Chapter 21
Twenty-One
A vra
“Avra, are you home?” Laya asked me the second I answered my mobile.
“Yes. You sound upset. What’s wrong?”
“Are you alone?”
“Why? Did something happen to you?”
“It’s important. I have to talk to you. Vik should be there soon.”
I frowned. “Vik’s coming over? What’s going on, Laya? You’re scaring me.”
“I can’t talk about it like this. Just tell me if Eli is there?”
“No, he’s at meetings all day with his men.”
She heaved an audible, exasperated sigh. “ What about his people? Are any of them around? I don’t want anyone there who can report back to him.”
A chill slid down my spine.
“You’re seriously scaring me. Why don’t you want any of the Xenoses around?”
“Because it is Vitalis business,” she shouted. “Is that clear enough?”
Something big had to be wrong for her to act this way.
“Does it have to do with Eli?” I asked, knowing her answer already.
A lump formed in the pit of my stomach, and all the contentment and joy I’d felt over the last week or so evaporated. We’d come so far. Even this morning, he mentioned trying for a child as soon as this mess with his father was settled.
What could have happened?
Vik walked through the door with a folder held under his arm and gestured with his chin. “Layana?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“She called me too.”
I returned to Laya. “Let me guess, you told him everything.”
“Of course. His information corroborates with mine. I’m nearly there.” She hung up, leaving me with an empty line.
Corroborates? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
Vik took the phone from me, encased it in a box, and then pulled out a small device, which I recognized as an electronics barrier and scrambler meant to prevent any listening or monitoring equipment from working.
Shit, shit, shit. This was bad.
“We need to go to your office right now.”
Without another word, I led him down the hall. The second we entered, Vik threw the folder on top of my desk and went to work, searching everywhere.
“Wait to open that.” His gaze landed on me, and then he ordered, “Look for a camera like I taught you.”
I scoured the area around me. Eli wouldn’t invade my privacy. I trusted him.
Why would he spy on me?
My heart hammered as I waited for Vic to finish his inspection.
“Does this concern Caras, Bella, and Korba?” I asked.
“Yes and no.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
He stared at me with his calm, unwavering eyes. “The kind telling you to sit your ass in the chair and wait. And don’t open that folder.”
Releasing a deep, centering breath, I closed my eyes briefly before holding his gaze.
He was my second father. I would not lose my shit on him. However, he needed a reminder of a few things.
“I am the Vitalis, yes or no?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you answer to me, yes or no?”
“Yes.” His lips tightened, not liking where these questions were going .
“Then answer my fucking question. What did Laya say to you?”
“She said to get to your place and ensure you are alone. If not, find a way to get you to leave.”
“Why?”
“Because she is going to tell you a story about the trust, Ozias Xenos, Eli, and your death. Once she is done, I will show you something, and you will decide.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, taking my seat.
A pounding erupted in my head, almost as if it had a pulse of its own. Anger bubbled up inside me, and my skin heated.
Eli loved me. The last thing he would do was conspire with his father.
I wouldn’t make rash assumptions and wait for Laya to give the details. My heart refused to listen and screamed as if it had just shattered into pieces.
I couldn’t allow my emotions to overwhelm me. So, I pushed everything back, donned a calm mask, and waited for Vik’s reply.
“Exactly as I stated. Laya arrives, she gives the information, I add mine, you ask your questions, and then you decide the next course of action.”
A lump formed in the pit of my stomach. “If what I’m sensing is accurate, I won’t have any choice in my next steps.”
“Are you saying you would walk away from a happy marriage?”
I leaned forward. “I’m saying I will kill him for betraying me. ”
I would cry and mourn him, but it would happen.
“You are definitely Juno’s daughter.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
He smirked. “Both.”
A car pulled up to the house, and a minute later, Laya rushed through my office door, closed it, and pressed her back to it as she gasped for air.
Once she caught her breath, she asked, “Are you sure Elias isn’t here?”
I shook my head. “He’s off to a meeting.”
She glanced at Vik. “Are any of Elias’s men around?”
