“Oops, sorry, oh, it’s you!”

The rush of words was typical of Daniela, who he had been working with for years, and despite his mood, Vassi found himself smiling briefly as he helped her regain her balance. Older than him by a year, the half-Italian girl had a pixie-like beauty with her boyishly cut hair, large dark eyes, and small, triangular face.

“What were you in a hurry for?” he asked.

“Well, I was hoping to catch you.” She grimaced. “I thought you were about to leave, and I had a favor to ask.” She showed him the rolled-up script in her hand. “It’s actually your sister I need a favor of, but since I don’t really know her well, but umm, then---” She paused, and in an almost embarrassed voice, she whispered, “I saw you from the third floor, you know.”

He gazed at her quizzically. “And?”

“I’m used the glass lift?”

She actually looked pained…for him. Marveling at that, he asked, “And?”

She cringed. “Come on, dude. Do I really have to spell it out?”

He said honestly, “I have no idea what you’re getting at.” But then, he thought in amusement, Daniela had always been like this. Even though she was now considered one of the industry’s fastest-rising models and predicted to follow in Cara Delevingne’s footsteps, he had found her unchanged in all the years they had found themselves working on the same campaigns.

She was still tactless, clumsy, amusing. In fact, she was like the little sister he had always wanted---

“I saw the way you looked at her.” Daniela looked up at him unblinkingly. “At your stepsister Seri.”

His smile disappeared, and this time his voice was noticeably cooler as he said, “I’m afraid I still don’t see what you’re getting at.”

And if she knew what was good for her, Vassi thought, she would drop it then and there.

But Daniela being Daniela, she didn’t.

“All I’m saying,” she said in an unusually serious voice, “is that I caught you looking at her the way I used to look---” Her lips curled in an unusually self-mocking smile. “Who am I kidding? It’s the way I still look at my stepbrother. But because I held myself back, he’s married another girl, and now every stupid holiday I have to play the doting aunt when what I really wanted to do is to play house with him.”

When he didn’t speak, she made a face, saying wryly, “Why am I not even surprised you’re not saying anything?”

“Because there’s nothing to say,” he said simply. “You’ve misread---”

“Yeah right.”

He said mildly, “You’re bordering on slander.”

She pretended to shudder. “So scary.” Daniela shook her head. “But hey, it’s your life.”

“It is.”

“But if I can only say one last thing---”

Vassi let out an exasperated sound.

“I’m serious. Just one last thing, and it’s…” She was blinking furiously all of a sudden, and her voice had a scratchy note to it as she muttered under her breath, “If I could do it all over again---” Her voice turned fierce. “I wouldn’t have held back.”

Daniela’s head lowered, and he watched her take a deep breath.

When she looked up, it was the old Daniela again, with the same carefree smile. “Now, about that favor.” Her tone turned wheedling. “It’s my first time to do something like this, so I’m nervous as hell.”

“It’s my first time to do voice acting as well,” he reminded her.

“You’re too beautiful for people to ever hate, Grachyov,” she dismissed. “Your voice acting can be absolutely shitty, but the fangirls will still love you.”

His lips twitched. Daniela had been the only girl he had worked with who had insisted on calling him by his last name, and in return he had taken to calling her---

“Your jealousy is showing, D.”

She stuck her tongue out. “Shut up. I’m simply telling the truth, however unfair it is.”

He shook his head at her in feigned disappointment. “It’s not my fault I will always turn more heads than you ever can.”

“Oh my God,” she groaned. “You’re so full of it.”

“I’m simply telling the truth,” he said piously, “however unfair it is.”

Red-faced with irritation, she slapped his shoulder with the script. “It’s guys like you I hate the most.”

“You’ve been telling me that for six years now.” Snatching the script from her hands, he unrolled it, asking, “What’s the favor, then?”

Squirming, she said, “I think I’m just going to ask her myself---” Her voice trailed off as Vassi glanced up.

“Are you implying anything?” he asked pleasantly.

“Nope, and will you stop looking at me like that? It’s seriously terrifying.” Taking a deep breath, she admitted reluctantly, “I was hoping you could ask your sister to give me pointers.”

He nodded. “That won’t be a problem.”

She brightened. “Really?”

He pressed the up button for the elevator. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” The doors slid open and he stepped inside. “Are you heading back up?”

Daniela shook her head. “I’m done for today. Thanks again.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“Tomorrow.” Daniela’s fingers curled into a fist.

Grinning, he bumped his fist with her. “You really haven’t changed at all.”

The doors slid close, and now that he was alone, Vassi’s face turned grim.

He took his phone out and sent a message to the guy heading the family corporation’s security department.

Full report: Daniela Martin.

While he didn’t think Daniela was the type to tattle on him and Seri, it didn’t mean he was willing to take any chances.

The security officer replied immediately.

Understood, sir.

---

Outside the lobby, a limousine remained temporarily parked by the front doors. Inside of it, Seri only managed to tear her gaze away from the scene when Vassi stepped inside the elevator and their co-actress headed to the bar.

Seeing that it was all over, Max told his driver, “We can go now.”

When Max faced her again, she said guiltily, “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“Isn’t there?”

He said calmly, “If you feel guilty because you’re still thinking about him while you’re with me---” He shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. Forcing yourself to forget him will only make you think of him more and---” His lips formed a crooked smile. “That’s definitely something I don’t want.”

Max slowly reached for her hand across the wide space that separated them, giving her all the time in the world to move away.

But she didn’t.

His fingers found hers.

“You can cry if you want, Seri.”

Silence.

And then she looked at him, whispering brokenly, “That’s the thing, Max. I want to. But I can’t. I want to cry so it can be over, but I just can’t.”