Chapter 7 - Kolya
I was relieved that Sophia had stopped trying to run away.
But during the last week, I’ve noticed she was bored out of her mind.
She has also been avoiding me after I found her in my office.
She wouldn’t listen to me and was sure I had faked the documents.
Not wanting to pressure her as I needed her to get to the truth, I let it go for now.
But I knew she needed some distraction. Picking up the phone, I called my cousins to arrange a family dinner. After following her that first week, I knew she liked to keep busy. Being so idle must be gnawing at her insides.
Putting down the phone, I went to inform Sophia that we would be going out for dinner. I wanted her to know where we were going. I found her sitting by the window in her room, staring out.
“Sophia,” I said in a light tone. She turned, looking at me inquisitively. Her brows raised, and a light smile appeared on her slightly parted lips. “There is a family dinner this evening. I would like it if you went with me.”
“Okay,” she replied. “What shall I wear?”
I had not considered that. She had been living in shorts, tops, and tracksuits that I had purchased before taking her. But there was nothing for such an occasion. “Let me make a couple of calls,” I said, leaving the room and heading to my office.
I wanted her to feel special, to look good, and fit in. I had come to care for her more than I would admit.
After calling three clothing stores and two boutiques, I had ordered an array of clothing. I still wasn’t sure what she liked. But I felt confident that some of it would be to her liking.
While waiting for the deliveries, I quickly took care of my daily emails, calls, and check-ins.
We had just sat down for lunch when the first set of clothing arrived.
I watched as Sophia gobbled down her lunch and headed upstairs with her new clothes.
She looked like a child on Christmas morning, and even her brown eyes sparkled.
As the rest arrived, I had the maids take them up to her room. I didn’t want to invade her privacy, so I left her to go through them on her own time.
After checking in with the guards and relaying the plans for the evening, I headed upstairs. I took a shower and got ready for dinner. As I tied my shoes, I noticed it was almost time to leave. Walking down the hall to Sophia’s room, I wondered if she had decided on something to wear.
I knocked and waited. There was a scurrying sound from inside before she spoke. “Yes?”
“Sophia,” I called back through the door. “Are you almost ready?”
“Yes, I’ll be down in a bit,” she replied.
Shaking my head, I wondered what she was doing. But I didn’t bother further. I headed downstairs. I collected my keys and waited in the foyer.
Looking up, I saw her coming down the stairs.
She looked like an angel descending from the heavens.
I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat.
She had decided to wear the beige dress with the slit on one side.
It stretched up to the top of her thigh.
The sparkling silver heels made her legs stand out.
I felt a layer of sweat developing on the back of my neck.
Her silky-smooth reddish-brown hair was pinned up into a messy bun.
A couple of strands framed her face perfectly.
Big golden loop earrings adorned the sides of her face.
The simple necklace added just the right amount of style to complement her appearance.
This is not what I expected. She was above elegant, not a look I ever thought I would see on her. She made me feel breathless.
For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I rubbed my eyes to confirm and pinched myself to be sure I was awake and not dead. That she wasn’t an angel coming to collect my soul. No, I wasn’t dead or asleep. Glancing down, I rubbed my hands. My palms were damp, so I wiped them on my pants.
I pushed my hands through my hair as I looked down at the floor before me. Clearing my throat, I tried to keep my tone even as I spoke. “Are you ready to leave?”
She didn’t reply instantly. I looked up at her. A light smile decorated her lips. I felt my heart skip a beat before it started racing. It was pounding so hard, I thought it might jump out of my chest.
What the hell was happening to me? Why was this plain woman pulling my heartstrings? There was a force in me like I had never felt. I had to fight the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her.
Why? I barely know her. These feelings weren’t right. Shaking my head, I tried clearing my thoughts.
“Yes,” I heard her reply. Her voice was like the sunrise kissing the ocean.
Extending my hand to her, I smiled back. Instead of taking it like normal, she brushed past me and headed out the door. Looking up at the ceiling, I breathed in hard. She was somehow driving me up the wall.
Quickening my pace as I walked, I ensured I got ahead of her and opened the car door. She gave me a slight smile as she slid into the seat. This was going to be a long dinner, I thought as I got in on my side.
The drive to my cousin's place went quickly. They stayed in one of my properties, not too far away. Pulling up to the large double-story house, I noticed that everyone was there. The driveway was lined with one BMW, two trucks, a motorbike, and one pink SUV.
“Interesting color,” Sophia remarked as we stopped and got out.
“Elhaida, Mikhel’s sister, is an interesting woman,” I replied, taking her hand and walking up the steps to the front door.
The door swung open as we took the last step. There stood Mikhel and Yogu. “Good evening,” they practically spat at us in unison.
“Good evening,” I replied as they stepped aside, allowing us in.
