Chapter 18 - Beatrice
I sat alone in the dining room, taking a deep whiff to let the smell of coffee fill my senses. I was still feeling drowsy, despite having been up for an hour already, showered and dressed.
The previous night, I wasn’t able to help myself from staying longer than usual in Arko’s room. He had fallen asleep, with my hands still on him, and I just stayed a while longer, sitting by his side, just in case he woke up and needed something.
I remembered how peaceful he looked, his face soft and quiet, when he slept. I ran a hand through his hair, soft and buttery to the touch, before I kissed his cheek goodnight and left the room a few hours before dawn. He hadn’t even stirred.
“Would you like to have breakfast served now, Mrs. Pavlov?” The butler entered the room and stood by the door, his hands clasped politely in front of him.
“Oh, no.” I gave him a smile. “I’ll wait for Arko. Until then, I wouldn’t mind some more coffee.”
“Of course.” He gave me a polite nod before scurrying off.
It was already late in the morning, but I’d told the household to keep it quiet outside Arko’s room.
He had been so, so tired last night. All because he’d worked himself to death to free those terrified women. And even now, he hid his true self from the world.
I hated that for him. Hated that no one knew the real Arko Pavlov, and most of all, wondered what would happen if the world discovered his secret acts of good. Maybe a stupid idea took root in my mind; he’d be easier to forgive.
Take my brothers, for example. They thought him a monster when all along, he’d been a gentle giant.
I’ve been with Arko for almost four months now. Day by day, it’s getting harder to ignore reality. I don’t have any clarity about the future, but what I do know is that this fight between my brothers and Arko has to end, because I can’t keep living like this.
Despite the hostility between my family and Arko the last time we met, despite the fight we had, I know I need to try again to fix this. If only I knew how.
I jumped out of my skin when I heard the door bang shut. My eyes swept in the general direction, and I saw Arko grinning as he walked over to join me.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice low like gravel, eyes sweeping over me.
“Hi,” I smiled back, my heart still stuttering. I’d been so lost in thought, I hadn’t even heard his footsteps down the hall.
He took a chair next to me and eyed the empty table with a frown. “Breakfast over?”
“Just how selfish do you think I am?” I giggled, playfully whacking him on his shoulder. “I was waiting for you.”
“You were waiting for me?” His eyebrows hit the roof of his head, like he couldn’t quite believe it. “How very…domestic.”
“It’s called manners. You should try it,” I teased.
“Ouch,” he said, clutching his chest in mock pain, moving over to nudge me with his shoulder. “And here I thought it was rude to wake up and find you already gone. Guess those manners missed the mark there.”
I blushed and felt a warm spool of affection threading down my chest. This felt nice—us being playful, and more importantly, Arko being in a good mood.
Maybe this was a sign that times were changing. Maybe it was time to bridge the gap between our families. Now, all I had to do was get my brothers and Arko in the same room together, and I knew none of them would come without a fight if I asked nicely.
I needed a plan to get them into the same room together, without a fight, and with their guards down, so we could finally put this enmity to rest. Once my brothers learn what a great guy Arko is, they won’t be so hostile toward him.
I pick up my coffee and flash Arko a smile. “Let’s get some breakfast, shall we? And I was thinking, should we have dinner out together tonight? Could you be at Le Maison by six?”
***
I arranged everything perfectly. The private dining room at Le Maison had been booked out for my little party. All it took was one phone call to my brothers, telling them that Arko won’t be home tonight, and that I’d love to see them.
Le Maison was the ideal neutral territory, a cozy Italian restaurant with excellent food and soundproof walls that would contain whatever shouting match might erupt.
I arrived by 5:45 pm, just to make sure everything was in order and, more importantly, that I got a glass of wine in time to soothe my nerves before shit hit the roof. Though if things went according to plan, I anticipated the night would end on a good note.
I’d seen a different side of Arko recently. If my brothers could see that side of him, too, maybe we could start building bridges instead of burning them.
I downed the glass of wine and checked my watch. Arko and my brothers would be arriving anytime now. My heart was pounding, and my hands already felt clammy.
A bottle of Arko’s favorite whiskey sat on the sideboard beside Caspian’s preferred scotch. I’d ordered all of my brothers’ favorite appetizers to be ready when they arrived. Maybe I could distract them long enough with drinks and food to make my point.