I answered for him. “They’ve gone with him. Only our people are guarding the home now.”
She nodded and moved to the seat near Vik, turning to him. “Can I assume you did the scanning, and it’s clean in here?”
Vik gestured to me, and Laya scowled.
“It’s clean. I want the story. Don’t stop unless I ask you a question.”
“Oh shit.” Laya’s eyes widened. “You’ve gone into that facts-only mode.”
“Start talking, Layana.”
She sighed, her face sad, and said, “Ozias Xenos accepted the marriage offer without question because he knew about the trust in Switzerland and the fact all Vitalis lands belong to us.”
Vik shook his head.
I narrowed my gaze. “You suspected this and didn’t say anything? ”
“I didn’t have proof until recently.” He glanced at the folder. “I’ve kept my eyes on Xenos from the beginning. When I finally had something to show, Laya brought her information.”
I turned my attention back to Laya. “Keep going.”
“Ozias has known about it for years,” Laya continued, “but he couldn’t touch it because of the Vitalis clause. He knows the family heads in Boston oversee the trust and would have stopped him if he dared to touch it.”
“Of course,” I muttered. “The greedy bastard wasn’t satisfied. Too bad for him, Papa knew how to manage his estate and finances. Keep going. I know it gets worse.”
“Do you remember how you described him after that first dinner? Like you belonged to him, not Eli. How he believed he was some king?” I nodded, and she added. “You’re the key to making him one. His plan was for you to marry Eli and become pregnant. Then he would eliminate us.”
I finished her story. “And after I deliver my child, he plans to find some way to kill me, leaving him with a grandchild who owns all the Vitalis lands and the trust, free and clear.”
“Exactly. Killing the three assholes in the wine bar also made it easier for Ozias to seize their land since it belongs to a Vitalis.”
“How did you discover this information?”
“You don’t believe me.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why would I lie about something like this?”
“For fuck’s sake, Laya. You’re not a liar. I’d like to know how you discovered this information. Did you verify that the source is credible?”
“Are you kidding me right now? Anyone who knows about the trust and the land threatens us. I’m not stupid enough to believe anything unless I hear it with my own ears.”
That’s when Vik jumped in, not giving two shits about my order. “I’m curious about this too. Where the fuck did you go, and where was your detail?”
Laya ignored Vik, scooted to the chair’s edge, and faced me. “I went out with some locals who don’t know who I am. I pretended to be just some ordinary girl. To blend in, I dressed like a college kid out on the town.”
“Seriously, Laya. You complained about disguising yourself in Prague, and now you do it to go barhopping?”
“I hated feeling like I had to hide in Prague. There is a big difference.” She scoffed. “Do you want the details or not?”
This was not the time for a lecture. I would save that for another day.
“All right.”
She nodded. “I stumbled upon some of Ozias’s men. I recognized them from the wedding. They were out drinking and partying, and they had no idea who I was.”
“And they just blurted out all of that information?” I asked.
“No. Once I figured out who the men were, I stuck around, flirted, and got them talking. They’re men. Give them some attention, make them feel big and strong, keep them drinking, and give them the impression one of them will hit it with you.” Laya shrugged. “The usual. Once they were falling all over themselves to impress me, I asked about their jobs and fawned over them. They seemed new and young. Probably too inexperienced to know when to shut up. I convinced them that I was so curious about all the excitement they had in their world, working for Ozias.”
“Did they say Eli was part of this?”
“Most said they weren’t sure since father and son hate each other, but a couple of them insisted it was an act.” Laya reached over my desk and covered my hand that I’d placed on top of hers. “I didn’t want to believe them, even if I heard it. So, I called Vik early this morning.”
Vik spoke. “Open the folder, Avra. Take a look inside. As you know, I’ve had some of our people watching him from the start. He isn’t as opposed to his father’s antics as he would have you believe.”
Sliding my palm from Laya’s, I followed Vik’s instructions and found pictures of Eli meeting with men who were Ozias’s enforcers. His second was with him. The interactions were friendly as if the public dislike was all an act. There were multiple meetings at various locations.