Mikhel waved us towards the dining room as he spoke. “Please go in, everyone is waiting.”
Everyone was seated in their usual places except for the seat next to me. This one was open where Yogu used to sit. He was now seated on the other side of the table. Elhaida got up and approached us as we entered. She hugged me and then moved to hug Sophia. As she leaned in, Sophia stepped back.
“Sorry,” Elhaida said. “I take it you’re not the hugging kind?” Elhaida extended her hand, which Sophia took and shook, smiling at her.
“Okay, let’s have a seat,” Mikhel spoke suddenly behind us.
Moving around the table, I pulled out the chair for Sophia and sat down next to her. Elhaida sat in the chair next to her. “Sorry if I moved a little fast with the hug,” she whispered. “I was excited to meet you, as no one ever brings anyone home. Especially not Kolya.”
I shot her a glance before getting up. Picking up the glass of wine and my knife, I gently tapped the side to get everyone’s attention. “I have an announcement to make,” I said. “Sophia is not my girlfriend. Please welcome her to the family as my wife.”
A deadly silence filled the room. I could hear myself swallow. My cousins glanced at each other and then at me, then at her. “It’s not by choice,” Sophia mumbled.
“You’re married?” Mikhel huffed. I could hear the surprise in his tone. But there was something else, too. It sounded like distrust or disbelief. Before I could respond, he continued. “When did this happen? Why was no one invited to the wedding?”
It seemed that no one had heard Sophia’s rumblings. But that didn’t last, as this time she spoke louder. “Maybe because I was forced into it! It wasn’t an actual marriage.”
Glancing down at her, I noticed she had lowered her gaze and was fumbling with her hands in her lap. Things like this happen regularly in our line. But I wasn’t sure how they would feel about it.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, I contradicted her. “Sorry, guys, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. When you know, you know, and we couldn’t wait a minute.”
Sophia tried to pull loose, but I held her firmer until she sat still. Looking down, our eyes met as she was now looking up at me. “Won’t you agree, my love?” I breathed out. I squeezed a tad harder and raised my brow at her to show I was serious.
She nodded and lowered her head again. Looking up with a broad smile, I was pleased that everyone seemed satisfied with that.
“Well, then,” Mikhel added. “When things quiet down, we have to redo and have a proper wedding, yes?”
I nodded as I let go of her shoulder and sat down. I couldn’t make them part of this mess I was in. There was a lot to figure out first.
Everyone raised their glasses as Yogu spoke. “Congratulations, bro, never thought we’d see this.”
Everyone laughed as Mikhel added his two cents. “Yes, agreed.”
The doors to the side opened. Three ladies came out carrying platters of food. One was filled with seafood, one with meat, and the other had an assortment of bread, cheese, vegetables, and even some fruit.
“This is quite the feast,” I stated as they placed them down.
“Glad you approve,” Mikhel replied. “There is the matter at hand we still need to discuss.”
Looking at him, I realized he was not going to wait until we were alone. He had accepted her as part of the family. Business discussions weren’t going to wait.
Mikhel swallowed the piece of meat he had in his mouth before he started rambling.
“It has come to our attention that two other Bratva groups are stalling our operations. We don’t think they are working together.
One is causing issues at the docks. The other one appears to be undercutting our prices. ”
I listened intently as Yogu added his two cents' worth. But my eyes were on Sophia. Hendrik was next, and then Zane. As they spoke, I noticed Sophia getting more and more restless.
She looked like a balloon about to burst. She was shifting in her seat, biting her lower lip, and glancing around almost frantically. Leaning towards her, I whispered into her ear. “You may speak your mind.”
Mikhel explained some of the issues, “There are two of our regulars at the ports that we haven’t been able to reach.
It has been over two weeks, and this has caused delays in shipments.
Especially with the new guys saying there’s equipment failure, mismatched container numbers, and missing shipments. It’s been chaos.”
Finally, it seemed, Sophia couldn’t hold it any longer.
Her need to correct or give out the right information had won, as she blurted out the solutions.
“You have the right to ask for management.
They can tell you why there are so many issues.
You also have the right to enquire about equipment issues, how long repairs will take, etc.
They do not have the right to bottleneck anyone's shipments.”
The room went quiet as she spoke. All attention was on her. This, however, didn’t appear to bother her once she started talking. Sophia laid out the laws, gave us insight into more loopholes, and ways we could use to approach the problems we were facing.
I also sat back, shocked and impressed at the same time. As she continued, I realized she had a brilliant mind. Her talents were being wasted under house arrest. I had to use her for good, I thought as I made plans in my head on how to incorporate her skills.
The rest of dinner went smoothly as silk. Sophia chatted away with everyone. By the time I was ready to leave, she wanted to stay. “We have to go. We have a busy day tomorrow,” I said before greeting my family. The trip home felt quicker than usual, even though we barely talked.