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Prologue

Three Years Ago

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My father’s office made me uneasy Today it orse, because Ilia walked in as I was cleaning the desk He iceto stop the way he looked at me His blue eyes raked over my body and made my skin crawl

He’d been warned not to touch ain

The first time it happened, I didn’t knohat to do He was my father’s employee and had a temper He’d kissed ized

The second tiainst the hallhile ue shoved inat me made me buck and squirm away

I reh and say it wasto keep his hands off

Somehow, no et me alone, and his unwanted advances escalated I stopped wearing skirts after he’d put his hand up one whilewith the Italians one afternoon Ilia was ht hand man, but the Italians were old fashioned and would meet with family only

He threatenedto seduce him Only a few people kneasn’t actually a housekeeper, but Sergey Petrov’s illegiti to let Ilia give hie, marched into my father’s den, and pleaded for help while my eyelashes ith tears

He didn’t believe me

And it broke me almost asleft of me

It was a blessing in disguise, though It focusedit down until it was a sharp point of anger I could wield I fought back against every unwanted stroke or caress, every tiressive and I knewout