Sitting in my brother’s office at his house, I stared at Alexandr, Anton, and Abram. They all looked so patient as we waited for a reply from the Morozov family. Yet, inside, I felt a wildfire wreaking havoc. I had to know what they had found out.
We had Roman, Sergei, Evelina, and Leo gathered on their side. They were on the screen before us, but I could see they were looking for something in a stack of files before them. Everyone had a part in the search. Evelina and Leo Morozov were computer whizzes.
They had agreed to recover the burnt camera footage so we could find out who was behind this attack. Glancing up at us, Evelina spoke. “We have gathered a great deal of detail from the footage.”
“A great deal?” I enquired and suddenly remembered some of the intimate moments I shared with Zhenya. I didn’t know who she was at that stage. Should the topic arise, I felt sure everyone would understand. But I didn’t intend to offer up the revelation unless they asked.
Evelina smiled. “Yes, we have,” she added. It felt like she was looking straight at me.
Glancing at my brothers, I wondered if they had noticed the sweat on my brow. But they seemed to be focused on her and not me. This was a relief. I would tell them everything once this was over. But for now, it was a need-to-know thing.
I had to talk to Zhenya and find out her intentions before making any assumptions. I had developed strong feelings for her and wanted to clear the air.
“We have screened the footage and discovered some of the Aslanov men sneaking in minutes before the fire started. We are confident that it was their doing,” Evelina said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“The Aslanovs?” Alexandr asked loudly as he slammed his fist on the table. I could hear the disgust in his tone and his anger coming through.
“Yes,” Roman Morozov responded. “We are grateful that Akim persuaded us not to ally with them.”
Anton smirked as he glanced at me. “Well, it appears that for once in your life, you were right, little brother,” he said. Turning his attention back to the screen, he continued to speak. “So, what now? What do we do?”
Relief washed over me as I realized it was outside forces, not an inside job. I was momentarily worried that some of the Chernykh men had turned on them. Knowing now that Zhenya was a Chernykh, I considered it could have been an act of retaliation from Timofey.
I smiled as I considered my earlier thoughts. He didn’t even know we were seeing each other, so how could I have made such an assumption? The thought now seemed futile.
“Are we going to hit back? This was an open attack on all of us, was it not?” I heard Aleksandr ask.
The Morozovs glanced at each other before Roman spoke. “Yes, it was, and we have to act. But we need a solid plan. We are doing some more digging on them so we can coordinate an attack on all their estates in one go. We will also contact the Chernykhs to discuss their contribution to the fight.”
“They will pay for what they did,” Leo chimed in.
“I must say that we are glad that there was no loss of life,” Abram added.
“Yes, so are we,” Sergei replied. “But more importantly, is our next move.”
The discussion around me faded into the background as my mind went to Zhenya. I almost had a heart attack on my way to the office, knowing she was inside. But I got her out safely. I don’t know what I would have done if she had been injured.
She suddenly occupied every corner of my mind. I battled, focusing on the conversation. I couldn’t get my mind to return to the room. Even though my heart felt like it had been ripped to shreds and she had made a fool of me, I wanted her.
I couldn’t accept that she had been playing me the whole time, and I had fallen for it. I believed what we had was real, but now there were traces of doubt. I knew I had to find a way to meet her in private. We had to talk about this.
Yet, just thinking of seeing her and not being able to pull her into my arms made breathing difficult. Somehow, I had to get a handle on the pain breaking me.
A loud screeching noise came from outside as a couple of cars pulled up to the house. “I’ll go see who it is,” Anton offered as he headed out the door.
“I’ll go with,” I added, following him out. Abram also moved out with Anton. Before I was properly in the foyer, I heard the raised voices. I could hear Anton talking, but couldn’t quite make out what he was on about.
As I turned the corner, I saw it. In the doorway, Anton and Abram held Iosif and Avgust tightly. I suddenly stopped trying to figure out what was going on. Iosif was screaming something, but it sounded more like ramblings than any language.
“I want his head on a stick. No, I want it on a plate!” Iosif yelled, shoving Anton with force.
