Chapter 97

TESSA

“I want at least seven boys,” he says, puffing up like he’s announcing a noble quest. “A big family where all of us play hockey together. You’re a woman, so you probably wouldn’t get it. But you know the basics of the sport, right? For work?”

I keep my face carefully blank. Not bored, not angry—just neutral enough not to raise suspicion or, God forbid, ‘embarrass my family’ by sinking my fork into his thigh.

“Wow,” I say. “Your future wife will be very lucky.”

Dimitri’s smile slicks across his face like oil. I resist the urge to shudder.

“You’re a beautiful woman,” he says. “Exceptionally beautiful. When you left Russia, I tried finding someone like you. No one even comes close—not even your cousin. And she acts like she’s twice as pretty.”

I flash him a smile, saccharine and sharp. “I couldn’t agree more. You’ll never find a woman as beautiful as me. Honestly, no man deserves a woman of my beauty.”

I lift my glass and take a slow sip