Chapter 21 - Kolya
I was pleasantly surprised when my phone rang, and I saw it was Mikhel calling. “Hi, there,” I said, answering.
“Hey, Kolya, you got some time? We have to chat,” he replied.
“Yes, sure, you just name the place and time,” before I could say anything else, the doorbell rang. “Just a sec, someone’s here. I’ll call you back,” I added and hung up.
Opening the door, I was shocked to see Mikhel standing at my door. “We need to talk, Kolya,” he said as he stepped inside. His tone was a little concerning. It had an urgency to it that I have only heard twice in my life. It stated that the news he was about to share wasn’t pleasant.
“Well, this was quicker than I had thought,” I replied, grinning. “Come in, let’s have a drink, and we can talk.”
Moving to the side, I allowed Mikhel to enter.
While he went to the small living area, I ordered two coffees before joining him.
Mikhel sat down where Sophia usually sits.
Taking my place across from him, I found his expression curious.
“You look like you need to run to the bathroom,” I laughed. “Is everything okay?”
“Please, you need to stay calm and listen to all I have to say before reacting,” he huffed. He glanced around as if he was expecting someone else to suddenly show up.
It made me nervous. “Mikhel, what’s going on?” I insisted.
He sighed deeply, then met my gaze. “Please,” he begged. The expression on his face was one of seriousness.
Breathing in deeply, I replied in a calm tone. “I can do that for you.”
The door opened, and our coffee arrived. I sat back and waited as she placed the tray down on the table and left. As the door closed, I shifted forward, looking at Mikhel, wondering what was happening.
Mikhel sat in silence for a bit. He appeared nervous as well. He was twirling his fingers around each other. I waited patiently, even though I felt like screaming. I wanted to lean over, grab him by the neck, and shake him until he spilled the beans.
He looked up, locked eyes with me, and spoke in a soft but stern tone.
“Keep in mind all she has done for us before deciding what to do.” He took another deep breath, then continued.
“I have been secretly following Sophia around. I had to ensure she could be trusted. Even though she has helped us a lot. I had to make sure.”
My mind went spiraling. I didn’t know how to feel about this revelation. Why did he? What was his idea? My stomach churned. What did he find? I bit my lower lip, keeping my feelings bundled up inside. I promised to wait.
Mikhel took a deep breath before speaking further. “I went a step further and looked into all her activities. This included her calls, any emails, and even checking her notes. I must inform you that what I found made me sick. It isn’t pretty.”
He paused again. Picked up his cup and sipped slowly.
It was torture watching him. Couldn’t he just spit it out and get it over with?
My stress levels just hit the ceiling. I stood swiftly, took my cup to the liquor cabinet, and added some whiskey to it.
This conversation required something stronger than coffee.
Mikhel waited for me to sit back down before continuing. “From what I could gather… They have a plan. Sophia was searching through your files, looking for evidence against you. The end goal is to have you locked up for good.”
“This…,” I fumbled over my words. “It makes no sense.”
“There was a lot of text from Melody. Not so many from Sophia to her, but Melody sent a ton. She kept pushing Sophia for information. They also had a meeting at the offices,” he added before swallowing the remainder of his coffee.
I swallowed hard on the coffee, which now felt like mud in my mouth. “Where is Sophia now? I inquired, fearing the answer. I could hear my anger coming through in my tone.
Mikhel stared at me for a second. The look on his face portrayed his dread as he spoke. “She’s having a meeting with Melody.”
Something in me shattered as I absorbed his words. I had come accustomed to having her around, maybe even started falling for her. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to give her another chance. But could I after this?
Mikhel got up and walked to the door. He stopped but didn’t turn back as he spoke. “Kolya, I’ll give you some space. But I’ll be around should you need me.”
I sat stunned. I had no response. After a minute, he left, closing the door behind him. I felt numb to my core. As I rose, my legs wobbled under my weight. Holding onto the back of the chair, I made my way to the drinks cabinet.
Reaching out, I grabbed a glass and the bottle of Scotch. The glass seemed to be dancing on the table beside the cabinet as I tried to put it down. The bottle of Scotch shook just as much. I spilled as I poured the rich golden liquid into the glass.
How could she betray me like this? I trusted her, played an open hand, and this is what I get in return. I had another two glasses before there was a knock at the door. Turning, as the door opened, I saw Mikhel peeking inside. “Sophia has returned,” he said softly.
By now, the Scotch had started to calm the rage, but the disappointment was practically unbearable. Turning, I nodded and headed towards him. “Let me at her,” I grumbled as I passed him.
She was about halfway down the hall towards her room when I caught up to her. Grabbing her shoulder, I spun her around to face me. As our eyes met, I felt a pain shooting through my chest. “Where have you been?” I tried screaming, but my tone was much softer than I had anticipated.
Turning her head to the side, she smiled. “I went out for some fresh air,” she replied.
I hesitated for a second and then just blurted it out. “With Melody?”
She tried to hide the shock, but the slight rise of her brows told me everything I needed to know. “No,” she huffed, lowering her gaze. “I would never. Why do you ask?”
There was no holding back. She was lying to me. “I know!” I managed to scream at her. “I know you met with her. I know you’ve been planning and scheming behind my back! Gathering intel on me.”
There was an odd silence as if the world had disappeared. I was barely able to control the anger surging through me. Why couldn’t she just have been honest? I felt betrayed. After I had opened up to her, she chose to break the trust we had built by lying.
“You probably faked being sick just so you could get out and meet up with Melody,” I huffed. “You thought you would get away with it. That you could come and go undetected.” Just saying Meoldy’s name made me angry. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. A convulsing sense of disgust rose within me.
Sophia looked into my eyes. I could see the tears in hers. My voice sounded cold as I continued. “Get out. Get out now! If you don’t, I’ll… Well, I’ll track down all your family and destroy them. Now leave, go!”
I turned and pointed towards the stairs. I couldn’t get myself to threaten her with anything else, anything worse. The pain was clear on her face. My words had stung. Her voice, on the other hand, was soft, steady, and calming. “Kolya, let me explain. It started…”
Not wanting to hear her excuses or lies, I cut her off. “No, no more lies, leave, Sophia!”
She lowered her head, but not quickly enough. I had caught the devastation on her face. This time her voice quivered as she spoke. “I will go.”
I stood, my arm in the air, finger pointed at the stairs.
Sophia moved slowly past me. I followed as she descended and walked to the door.
She opened it and stood. Looking back over her shoulder, I saw the tears flowing.
“I’m sorry. Goodbye,” she whispered, then stepped out and pulled the door shut behind her.
A sudden feeling of defeat washed over me as I stood paralyzed by what had just transpired. I felt cold and hollow, as if my insides had been ripped out. Losing her wasn’t something I had considered. It was almost unbearable.
“Kolya?” Mikhel suddenly spoke behind me. “Come, let’s go to your office.”
Turning without realizing it, I followed him to my office. I moved mechanically as I sat down. He sat down opposite me, and for the longest time, there was silence between us.
Eventually, Mikhel got up, poured two glasses, and joined me on my side of the desk. “This is still savable,” he said, placing my glass down before me. “I know she hurt you,” he added.
Mikhel stepped closer, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Maybe we should have listened to her side of the story.” There was a long pause before he continued.
“Do you remember how she assisted us? How she bailed us out of trouble when we needed it? I don’t think it’s wise to dismiss her this fast, or so easily. ”
His words made me think. What was happening? Why did Sophia do it? My mind filled with questions I had no answers for.