Chapter 30
Sophia King
What’s A Mother To Do?
A mother always knew when something wasn’t quite right.
Even before she called, tension coiled in my chest when I thought about her.
Our return home was supposed to be a welcome relief, a chance to connect with old friends and our normal way of life.
Little did I know, halfway through the flight, everything would unravel.
I’d always prided myself on knowing my children. I could anticipate their moods and troubles without a single word spoken, knew what they needed and the secrets they ‘hid.’ But whatever this strange relationship-bond my sons had with Kinsley was, I never saw it coming.
Gazing at the security camera, I couldn’t help the growing apprehension in the pit of my stomach.
The situation my three sons had found themselves in, in Seattle seemed innocent enough at first, with Alek falling for a woman who seemed to breathe life into him.
That first night at the gala event, I was genuinely happy for him.
But I had no idea Ivan would fall for her too.
I was still holding out hope that Nik wasn’t entangled in the unconventional relationship, although Kinsley’s comments last night were indicative that he was.
On our brief phone call, he didn’t elaborate either.
I would get clarification from her later and then enlist Christopher’s help in getting them to see reason.
Desperate to protect the brotherly bonds between Alek and Ivan, I tried to talk some sense into them several times while in Seattle.
That was before she vanished without a trace, leaving a void that sucked the life out of Alek in her wake and had Nik avoiding me at every opportunity. And Ivan…his pain stole my breath.
My youngest son had become someone I hardly recognized.
Fear and concern consumed me when I thought of my baby.
He’d already suffered enough. At dinner, I was shocked by his behavior.
His words were laced with an intensity that shook me to my core.
The realization struck both Christopher and me and confirmed our worst fears.
Kinsley had become a wedge between my sons, driving them apart with her presence, her influence.
When she called, I jumped at the chance despite Christopher’s hesitation to get involved.
It was a calculated move, fueled by the belief that the less time she spent with them, the more likely they would move on.
As a mother, I would do anything to protect them. God knows I didn’t do enough for Vanya.
The crackle of the radio and then a voice announcing their arrival had me rushing down to the grand foyer. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as I glanced out the side window and spotted Alek helping her from the car.
Damn, what’s he doing here?
I braced myself, mentally preparing for the encounter.
“You made it,” I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice upbeat.
I gave Alek a quick nod. Internally, I struggled with conflicting emotions. Part of me resented the havoc she’d brought into our lives, but another part, fueled by a mother’s instincts, felt a twinge of sympathy for her situation.
She was simply a lovestruck young girl, caught up in infatuation.
I clung to the hope that she was at least intelligent enough to understand the foolishness of continuing on in whatever it was they were doing.
Another part of me recognized she needed a temporary place to stay, so I swallowed my reservations, put on a happy face, and ushered her upstairs to her room for the next three weeks.
As we climbed the stairs, her eyes darted around hauntingly.
Once more, I was struck by her air of fragility.
It tugged at my heartstrings. With a flicker of fear thrown in my direction, she was like a wounded animal.
One in need of shelter. Damn, being a mother sucked sometimes.
That part of me wanted to reach out and hug her.
In that moment, a flood of memories surged through my mind—memories of Vanya and how she’d slipped through my fingers. I still ached for her, although I’d found ways to move forward, the loss of her lingered.
“Here we are,” I announced, stepping back and watching her face as she took in the room.
It was one of my favorites, stunningly decorated in blue and yellow.
The patterned curtains on the windows matched those on the massive four-poster bed.
A beautiful French blue Coquelicot chaise lounge nestled snug against the foot of the mattress.
And a table and two chairs sat on the opposite side of the room, next to the balcony doors.
“It’s exquisite, Mrs. King,” she whispered.
In her trembling voice and uncertain gaze, I glimpsed echoes of my daughter. I instantly knew I had done the right thing by allowing her to stay. Alek hovered protectively over her in the cutest way. If only…
“You put her in one of the nicer rooms. Thanks, Mother.” He raised his eyebrows with a smirk, just like his father.