“As you see, they met several times. He’s a good actor,” Vik added.
I focused on the date in the corner of a picture. It was the day of the gallery incident when he found me after Francesca’s attack. That was the meeting he’d come from.
“Why didn’t you show me these before today?” I met Vik’s gaze .
“Because it isn’t enough proof he was doing anything wrong.”
My gut told me he was holding back something. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He pulled out his phone. “This isn’t a clear video considering the angle of the recording, but you can hear the conversation. It’s from the last meeting.”
Voice 1: Make sure you have everyone in position.
Voice 2: Does she suspect you’re planning this?
Eli: No, and I will do everything to make sure it stays that way.
Voice 2: You’re dead if she finds out.
Eli chuckles: I know. I’m late. Keep to the plan.
Voice 1: Don’t forget. Ozias wants her sisters first, then your wife.
Eli: Make sure you’re ready. I know my role.
The recording stopped, and we sat in silence.
He’d played me. A heavy weight settled on my shoulders, and there was nothing else to do but move forward.
“I’m sorry, Avra.” Vik’s voice conveyed nothing but disappointment. “I’ve never seen you so happy. The last thing I would do is take it from you, especially not like this.”
“You didn’t do this. Neither of you did. You saved us.” I stared, seeing nothing but a haze before me. Then, my mind cleared. I wanted to hear the whole conversation. What else had he said about me?
“Is there more to the recording?”
“That’s all the soldiers sent me.”
I gritted my teeth. “Send it to my phone. ”
“You already have it.”
I nodded and stared down at the photos again.
I’d believed him, trusted him, opened my heart, and fell in love with him.
How could he stoop so far and low to make a fool out of me?
Yes, fucking was part of marriage but tricking me into imagining this could be real between us. Not an arranged marriage like a business transaction, but one with emotions and connection.
Laya’s information, the pictures, and the recording lined up too perfectly to be coincidences.
No matter how much I wished for it, I couldn’t pretend away the truth.
“Avra,” Vik said in a tone I hadn’t heard since that night so long ago.
The night I lost my parents and the only home I’d ever known.
“Go to your room and take a few moments. Even your Papa allowed himself to grieve betrayal.”
Not saying anything, I took the folder and moved down the hallway leading into my bedroom, going straight to the bathroom vanity.
I gazed at my reflection.
I should have known.
I should have fucking known something like this would happen.
Does he laugh at me behind my back? Is he smug and amused that I fell for his father’s plan? Of course, he is—I heard it during that conversation.
My soul cried, parts of it refusing to believe the reality of this situation. I wanted to cling to the warm moments of security and love Eli had started to show me as a possibility for our future.
I wanted to go back. If only I could reverse time, not just to the barriers we broke in the tub, but further, before I shared anything with Eli except my body.
I could only blame myself for falling for it. I had allowed myself to believe Eli and I could have what Mama and Papa shared. Those were stupid childhood fantasies, nothing more.
You’re a fucking fool, Avra.
The second I heard his car arrive, then the hum of the garage door, I straightened my back. Pulling a tissue from the box before me, I wiped my tears away.
I couldn’t break. I refused to break in front of him.
Rage filled me, battering my bleeding, shattered heart. I may have fallen for it, but Eli had manipulated me, used me, and made me believe we’d grow old together.
I clenched my jaw, fisted the folder in my fingers, and stalked through my room and into the hallway, livid with myself that I’d lost sight of what mattered—keeping my enemies close—and let Elias distract me from what Ozias wanted.
Control.
He’d never stop until he had my entire family six feet under .
“Avra, don’t do it like this,” I heard Vik say from behind me. “You need a clear mind.”
Then Laya spoke. “Call the men. This scene is going to be bad.”
Bad wasn’t the word I’d use.
“I want all of you to stay out of sight,” I commanded. “Do you hear me?”
“We hear you, but we're staying within listening range. Our men will be with us,” Vik responded.
I let out a deep breath. That was exactly what I expected.
I waited in the front entryway. All the staff seemed to have vanished. