Contract Marriage: Married to My Ex-Husband's Alpha Stepfather [BL]

Chapter 174: A Beautiful Smile To Hide The Pain

[FROLO]

"You can’t just kick everyone out of your life because you’re working! Who the hell are you even working this hard for! Yaroslav is old enough and has his own company to run, isn’t he?

"Or is daddy dearest supposed to spend his life working through and through until his son grows older and has great-grandkids of his own?" Irina sighed defeatedly, her voice a little lower.

Katya felt her frustration.

All Sergei ever did lately was work and work and work.

It was unhealthy.

Maybe he needed to step out there and even try going back to killing people, which he always did on some days, right? It sounded like a relief for him, better than sticking his head into work.

’Are you encouraging murder, Chairman Romanov?’

Goodness, his subconscious really needed to shut the fuck up.

"You need to shut up, Irina."

Oh... Katya mused on the coincidence of thoughts and statements.

"Sergei, please... You can’t go on like this. You won’t even talk to Anya," Irina pleaded.

Katya paused at that.

He knew Sergei’s relationship with Anya was tight like a guardian and a son. If Sergei wouldn’t talk to Anya... then it had to be really bad.

They were family. Had they fought?

Katya wondered, even though he knew that it was almost impossible for those two.

When Katya had done his homework on the Moskowsky family months ago, he’d learned that Sergei and Yaroslav only had Anya in their lives.

She was Sergei’s anchor to humanity for some reason. But if Sergei was pulling away, then this wasn’t good.

Katya was worried.

’And why would you be worried about your former jailer’s sanity? What is it to you?’

He wasn’t worried, like his subconscious was mapping right? Besides, Sergei wasn’t his jailor. Sergei had saved him more than once.

’Rightttt...’

Katya let out a muffled groan. Before focusing on the conversation that had clearly escalated.

"Ah, so that’s why you are here? She sent you, didn’t she?" Sergei asked in disappointment, like this wasn’t what he was expecting from his girlfriend.

Poor thing.

"What?" Irina asked, surprised.

"Listen, Irina. I’m too tired for this shit. If it’s money you want, you already have a card that can’t be maxed out. If it’s my attention, you already got enough of it to last you three months.

"If it’s your damn Instagram posts. You have enough photos to post. So why don’t you leave me to live my life while you go find yourself a new boyfriend?" Sergei said, and Katya felt bad for Irina.

She needed to walk away and come back later before they both did something they could regret.

The mad man obviously wanted to be in his own cocoon, and Irina trying to force him out of there wasn’t going to help one bit.

Katya knew it so well.

"I miss you," Irina said quietly, her voice soft and resolved.

"And I need to work," the alpha said flatly, like that was what mattered the most.

"I don’t want a new boyfriend," Irina said, like she was begging.

Damn, this was a lot.

Could the woman just choose herself?

’Yeah, right... Look who’s giving relationship advice now.’

Great, his subconscious was now his enemy.

"Then get out of my office while I can still stand you," Sergei said flatly.

"Fine. I’m leaving. It’s hard enough being in a relationship with you. You know what? We’re done. Don’t call me again, ever. Also, just know that one of these days, you’re going to push everyone who cares about you away. Then you’ll be left alone and married to your stupid work. I wish you a happy life with your work!" Irina shouted in anger and disappointment.

Yeah, she was definitely mad.

"Yeah, that’s the plan," the alpha said, his voice calm like he had reached his tipping point, too.

And that right there...

For some reason, it hit Katya in some way.

He felt bad for the alpha.

No, this was not just bad.

He felt like he was watching someone fade away into the worst of ways, and he couldn’t let that happen for some reason.

Yet he knew Sergei too.

If Sergei couldn’t listen to the woman he loved and was choosing a breakup over her constant worry for him. What good would Katya do for him then?

’Aren’t you a curious little thing chairman Romanov?’

I’m human.

’Right. Because Irina is an alien.’

You don’t understand.

’Don’t I?’

What’s your deal anyway? You’re supposed to be on my side!

’I only asked a question. What’s there to be defensive about?’

Shut up.

’Okay, Mr. Worried and curious chairman.’

Meanwhile, behind the doors...

"Have a nice life," Irina said as she stomped toward the door.

Katya stayed hidden in the nearest empty office, peeking to see a pissed Irina hurrying out, cursing Sergei in every language she could think of.

And Katya stared at her retreating back, wondering what the hell was happening.

He had just listened to Sergei and Irina breaking up, and it wasn’t in the nicest of ways. Yet he couldn’t even understand shit about it other than the fact that Sergei was not eating or sleeping.

Was the alpha doing alright?

’Alright, people don’t run from life.’

Why would Sergei lock out Anya from his life when everyone knew they were tight-knit?

’Wouldn’t you like to know? How about you just knock on his door and ask him nicely?’

Lunch forgotten, Katya went back to his office with more questions than she had when he clocked in earlier.

The man who had saved him was falling apart and pushing everyone away.

It was something that Katya wasn’t sure he needed to ignore.

The breakup wasn’t his problem...

The alpha overworking himself and drowning in work was and Katya felt the need to fix that.

It was one that he didn’t understand, but a part of him just assumed it was because he was being thankful for Sergei’s kindness.

But then what were the odds that Sergei wouldn’t treat him worse than Irina and that breakup that was unhinged?

Then again, this wasn’t the first time Katya had heard about Sergei not sleeping or even spending more time working than taking care of himself.

"Rahim, please order my usual lunch. Two separate packs," Katya said when he got back to his office.

"Two?" Rahim asked, unsure.

"Yes. One for me. The other for Mr. Moskowsky," Katya said, and Rahim choked on air.

"My apologies, sir, but did you say... Mr. Moskowsky?"

"Yes. Will that be a problem?"

"No, sir. I’ll process it."

"And let me know whether he eats it or not. You can ask Volkov about it later."

"Yes, sir."

"Rahim?"

"Sir..."

"Don’t tell him it was from me."

"Okay, sir."

Katya knew he was gambling on a new and dangerous area. But someone had to try.

He had to, even if from a distance.

Would it work, though?

Meanwhile, the secretary group chat was exploding.

"One is a blind bat, the other is dedicated to suffering because of the blind bat."

"Maybe we should lock them up in the same room for a month."

"I see you don’t love your life."

"Hold on... Senator Aleksandr is here for the chairman."

"There goes our peaceful day."

"Lunch delivery is here too. This is going to be interesting."

"That usually ends in murder... Don’t say that."