Chapter 65

Mia

Albert glared down at him, his face a mask of anger. “I warned you, didn't I?"

Ethan, writhing in pain, tried to crawl away, clutching his injured hand. “You can’t do this! I’ll—”

Albert turned to look at Emma then to me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, unable to say much else. Albert ordered a pair of guards to drag Ethan away.

"Tally up his debt. And hold him until I figure out what to do with him."

As Ethan was dragged away by Albert's men, his screams fading into the distance, I stood there, stunned. Albert was a different person tonight—his demeanor was colder, more menacing than I’d ever seen before. The tiredness in his eyes spoke of exhaustion and a deep, simmering rage that barely contained itself beneath the surface.

Sasha let out a low whistle. “Never seen Albert like this before,” he remarked, his voice tinged with amusement. "Rough night boss?"

"Getting rougher by the moment."

Albert’s gaze was steely, fixed on Ethan as he was hauled away. His jaw clenched in a way that suggested he was barely keeping his emotions in check. He turned to me, and for a moment, his cold eyes softened slightly, though the anger remained palpable.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his voice rough but genuine.

I nodded, trying to steady my breathing. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for intervening.”

Turning to Emma, Albert smiled a little, though his anger was still palpable. “Are you alright?” he asked, his voice gentle.

Emma nodded, tears of relief streaming down her face. “Thank you."

Albert’s expression remained serious as he took a deep breath.

"What are you doing here?" Albert asked.

Emma shuffled her feet. "It's my fault... That's... He's my husband."

Albert cocked an eyebrow. "Has he tried to hit you before?"

"No, that was the first time but..."

Albert's eyes dropped to her stomach. "From your expression. You seem to know what kind of place this is."

She nodded.

"He won't end up dead," he said. "And you're not going to be held liable for his debts."

Albert pulled out his phone.

“He is going to pay for his actions, though,” he said, his voice low and determined. “Everything he owes will be calculated and collected. If you need me to add any alimony for adultery to that tally, or you need any evidence, free divorce, let me know. I'm sure he's been caught on camera plenty of times. He's a regular.”

She nodded. "Thank you... really."

“Do you need a lawyer?” he asked gently. "I'd be happy to introduce you to one."

He looked up and lifted his hand. I turned and saw Paulina heading this way. I could not believe my luck. She glanced at me, glared, and her expression smoothed back out to a mix of professional detachment and helpfulness.

She greeted Emma warmly, offering her a reassuring smile.

“You need me, Albert?"

I bristled at her tone, hating the familiarity of it.

"You handled divorces sometimes, don't you? Vicious ones?"

She smiled at me pointedly. " I'm pretty good at getting the most money out of an unworthy spouse as possible, yes."

He gestured to Emma. " This woman's husband has been cheating on her and is wrapped up quite a bit of debt in this casino and maybe a few others. Do you have space on your roster to take her on as a client if she needs it?"

Her smile turned brittle, and I almost smirked at her.

"I'd... be happy to help," she said and turned to Emma, offering her a card. " You can reach me at this office if you need it."

Emma looked between the two of them, but accepted the card.

"Thank you but I don't think it'll be necessary. My parents have their own team of vicious lawyers."

Albert nodded toward a guard. "If you could take this woman to get refreshments for a moment and get security to start getting the tapes together for her husband?"

"Right this way, ma'am. We have an assortment of mocktails..."

Albert turned to me, his expression soft, seemingly more like the Albert I knew now, though the shadows of the night still lingered in his eyes.

"Can we speak privately, for a moment? It won't take long."

My stomach jolted, but I nodded. He gestured ahead of him and led me away from Sasha and Polina.

We walked silently for a while. His demeanor was still somewhat rigid as we headed toward the back room of the casino. Soon, I was in a gaudy office that matched the over-the-top decor on the main floor. When the door closed behind us, the tension between us was palpable.

“How did you get here?” I asked. "I didn't think you had a casino in the city."

He glanced around briefly before responding. His tone clipped but informative. “It was Elio’s. I'm doing my rounds.”

I winced at that. I wanted to know what that meant and I didn't want to know. Had Elio just paid Albert reparations or had something else had happened.

I frowned at the thought. “How much of your money is made under the table?”

Albert met my gaze steadily. “Personally, none of it. My company is a source of all of my income, and it's all above board. The organization is a different story, but I keep my hands clean... How did you get mixed up with the Bennetts' daughter?”

I blinked. "I had no idea she was related to your client... And honestly, tonight has been kind of a whirlwind of my own making... One moment, I was getting my scrubs. The next moment, she was calling me a homeworker, and now we're here, and I've punched her soon-to-be ex-husband."

He snorted, a bit of light returning to his eyes. "You've had a busy night..."

I nodded, searching for something else to say.

"Is the Bennett thing going well?"

He smiled. "I have a feeling you'll find out the answer to that question before I will. You want to go persecute her husband with her, after all. I hear that makes friends for life."

I chuckled at that.

Albert’s voice softened as he asked, “Are you okay? And your mother?”

"I'm... mostly okay. Mom's up and stable... It’s been a rough day all the same.”

He nodded, his expression serious. “And again, I'm sorry for that..."

Silence stretched between us. I cleared my throat.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"The arrangements I've made for you, according to the prenuptial agreement." I tensed, thinking back to Polina. "For starters, the guards and security will remain in place until after the divorce is finalized. That’s the day after tomorrow. Sasha and Nikki will be head of your team unless I need them. In their place you'll have Gevork and Osvald.”

He pulled out his phone and typed. A few moments later, I got a message, but I didn't check it.

"Is a list of people and cars that will be assigned to you after the divorce is final."

"After?"

"I can't trust that everything will be resolved just because we're no longer married. I meant what I said when I said I was going to look after you and your mother."

My heart fluttered and I nodded. "Thank you... for that."

"The penthouse is cleared out. So, whenever you want to move your mother in. It'll be ready for you. I've taken all of the decorations out, so you should have fun decorating. I've set aside a separate account for that as well and transferred the deed to you. You should start getting the cards and the deed in a few days, but the virtual card information should be hitting your email soon."

"I can't..."

"Mia," he said softly. "I've put you in... immeasurable danger. This is the least I can do."

I looked at him, remembering the post-nuptial agreement Polina had brought up.

“It's just... after being called a gold digger and that post-nuptial agreement Polina wanted me to sign--”

Albert’s brow furrowed, a hint of frustration in his eyes. “What?"

"She showed up at the hospital. I sent her off, but still."

He cursed. "I’ll get to the bottom of it. There’s nothing else you need to sign, though. If she shows up again, call me. I'll deal with it.”

I offered him a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you again. Not just for tonight, but in general."

He stood and drew closer. "Until it's done... You have no reason or need to thank me...Wife."

My stomach jolted at the depth of his voice when he said it. Heat bloomed in me. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, it felt like we might bridge the distance between us. But just as our faces leaned in, a sharp knock on the door broke the moment. I could see the longing in his eyes and felt it tugging at me.

Neither of us moved. I was almost sure we would kiss anyway, then the knock came again.

"Boss?"