The Only Woman to Defy Him by Carol Marinelli Read Free Book Online

tomorrow.
    ‘Demyan...’ She turned around but Demyan didn’t. He was checking his phone and simply ignored her till they were back at the hotel.
    Alina’s doubts about her suitability for the role were only compounded when she was blanked by two of the real estate agents that she attempted to discuss her boss’s property with.
    The third, though, did give her a brief hearing. Libby, the proprietor, gave Alina approximately two minutes of her time.
    ‘My boss is looking to list his residence and I wanted to discuss your marketing strategies—’
    ‘Who is your boss?’
    ‘He’d rather I didn’t give that information at this stage,’ Alina flustered. It was another world and she didn’t know the passwords to enter. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
    ‘The location of his home?’
    ‘If I told you that...’
    ‘The price range?’
    When Alina gave a ballpark figure, she expected Libby’s eyes to widen and for her to show a sudden interest, but instead her lips twitched into a thinly disguised smile. Alina admitted it to herself fully then—she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. ‘Thank you for speaking with me.’
    ‘Here.’ Libby went to a drawer and pulled out a thick glossy folder. Possibly she was just hedging her bets but at least she hadn’t completely dismissed Alina. ‘Of course, when we are talking in that price range, everything is negotiable.’
    ‘I’ll tell him.’
    Again, Libby’s lips twitched into a smile and Alina realised Libby was doing her best not to laugh. ‘Please do.’
    It was all incredibly humiliating and Alina was almost in tears by the time she got back to the hotel.
    Demyan wasn’t there, or possibly he was sleeping off last night’s excesses in preparation to do it all again tonight because the door to his bedroom was closed.
    Alina took out her contract and read it, especially the clause about a twenty-four-hour trial.
    He was probably going to sack her anyway.
    The right thing to do would be to ring Elizabeth but Alina was just too raw for the bitchiness and anger that would certainly ensue.
    There was another reason, though, that had Alina choosing not to return tomorrow, one she quashed down and chose not to examine.
    Yet.
    Yes, she loathed confrontation, so much so that Alina opened the drawer of the bureau and took out the thick creamy hotel paper.

    Dear Demyan,
    I hope you had a nice rest.
    I am very sorry but, as I’m sure you have worked out, I’m not suitable for this role.
    It is not the agency’s fault. I perhaps exaggerated my real estate experience to them, so please don’t hold them accountable.
    Alina.

    Her hand was shaking as she signed her name and she left the note beside his computer, imagining his reaction when he read it.
    He’d wasted an entire day.
    Demyan Zukov, Alina was certain, wasn’t going to be best pleased.

CHAPTER FOUR
    F RIDAY WAS WRETCHED !
    Alina spent the day waiting for the explosion to come from the bomb that she knew she had set off.
    She knew, even though they had exchanged phone numbers, that Demyan wouldn’t be the one to contact her. All day Alina waited for Elizabeth’s caustic call.
    The worst thing was, it never came.
    No, the worst thing was the promise she’d made to herself if things didn’t go well.
    Alina pulled her paintings out of her wardrobe and some other artwork too, trying to pluck up the courage to make a booking for a stall, but when she heard how much it would cost she didn’t follow through.
    Yes, it was a wretched day and a portion of it was spent hiding behind her laptop.
    She didn’t look Demyan up, instead she tortured herself with another name.
    Her father’s.
    Alina did this fairly regularly but always, till now, it had been to no avail, but there her father was on the screen of her laptop, smiling back at her, his wife and three daughters beside him.
    Two years ago Alina had tried to find him but had gotten nowhere.
    Now, with her mother overseas, Alina’s need to make contact with