Chapter 10 - Beatrice
When Arko’s family barged in on us that morning, the last thing I thought was that I’d be having breakfast with them.
It was no secret that the Pavlovs hated my family, and the sane voice of reason in my head warned me to slink away to my bedroom, just to avoid the hostility that could come with being under the scrutiny of his siblings.
But then, when Arko announced his marriage to me and I sensed the disappointment, shock, and barrage of questions soon heading our way, something in me flipped.
Of course, it was utter madness to want to help the man who had kidnapped me and kept me prisoner, but something in me snapped into place when I sensed the protective edge in Arko’s body language.
He didn’t say, but I felt it in my bones, that if his siblings so much as threw one wrong look at me, he was willing to put up a fight.
Even then, as we filed into the drawing room in polite silence, I remembered how his hand had curled around mine and how fiercely he had said those two words: My wife.
“Anyone up for mimosas?” Artyom eyed the room.
“It’s not even noon.” Alena cocked an eyebrow at her brother.
“Yeah, well.” Artyom cleared his throat, his wary eyes finding mine, but the minute he noticed I had caught him glancing over, he looked away. “It looks like we might need them.”
“To get through this, we might need more than mimosas,” Alek mumbled.
And once again, that tense, awkward silence fell over us. I felt every muscle in me coiled and on edge, as though my very body was preparing for what I was certain would be a hostile event.
God, they hated me, and I was far too aware of that little fact.
“Oh fuck it,” said Alena, falling onto the couch. “Let’s just do mimosas. Anything more and things might get wild.” She looked at me as she said it, her lips curling into a feral, naughty smile.
God damn it, I thought to myself. And so it begins, the scrutiny and questions. I felt my shoulders tense just as Arko and Andrey walked in.
Arko’s gaze landed straight on me, and I thought I must have imagined the way he roved over my face, like he was trying to sense if someone said something they shouldn’t have.
Was it all the kissing from this morning?
I felt my neck heat at the memory and wondered if the recent physical proximity had him on edge to come to my defense.
Or was it guilt at how we were discovered?
There was something definitely up with him that had him striding across the room to come stand by my side like some kind of caveman bodyguard as he glowered at his siblings, daring them to cross the line.
I didn’t know what it was, but I knew one thing for sure. This protective madness couldn’t be from affection, because it would have been foolish for me to forget he only took me for revenge.
Whatever his reason was, I was grateful for it. I didn’t feel like facing the wolves alone.
“Mimosaaas?” Artyom made the round with a tray in his hand.
“I haven’t even had my coffee,” Arko growled when Artyom stopped in front of him. Artyom shrugged, moving over to me.
I was so damn nervous, I took a glass. Arko’s eyebrows almost hit the roof.
“What?” I hissed, under my breath, taking a sip.
“That’s the spirit.” Alena raised her glass at me from the couch.
For some reason, raising mine back came naturally.
“Sit down, will you all?” Anton said, plonking next to Alena. “It’s strange seeing you all stand around like that.”
One by one, we took up spots around the settee, chairs, and sofas.
“Now, brother.” Andrey swirled his mimosa and took a long sip. “Are there any other secrets you’re trying to keep from us?”
Once again, he threw me a pointed look.
“Oh, stop blaming poor Beatrice.” Anja glowered at her brother. “We don’t even know how they ended up together.”
I felt my shoulders sag with relief at that, and maybe it was the combination of being empty stomach and drinking mimosas that left me wagging my tongue before I could even think. “That’s true. I didn’t even want to marry him. Your brother kidnapped me from a nightclub, of all places.”
Arko hissed, his eyes snapping to mine, and I winced. Technically, I didn’t know he wanted to keep this secret.
“Oh, fuck,” Alek groaned, smacking his head to his forehead.
“You’ve really outdone yourself, haven’t you, brother?
” Alena shook her head at Arko, the disappointment evident on her face, and in that moment, I realized that just because she was Arko’s sister and a Pavlov didn’t mean she automatically hated my guts.
In fact, she looked pretty damn pissed on my behalf.
“Oh, I think he has.” I downed my mimosa. “I think he’s dug his own grave and doesn’t even know it yet.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Arko give me a quizzical look. I could almost imagine what he was trying to say to me—Oh, you’re joking with them now?
“I like you,” Anja grinned. “Really, really like you.”
“Agreed.” Alena gave me a curt nod.
Surprisingly enough, I could already imagine his sisters and me being friends. And just like that, I felt the nervousness in me begin to settle.