Ignoring Alek for the moment, I turned my attention to the maid who had just arrived. “Renee, thank you for coming.” She nodded and stood awaiting instruction. “Kinsley, Renee can put your things away.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I can do it, really,” she stammered.
Alek pulled her into his arms, and she stiffened immediately, a deep blush settling over her cheeks. “No,” he said roughly. “I need to get to the club, but I’ll see you for dinner.” He went to kiss her, but she turned her face and gave him her cheek.
“I’ll allow you today, but if I want to kiss you, I will. I want your list tonight,” he said and then looked in my direction. “Mother, thank you. I’ll be by later for dinner.”
“Son, I’m sure you’re quite busy. I promise Kinsley will be perfectly safe and taken care of.”
“I’m not worried that you won’t take care of her,” he said, his voice laced with confidence. “It happens to be my night.”
Kinsley buried her face in her hands. My breath caught in my throat as the words spilled from his lips. A rush of thoughts no mother should have flooded my mind. Like shards of glass, each fragment reflecting a different possibility.
Dear god, did he mean what I thought he meant? Was the beautiful blue-and-yellow room going to become a revolving door at a brothel for my sons?
Not that I should be surprised. I was well aware of their lifestyle, but the notion still sent shockwaves through my core.
He was seriously trying to challenge the boundaries of what society deemed acceptable.
I could overlook some things, but this was too much.
Questions swirled within me, overwhelming my senses and leaving me stunned.
I stared, searching for any hint that he was teasing me or it was a misplaced attempt at humor. But his wink told me everything.
“Keep your phone on you,” he ordered like she was a child.
“Yes, Sir,” she responded immediately, making my head spin.
The air between Alek and me grew thick with unspoken words.
In that profound moment, I realized there were aspects of parenting adult children that were harder than toddlerhood.
In fact, I would have gladly exchanged all the sleepless nights to have him young again and not be discussing visiting his lover in my home, no less.
As he approached the door, I chased after him, my eyes narrowed. “We should talk, just the two of us.”
His eyebrows darted up in surprise. “I thought we already did this, but okay,” he replied, a mischievous grin playing at the corners of his mouth.
Once we were in the hall and away from Kinsley, I turned to him, unable to contain myself. “Aleksandr,” I began, my voice tinged with apprehension. “Care to share what you meant by ‘it’s my night’? Are you seriously trying to say that you…your…that you all—”
He erupted in laughter, the sound filling the hall and echoing off the walls.
I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief at his attitude.
What the hell was wrong with him? Pinching the bridge of my nose, I fought to control the fury I wanted to unleash on him.
And did he really find this absurd situation that humorous?
I’d failed in more ways than one, apparently.
“Ah, Mother, where do I even begin?” he teased, feigning contemplation, all the while his eyes danced with merriment. He was getting a kick out of this. “How can I describe it? It’s like a beautifully chaotic dance—a tango, so to speak. You’re fond of that dance, no?”
“Very fond, actually. I must say, I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic analogy from you.” I crossed my arms. “Since when do you care about dancing the tango?”
“Since her. And I’m here to tell you it’s an amazing tango of affection and shared nights.”
I cocked my head to the side, staring at him in disbelief. Was he serious? Or had I officially lost my mind?
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You’re seriously equating your…arrangements to a tango. Where did I go wrong?”
He shrugged playfully, a twinkle in his eye. “We like to keep things interesting. Life before her was mundane. Now it’s tangos, some salsa, but the best is when we dance a sensual bachata.”
He then had the nerve to gesture a chef’s kiss. My eyebrows shot up in disbelief and my mouth fell open with a silent gasp. He was the one who’d lost his mind. Not a small part, but the whole damn thing.
“Thank you. You’ve managed to ruin all styles of ballroom dancing. I can’t even go there. Wait until your father hears this madness. He’s going to think I’m lying. God, I only wish I were.”
Reality had apparently decided today was a good day to take a detour into the realm of the surreal, and I was along for the bumpy ride.
“You worry too much. Father already knows about our intricate system of rotation and scheduling. The nights are carefully divided, each brother getting his fair share. Think of it like a well-orchestrated symphony of love and coordination.”