“Calm down, let’s talk,” Anton replied. I could hear his aggression coming through slowly.
Then Iosif saw me. Our eyes locked, and it was like looking into the heart of a volcano. “You!” Iosif screamed. His voice pierced the air around us. “You fucking did this! I will kill you with my bare hands. I will rip your head off and spit down your throat!”
Alexandr’s guards had also come to see what the commotion was about. Four men stood outside trying to pull Iosif and Avgust back out the door. Yet, they also had the other two Chernykh brothers to contend with.
Aleksandr’s tone was calm as he spoke. “Why don’t you calm down and tell me what happened? What is the reason for this sudden hatred towards Akim?”
Iosif scoffed, trying to pull free from Anton’s hold. I knew this was it; my brothers were about to find out what had transpired between Zhenya and me. Iosif’s anger and hatred came through clearly in his tone as he responded. “Your dearest baby brother took my little sister’s innocence!”
Silence filled the room as his words echoed through my mind. They turned and looked at me. I knew there was no reason to defend myself as the truth would set you free. I met Alexandr’s gaze. Giving him a slight nod, I confirmed it.
I was guilty of this; I had broken the rules of the alliance. Iosif had made it very clear that no romantic alliance would ever be formed between the families. Yet here we were. On top of that, I also took her virginity, and we had an office romance. These were inappropriate.
Then, putting her life in danger over and over again. Well, I had to conclude that it seemed I have fucked up. Alexandr nodded and turned back to Iosif. I didn’t have to say anything. He knew me all too well.
“So,” Alexandr started. “They slept together. I’m positive it was a mutual interaction. She is not a young child anymore, and I’m sure she can and did give consent.”
Iosif pushed and swung at Anton. He almost broke through my brother’s grasp. As our eyes met, he huffed. “You took advantage of my weak and soft sister. She is a child, a helpless one, and you used that against her to get into her pants. You are a disgrace and a scum bag of a man.”
I could take him insulting me, by all means. But the way he spoke of Zhenya, I couldn’t let that stand. I was shocked, realizing how much they looked down on her. They had no respect for her and couldn’t see her capabilities.
I couldn’t take it if he spat out another inaccurate lie about her. I would lose my mind. Stepping closer, I spoke up on her behalf. No man had the right to paint such an awful picture of who she was. “Your sister is an amazing woman. She can look after herself and is one of the hardest-working people I have ever met! She is dedicated and has a brilliant mind.”
It looked like I had smacked Iosif in the face. The room went silent as everyone stared at me. I could see the anger Iosif was holding back. His fists were tightly clenched at his sides. Our eyes were locked, and I would give him what was coming if he dared talk ill of her again.
Alexandr was the first to snap out of the apparent trans my words had brought over the room. He stepped up to my side, facing Iosif. “The ball’s in your court,” he said calmly.
Iosif pulled free and stepped closer. His brothers also appeared to have gotten through the door as they lined up next to him. The tension in the room had skyrocketed. Both sides were gearing up to defend their stance.
“You had no right!” Iosif screamed at me.
“No, you’re wrong,” I spat back. “You’ve got no right!”
As things were really heating up, Zhenya strolled through the open door. She looked like an angel coming to save us. She wore a white dress that had a slit up the one side exposing her leg. It hugged her figure perfectly, and with the sun behind her back, she appeared to be shining.
I felt my heart fluttering, and my anger instantly blissed. She was the image of perfection. I wasn’t going to allow anyone to bring her down. Just seeing her reminded me of how much I still wanted her.
Despite everything she had put me through, I wanted to be with Zhenya. Her silky-smooth voice rang through the air as she spoke. “Stop this nonsense! All of this and everything else is my fault. I was the mastermind, and Akim had nothing to do with it! Hell, he didn’t even know.”
A deadly silence filled the air. It was so quiet we could hear each other breathing. Yosif and Avgust glared at her as if battling to process her words. I was stunned and didn’t know what to say. It took me a second or two to adjust.
