My Russian Beast: Standalone Billionaire Romance by Marian Tee Page B

say? Really? Fredericka swallowed hard. “D-don’t promise you’re always gonna call.” Her tone was brusque, but the way it shook at the end killed her. “We both know you won’t. K-knowing you, you’d be too busy working and flirting you’d forget me in a blink.”
    But Sergei only chuckled, saying nothing.
    Frustration filled her, and she choked, “I mean, who am I to you, right? I’m probably just a nuisance.” As soon as the words came out, Fredericka wished she could bite off her tongue. I’ve hit rock bottom, she realized sickly. She had become what she swore she would never be – one of those clingy girls who acted like they couldn’t survive one second without a guy at their side.
    Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and told herself there was still time to change. In fact, Florida was the best solution right now. Over two thousand miles of distance would teach her how to be happily single. Her move might even pave the way to a new romance and---
    Fingers cupped her chin, cutting through her thoughts as it made her look up, and her gaze clashed with amused dark eyes.
    She immediately forgot all about finding a new romance as her thoughts were once again consumed with despair. He was so beautiful and sophisticated, dammit. Of course he would forget her, and it would hurt so bad!
    “You should go now,” the billionaire advised softly, “if you don’t want to miss your plane.”
    And oh my God, now he was acting like he couldn’t wait to get rid of her!
    “I really am a nuisance to you, aren’t I?” Fredericka couldn’t help choking out.
    “My favorite nuisance,” he murmured gallantly.
    “Ha!” She blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay, thinking that jokes were half meant. She may be his favorite, but he said it himself. She was a nuisance to him.
    “A uniquely adorable nuisance,” he continued as his hands settled on her shoulders, “who’s about to miss her flight if she doesn’t get moving…right now.” And with that, he turned her around so she would be facing the queues.
    And then she felt it, a tiny nudge from behind, as if the billionaire was urging her to get on with it and leave.
    Fredericka walked away without a word.
    When she heard him say ‘take care, pchelka ’, she neither allowed herself to slow down nor look back. Talk to the effing hand, she thought numbly. She boarded the plane in a daze. Wasn’t the Russian billionaire unusually callous in his treatment? Even if he wasn’t as unaffected as she was by their parting, couldn’t he at least… pretend ?
    An assortment of delays had the plane taking off nearly an hour later, and as the force pushed her back against her seat, she told herself firmly, It’s over. That was that for her and the Russian billionaire. Plopping the plane’s headphones in place, she randomly chose a music station to listen to, and a jazz cover of Close to You started to play. For some stupidly sentimental reason, the lyrics reminded her of the Russian billionaire, and her eyes started to tear up.
    Oh no, this couldn’t be happening. She was an adult for God’s sake, and she couldn’t be crying over someone she wasn’t even in love with!
    But despite everything, a lone teardrop still managed to track down her cheek, and it heralded the torrent of tears that followed soon after. Fredericka weepily asked the stewardess for a box of tissues and spent the entire flight crying and blowing her nose as quietly as she could.
    Thank God she hadn’t told Alyx she was arriving tonight, Fredericka thought as she crumpled another ball of tissue and pushed it down inside the vomit bag. She didn’t think she was ready to handle all of Alyx’s questions. Right now, she just wanted to wallow in self-pity.
    Time dragged ever so slowly, but when the plane finally landed, it still felt too soon. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand one last time, she inhaled several times and told herself she could do it. In Florida, she would be