She rolled her eyes and turned toward me with a warm smile. “Hi.” She reached out to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. You must be Alessia?” I asked because Grandma had described her before with enough detail for me to recognize her almost immediately.
Her face brightened. “Dmitri told you about me? I hope it was something good.” She glanced toward Dmitri with clear curiosity.
Dmitri had never mentioned her to me even once. But I turned to him anyway and gave him a smile of a supportive wife who believed in the stability of her husband’s social life.
“He mentioned you love dogs,” I said.
Dmitri’s jaw tightened.
Alessia laughed, clearly pleased. “That’s very specific of him.” She shifted her attention toward the man who had been standing by the window and was now walking toward us.
I didn’t need an introduction to know who he was. The resemblance made it obvious. I briefly considered the genetics responsible for this family. Expensive genes. Dangerous ones, too.
He moved like he found the existence of other people an inconvenience. Tall, controlled posture, shoulders set. Existence itself required constant negotiation with him. He stopped beside Alessia and looked directly at me as though I was an unexpected problem dropped into his space.
“Who is she?” he asked, not bothering to hide his displeasure.
Alessia opened her mouth, but Dmitri spoke first.
“You talk to me,” Dmitri said. “Let’s get this done. I’m a busy person.”
Rodion didn’t move his eyes off me. That alone told me everything I needed to know about him.
I decided I liked him. Not in a friendly way, but in the same way you like a difficult equation, you intend to solve just to prove you can. I extended my hand toward him with my best controlled smile.
“Well, I hate you too. I’m Inna. You must be Rodion, the firstborn.”
Nothing on his face shifted. Not even a flicker.
“Trust me,” I continued, keeping my hand extended, “I’m a firstborn too. I wear that exact expression regularly. It’s a very specific burden. A handshake for the eldest children in the room, perhaps?”
Alessia cleared her throat. She reached for Rodion’s hand, trying to guide it toward mine, but Dmitri got there first. He stepped directly into Rodion’s space and took his hand instead. Their grips locked, chest to chest.
Alessia exhaled. “This. Again?”
I turned to her. “They hate each other, don’t they?”
She took my arm. “Come. Let’s get water and let them sort out whatever this is. If they want to kill each other, it won’t be the first attempt.” She guided me toward the kitchen.
I followed her gaze around the space. She knew the layout without thinking: cabinets, drawers, and where the glasses were kept.
“I thought Dmitri was difficult,” I said as I accepted the glass she handed me, “but that man. Who offended him and when?”
She laughed. “He’s angry because Roman isn’t here. He knew about this meeting and left.”
“Oh.”
“Roman does this a lot.” She filled her own glass and leanedagainst the counter. “I’ve been in this family for a long time, but I’ve only seen him like four times in person. If you ever meet a mysterious person, it’s Roman. Just prepare yourself. He’s very distant.”
“Roman is distant?” I laughed under my breath. “I don’t think so. He’s been my friend since I was a teenager. Yes, he can be mysterious, but he’s one of the nicest people I know.”
Alessia stared at me for a second. “You know him?”
“Well enough, yes.”
Her mouth opened slightly. “How? That man prefers solitude. Nobody really knows him.”