“Ms. Lebedev?” The host appeared at the doorway. “Your husband has arrived.”
Arko walked in right past the host, and my pulse jumped in my throat when I saw how pleased he looked to see me. I rose, begging my hands not to tremble as I plastered on a smile and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.
“Whoa,” he declared, waiting for me to sit before taking a look around the table and the spread. “You’ve gone all out tonight. Should I be worried?”
It was only a matter of time, I feared, before he noticed the other chairs.
“Uh-huh,” I grinned, serving myself to the first thing in reach. “I was starving.”
Arko’s eyes softened. “Eat up then, Bea. We can be here all night, if you’d like.”
That’s when the guilt rammed into me. Maybe I made an impulsive decision. I wondered if it would be better to just tell Arko the truth. He seemed happy, and I thought that might also make him more receptive to what I wanted.
I leaned over and poured him two fingers of whiskey, hoping it might take the edge off what was coming. Arko took a sip, then clinked his glass against mine. “You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured.
My cheeks flushed hot. “Thank you.”
I should just tell him, I decided. But before I could muster up the courage to do just that, the doors flung open again, and I froze when I saw the look of shock on Arko’s and my brothers’ faces.
“What the hell is going on here?” Arko threw back his chair and rose to his feet. “Have you been spying on us?”
Oh, no. This really wasn’t how I wanted the evening to start.
“Arko, I—” I tried to speak, but Caspian was the first to interrupt.
“She invited us, Pavlov. Said she’d be alone, but you’re way too insecure to let your prisoner out of sight, aren’t you?”
“I…what? She told me it’s just dinner with us two!” Arko roared, and suddenly, everyone in the room was staring at me like I was the criminal.
“I lied to you all, okay? Please.” I motioned desperately to the chairs around. “Let’s just sit down together and talk.”
“No way,” Giovanni said, shaking his head. “I’m not sitting down with this bastard.”
“This was your plan?” Arko’s voice was quiet but sharp as a blade.
I faced him squarely. “Yes. We need to talk because this feud is tearing me apart.”
“This isn’t a feud, Beatrice!” Giovanni yelled at me, and I felt Arko tense beside me. “This is war. Have you forgotten that the man kidnapped you?”
“I know he kidnapped me. I don’t have amnesia,” I snapped. “But if you could just sit and hear me out, you’d understand why it’s important for our families not to be at war!”
“Your brothers don’t know the meaning of peace.” Arko glared at Caspian the whole time.
I looked with desperation between Arko and my family. “Look,” I said, trying to calm things down. “There’s some really good food going to waste here. Aren’t you guys hungry?”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, Bea,” Achille said, stepping forward. “But there’s nothing to gain from it. Just come home with us, and then we can talk.”
I didn’t move. “I’m not going home with you. I’ve been with Arko for almost four months now, and I need you all to know he’s a good human being. I’m so sick and tired of how you all judge him, when he’s one of the greatest men I know.”
A silence fell around the room at the bite in my voice, the absolute conviction I threw behind each word.
When I looked over at Arko, his face was impassive, like he hadn’t heard a word I’d said in his defense. Maybe he was processing it, the unexpectedness of it all.
Fair enough.
“Please,” I said, looking from my brothers to Arko and back again. “Let’s just talk to each other like human beings for tonight. Whatever differences there are, we can sort them out.”
“Then come home with us,” Caspian said softly. “And you can tell us what you think when he’s not around.”
“He’s my husband.” I levelled a cold look at Caspian. “Whatever I have to say, I can say in front of him.”
“Jesus Christ, Beatrice,” Caspian said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Are you actually standing by him now? Has he brainwashed you that thoroughly?”
“To hell with you all.” Arko glared at Caspian with leashed violence and rage, then turned to me. “Beatrice, this was a mistake.”
“No, it wasn’t!” I argued. “We need to talk about this. I know there’s bad blood. But I’m stuck in the middle, and I can’t keep living like this.”
“Maybe. But what you’ve done today isn’t going to fix this.” Arko looked at me with such disappointment that I wished the floor would swallow me whole.
“But,” I protested softly, my heart now cracking, “I’m only trying to find a way for all of us to coexist.”
“There is no coexistence with the Pavlovs,” Giovanni stated flatly. “There never has been, and never will be.”
