“Your scum bloodline has tainted my family lineage, you fucking asshole. You brainwashed my sister, and you want to come here and…”
“Shut up!” Alek snaps. “I swear if I have to speak again, I’ll have you both removed from the dinner.
Vasya presses his lips together, angry, but scolded like a child. He looks down at the table and presses his hands against the surface so hard that his knuckles turn white.
“Sorry about the boys. They are young and hot-blooded. You will have to excise their manners,” Alek smiles at Simon.
“Sweetheart, you look wonderful tonight. I love that color on you,” he remarks, commenting on my emerald sweater. I didn’t dress up for the occasion. Not in a glittering dress and heels. It didn’t feel right. I’m wearing my favorite jeans and a very pretty emerald-colored cashmere jersey. It is, after all, a family dinner, not a gala or a date night.
The dinner drags on. Bogdan and Vasya continue to make nasty remarks at every opportunity. My father continues to reprimand them while being as pleasant as ever to us. It doesn’t make sense. It genuinely doesn’t make sense at all. Why would my father be so nice when his two oldest and closest sons are treating Simon like shit? Surely if he wanted an alliance with Simon, the boys would have been prepped to be nice, to be as manipulative as he’s being. Or they would want an alliance too? Because they want what Father wants by default.
The longer it goes on, the worse the knot in my stomach gets.
The lingering feeling of uneasiness grows bigger and bolder inside me until it’s so loud, I can’t focus on what’s being said at the dinner.
I stand abruptly, earning the surprised stare of every man in the room.
“I… I’m just going to step out for a breath of air,” I say, hoping my voice sounds steadier to them than it does to me.
“I’ll come with you,” Simon says, standing up.
“No, it’s okay, I’ll be right outside the door here, in the hallway. I’m not going far,” I reassure him.
“Besides, Simon, we should start discussing your thoughts on what I proposed last time we met up?” Alek says. “A little bit of business while she freshens up, then she won’t bebored by the conversation?” He smiles as though he’s doing me a favor, but what he’s really doing is insulting me by suggesting women don’t get involved in business decisions.
I ignore the provoking remark and smile at Simon.
Simon’s face knots. He’s not happy to have me out of his sight, but I will be close. I just desperately need a moment alone to try and figure out what my instincts are trying to tell me.
I nod politely at my father, the tight smile on my face feels fake, and I really don’t care at this point. Simon was right. Alek is the fakest person on the planet. Would he even know the difference between a real smile and the one I’m wearing? I doubt it.
“I won’t be long,” I say, stepping away from the table. Neither of my older brothers bothers to make any remark at all. Yaroslav knots his brows and glares at me, not in anger, but as though he’s trying to tell me something.
I wish I understood what is going on.
I leave the glass-walled private dining area, gently closing the door behind me. The sound of their voices disappears the moment the door clicks closed. And suddenly I am very alone.
I stare at Simon for a moment; he is leaning back in his chair. One hand rests on the table, the other on his knee. He looks ominous and strong. He looks like someone I would not want to mess with. He looks like he can keep me safe.
But how can he do that if he doesn’t know what’s coming? And I feel very deeply in my heart that something is coming… tonight.
I walk away from the glass room, past other private dining booths, into a back passage that leads to the bathroom.My eyes drift to the red glowing exit sign right at the end of the passage.
I wish I could run away right now. But it’s just old habits stirring up. I have things in my life that I don’t want to run away from.Simon, the most amazing father. His family, who welcome my children and me.
I push my fingers through my hair, brushing it from my face, and I force myself to take their deep breaths.What is bothering you so much? Is it just being around your father? Is it being around your brothers and seeing their hostility? Or is it something deeper, something new, a nagging thing that you noticed but can’t quite pinpoint?
The frustration grows when no answers come to me.
I’ve been gone for five minutes. I should probably head back.
But as I turn back towards the private rooms, I see my brothers walking towards me. Bogdan and Vasya, their faces stern and cold.
I try to sidestep when they get close.
“I’m just headed back,” I remark.
“No, you need to listen to us,” Bogdan growls, pushing me hard against the wall.