“You should have told us still.” Alek looked at Andrey, like he wanted his older brother to back him on this. But then I saw Arko and Andrey locked in a silent battle with their eyes, and I knew whatever they had discussed outside when they were late to follow us in had become a point of conflict.
I had become a point of conflict.
And I had had enough of an awkward morning to let it get worse.
“So.” I put on a smile and downed my drink, clinking the glass down on the table beside. “Who wants to pour me another mimosa and tell me embarrassing stories of Arko here as a kid. Was he born with a stick shoved up his ass, or what?”
Arko grunted, but I saw the surprise in his eyes at the cheeriness in my tone.
“I’ll make the next round.” Artyom jumped to his feet. “Now we’re talking!”
“Oh, he’s always been a sulk!” Alek jumped up to help Artyom. “Remember when he tried to throw Alena her eighteenth birthday party surprise, and one of us let slip what we had planned? Alena didn’t mind, but he was furious and said ‘We had ruined her day.’”
“Oh, how can we forget?” Alena laughed as Arko chuckled beside me.
“You threw her a surprise party?” I asked Arko, something in my heart softening at this sweet snapshot into who Arko was as a brother.
I’d seen so many sides of him, the softest one this morning in bed.
Just thinking of that made me squeeze my legs shut.
But I hadn’t yet seen this kind of softness, the kind that had him being grumpy because someone spoiled the fun for his sister on her birthday.
I couldn’t imagine it. This impulsive, pain-in-my-ass man, throwing a fit over a surprise party.
“Well, I tried to,” he shrugged. “Until our siblings ruined it.”
“She was going to rush off and meet her friends that night!” Anton protested. “We had to tell her to get her to stay back!”
“We could have just invited those friends too!” Arko protested.
“They weren’t that close to me,” Alena giggled. “It’s just that all my good friends said they were busy, and you guys said you were busy, and I was so pissed that none of you cared about my birthday!”
“We had to tell her,” Anja agreed. “Alena was about to blow a fuse.”
“You all just don’t know how to keep a secret,” Arko said.
“But we gather you must already know that.” Anja smiled at me. “Please tell me he at least got you a ring.”
“A ring?” I clicked my tongue and rose from my seat as Alena motioned me over to come sit by her. “No way.”
“We’re going to have to talk to our brother about that.” Alena and Anja exchanged looks, muttering under their breaths and shooting visual darts at Arko. Arko looked like he had woken up and landed up in some alternate reality.
Somewhere in my heart, I felt a wrench. Just this topic of conversation, a god damn ring, triggered in me what Arko took from me when he forced me to marry him.
A chance at a normal life, a chance at love.
But despite that, I didn’t want to disrupt this morning any further.
I didn’t want to use his siblings against him all to make a point at his expense.
“Nah,” I said, settling in deeper on the couch between the sisters. “I think he’s struggled enough the past few weeks.”
“We still can’t believe what happened.” Alena turned to me, speaking softly so only Anja and I could hear. “It must have been a harrowing ordeal. Our world…it can be brutal for us women.”
Something in her words was so simple and true that I felt my throat form a knot. “Yeah,” I said, my voice coming out hoarse. “It was really hard, and I know my siblings must be going crazy not knowing where I am.”
The sisters must have heard the pain in my voice, for they both exchanged startled looks.
“You haven’t spoken to them yet?” Anja asked.
I shook my head.
“Damn Arko,” Alena hissed, glaring at her Arko, who was across the room now, deep in conversation with his brothers.
Anja leaned over and squeezed my hand. “I know we’ve only just met, but if there’s anything we can do, just call us.”
Alena nodded.
For the first time in days, I felt the knot in my stomach loosen. Their friendship, this small kindness they extended, was a gift I hadn’t even known I’d needed. I was so lonely, and in the chaos of all that happened, I barely noticed it.
“Thank you,” I whispered, nodding at them.
“Come on now.” Anja gave me an encouraging smile. “Enough moping. I’m starving! Should we bring out the food we got?”
“Food sounds amazing!” I smiled, jumping to my feet. The three of us headed to the kitchen and instructed the maids to heat the quiches and croissants while we put together the smoothie bowls and toasts.
The staff followed us back and laid out everything on the large coffee table in the living room. One by one, everyone drifted over, filling their plates.
“Leave something for us, will you?” Andrey joked as he watched Anja pile her plate up with toast, eggs, avocado, quiche, and salad.