“You should leave now. You’ve reached your quota of analogies for the day. Hell, for the year. I’ll never be able to attend a symphony again without torrid thoughts running around in my head.”
I was teetering on the edge of sanity. If he continued talking and spinning his web of absurd comparisons, who knew what else he’d ruin.
Each damn analogy was worse than the one before.
It was a struggle to keep up with his outlandish train of thought, and I should have known better than to try to reason with him without backup.
With a playful glint in his eyes, he kissed my cheek.
“I’m pretty sure you told me once, a long time ago, to embrace the unpredictable harmonies of life.
I’m taking your advice. Can’t be mad at that.
” He paused, grinning, before adding, “It’s somewhat your fault.
You did a fantastic job raising us to share. Remember the saying, what’s mine is—”
“Go now before I have the locks changed,” I exclaimed, shoving him down the hall.
He may as well be speaking a different language, one that only made sense to him and his brothers. Christopher would help me make sense of this. I went in search of a quiet place to call him and lament.
The door to our room closed with a snick before I dialed him, hoping to find some backup and needing to hear his voice. After a few rings, he answered, his tone carrying a sense of calm authority. “I take it Alek just left?”
“Yes, he seems to think this is a perfectly normal arrangement,” I replied, my voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and concern. “What do we do, Chris?”
“We do nothing. They’re adults and as such, we allow them to make their own decisions.” A brief pause filled the other end of the line, and my heart sank.
“You’re really proposing we do nothing here?”
“I am. In fact, I insist you let it go.”
I listened to his words. Something wasn’t right. There was a subtle shift in his tone, almost similar to when he wasn’t allowed to discuss high-profile assignments.
“Soph, there’s more to this story than meets the eye, and honestly, I’m more concerned with what might have happened with Ivan than anything else.” His tone lowered, conveying the gravity of his words. “There are things I can’t share with you, secrets about her past that she’s not even aware of.”
My heart skipped a beat while my mind raced to comprehend his cryptic message.
“Okay, you know I’ve always respected when you’ve told me you can’t share.
But I’m going to need a bit more here. This concerns our children.
Don’t leave me in the dark. I’m about to give her the tour and ask her to lunch.
I’d like to get to the bottom of what is going on. So what kind of secrets?”
He hesitated at first but then sighed. “She comes from a powerful family. One with connections and influence that reach far beyond what she could possibly fathom. She has a grandfather and an uncle, the boys found. Nik told me her parents didn’t die unexpectedly.
Now I’ve said more than I intended. Keep it light. ”
A wave of shock washed over me, leaving me breathless.
The realization that her parents were taken from her—and not by accident—tore into my heart.
It also stirred confusing emotions. If her family was powerful, did that put mine in danger somehow?
If she was in danger, though, and had no one to protect her, we couldn’t abandon her.
“Do you think she’ll really leave?”
“Marcel and Sebastian are adamant she is. Nik and Alek are in denial. Ivan is, well…” He sighed. The concern for our youngest child hadn’t gone unnoticed.
I couldn’t help but recall the dinner fiasco. Every attempt to intervene had fallen on deaf ears, and Ivan had his walls up again. He was stubborn, and in the wake of it all, I felt powerless.
“Pavel Lenkov is coming over to dance with her later. Maybe we should question him. Maybe he can shed some light on this audition of hers. Something tells me it’s a rouse.
Doesn’t mean she isn’t leaving, just means it may be more of a disappearing thing.
And again, I’ve said more than I should have.
Sophia, I’m going to need you to trust me. We need to let this play out.”
“I’ll ask about Ivan. That should be safer,” I said, determined to do my part.
“Thank you. Maybe she’ll open up to you. It seems that whatever it is, he hasn’t confided in any of them.”
“Not even Marcel?” I asked, my concern tripling.
“From what I’ve been told, no. He’s pushed him away as well. I’ll see you later this evening. Remember, take it slow, don’t push too hard.”
As I hung up the phone, a new determination set in. He was right. Finding out what happened between her and Ivan was important, and if she opened up to me, then it would shed light on things. I fixed my face and went down the hall to her room.