Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Roman’s POV

Anna’s eyes fluttered open, hazy and confused. “Roman…” she murmured sleepily.

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My eyes shifted down. Her gaze followed mine, and she looked down at her hand, realizing she was clutching my shirt. Her cheeks flushed pink. “Oh. I didn’t… sorry.”

She released me and started to sit up, blinking sleep from her eyes. Then she turned her head and saw Elena.

Anna screamed.

It was a short sound of pure shock. She jerked backward, pulling the duvet up to her chin, eyes wide as saucers.

“Is that a ghost?”

“Calm down.” I placed a hand on her shoulders, but she was already scrambling to cover herself more, even though she was fully clothed in my shirt.

“Who is that?” Anna pointed at Elena, her voice somewhere between panic and confusion.

“It’s just my sister.”

“Good morning, beautiful!” Elena waved cheerfully. “I’m Romans adorable younger sister. I’m guessing he hasn’t mentioned me. I’m Elena.”

Anna stared at her, then at me, then back at Elena. “Sister?”

“The one and only.” Elena stepped closer, extending her hand. “Sorry for the dramatic entrance. I tend to do that.”

Anna hesitantly shook her hand, still looking mortified. “I’m Anna.”

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“Anna. Pretty name.” Elena’s grin turned mischievous. “So you’re the reason my brother stood me up last night.”

“I didn’t. I mean…” Anna looked at me helplessly.

“Elena.” I raised my voice, carrying a warning. “Some privacy. Please.”

“Fine, fine.” She held up her hands in surrender. “I’ll give you both some time to compose yourselves. But you’re coming out

to talk to me. Both of you. I have a meeting later and I’m not leasing until I get answers.”

She turned and left, closing the door behind her with a theatrical flourish.

Silence filled the room.

Anna turned to me, her cheeks still pink. “You didn’t tell me your sister was coming.”

“I didn’t know she was coming.” I ran a hand through my hair. “She has a habit of showing up unannounced.

“Oh

my

“It’s fine,”

God.” Anna covered her face with her hands. “That was so embarrassing.”

“It’s not fine. She saw us in bed together. She probably thinks we

“Anna” I pulled her hands away from her face. “It’s fine. Elena isramatic, but harmless.”

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Chapter 139

“I need to get dressed.” She started to get out of bed. “I can’t go out there looking like this.”

“Take your time. I’ll go talk to her.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Go freshen up.”

She nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

I got up from the bed and headed out to the living room, where stopped dead in my tracks.

A little girl with dark hair was staggering across my floor, her chubby legs shaky beneath her.

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She took three wobbling steps, giggled, then dropped to her knees and crawled the rest of the way to the couch.

Malia, Elena’s nanny, was close behind, hands out and ready to catch her.

And Elena was standing by the window, dressed in a sleek navy dress and heels, looking far too put together for this early in the morning.

My chest tightened. “Lily?”

She had grown so much. The last time I’d seen her, she was barely sitting up on her own. Now she was walking. Well, staggering and crawling, but still. When had that happened?

“Surprise!” Elena sang out, her voice full of that infectious enthusiasm that had always been her trademark. She pointed at Lily. “Say hi to Uncle Roman, baby.”

The little girl turned at the sound of my voice, those familiar brown eyes going wide. Then her face split into the biggest smile, showing off her few tiny teeth.

“Hi!”

She abandoned the couch and came toward me, this time staying on her feet for five whole steps before dropping down and crawling the rest of the way.

“Look at that!” Elena cooed. “She still recognizes you, even though you stopped visiting…”

The guilt hit hard. I shot Elena a look that said not now, but she just raised her eyebrows at me, that knowing smile playi at her lips.

A strange feeling tightened in my chest. I crouched down and she crawled right into my arms, those tiny hands grabbing at my shirt.

I didn’t deserve that trust. Not when I’d been intentionally staying away for months.

“Hey, princess,” I murmured, and she squealed, patting my face with sticky fingers.

“Miss!”

“You missed me?” The words caught in my throat. “I missed you bo, sweetheart.”

I stood up, lifting her with me. She was heavier than I remembered. “When did you start walking?”

“Three weeks ago!” Elena bounced on her heels. “She just started doing it out of nowhere. One day she was crawling, the next she was pulling herself up and taking steps.”

Lily squirmed in my arms, wanting down. I set her carefully on the floor and she immediately took a few wobbly steps

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Chapter 139

toward Malia before dropping to her knees and crawling the rest of the way.

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“Roman,” I said slowly, keeping my eyes on Lily as she reached Malia. “It’s really great to see Lily again. She’s walking now. But I’m not sure about you.”

I turned to face my sister fully. “So tell me the real reason. Why are you here, Elena? It’s barely eleven in the morning, with Lily and Malia.”

My sister only showed up unannounced when she wanted a favor or needed to hound me about something. Usually both.

“Relax.” Elena waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why are you here without calling first?”

“I need a favor.”

“No.”

“Roman, come on. You haven’t even heard what it is yet.”

“I don’t need to. The answer is no.”

Lily had found a throw pillow and was now trying to pick it up.

“I need you to watch Lily today,” Elena said.

I stared at her like she had gone insane. “Absolutely not.”

“Roman, please. I have that meeting with the investor you connected me with. For my perfume line. Remember?”

She gestured at her dress and did a little spin like she was on a runway. “I’ve been preparing for this for months. This could be huge for my business.”

“Then take Lily with you. Or have Malia watch her.”

“I can’t take a toddler to a business meeting, Roman. And Malia can’t stay.” Elena’s expression softened. “Her sister went into labor early this morning. Emergency C-section. She needs to be there.”

“Then call your mother.”

“Our mother,” Elena corrected with a slightly sarcastic note, “is on the family vacation. Everyone went. They’re in the Maldives.”

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