“You’re not even trying,” I accused.
“Why should we try?” Luca asked. “He’s holding you hostage.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a hostage!” My voice rose despite my best efforts to stay calm.
“Then walk out that door with us right now,” Caspian challenged.
I looked at Arko, whose face remained impassive. He just watched, waiting to see what I would do.
“I’m not leaving my husband,” I said quietly.
“This is worse, Bea,” Achille said gently. “This is Stockholm syndrome.”
“Arko has treated me with more respect than you can even imagine,” I hissed at Achille. “You don’t even know the half of it. The things he does for those around—”
I felt Arko’s hand on my elbow mid-sentence. “There’s no point,” he said, through gritted teeth. “We’re leaving.”
“But—” I tried to protest; however, Arko let go of my elbow and brushed past me. “I’m going to be in the car.”
He didn’t even look back, and from the way he stormed by my brothers, I knew he was pissed. Anxiety started coursing through my veins. I was just about to tell my brothers about the women he had saved, how much kindness there was in Arko Pavlov, but my husband stopped at the doorway.
“You coming or what? Can’t you see that your brothers aren’t listening to reason?”
Neither was Arko, but right now didn’t seem to be the right time to say that. Not when he was that furious.
What a spectacular show this turned out to be, I thought to myself with sadness as I caught my brothers’ disappointed looks on the way out.
“If you can’t understand why I’m walking away with him today,” I said quietly to Caspian and the others in parting, “it’s only because your pride mattered more than my happiness.”
I thought I saw a flicker of doubt in Caspian’s eyes, a flash of surprise in Giovanni’s, maybe even a glimmer of shame in Dante’s, but I didn’t have time to wait around any longer. Arko had already turned his back to me and was walking down the hall.
I followed, my throat clenching in pain. I had spent hours planning this evening, and my brothers turned it hostile in less than a minute.
***
Arko didn’t wait up. He was walking like he wanted to beat time at its own game, faster than my legs could catch up. I was panting by the time we reached the car. Arko held open the passenger door, and I barely slid in before he slammed it shut behind me.
With bated breath, I pulled on my seat belt and watched Arko slide in. He put the car in gear, and the tires screeched.
My back slammed against the leather as I caught my breath. He drove fast, but quiet. I let a few minutes slide by before I spoke.
“Are you…okay?” I asked, tentatively. “My brothers were disrespectful tonight.”
Arko turned on me, his eyes blazing. “It’s not your brothers I’m mad at. What the hell were you thinking?”
I leashed back my own temper, threatening to blow over. “I was trying to fix a misunderstanding.”
“You made me look weak in front of your brothers. Now they’ll go around thinking I don’t even know what my wife is up to.”
“Arko,” I said, carefully. “It’s not like I didn’t take them by surprise, either.”
“I am not them,” he hissed at me. “You undermined my authority, Beatrice.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” My voice rose to a mild screech in desperation. “That wasn’t my intention. I swear. I just wanted everyone in the same room so we could talk.”
“You went behind my back!” he roared, taking a turn. “Do you have any idea how foolish I felt?”
“How did I make you look like a fool?” I asked, genuinely confused. “I was trying to show them that you’re not the villain they’ve made you out to be.”
“Your family and mine have been at war long before you came into the picture, Beatrice. Can you, for once, stop being so selfish?” He glared at me with such distaste that I felt something inside me shrivel.
I froze, unable to say another word, my hands clenched on my lap as I stared at this furious man who, right about then, looked like an absolute stranger.
“Not everything has to be about you and how you feel. On one hand, you say you want to know me. But on the other hand, you keep secrets and plot and scheme!”
Each word hit like a dagger, straight to my heart. I’d never felt more misunderstood.
“I just wanted peace,” I said, softly, holding my position.
“You betrayed my trust around my enemies!” he said.
I flinched, feeling like this whole argument was moving in circles. “They’re my brothers.”
“Yes. They are. Maybe I was the fool for trusting you. The biggest mistake I made was forgetting you were a Lebedev first!”
My breath hitched in my throat just as tears stung in my eyes. I looked away just in time, out through the window at the trees dancing by, swallowing back another defense. With Arko this angry, I knew words won’t help.
“After tonight,” I heard him say. “I’m not sure I can trust whose side you’re really on.”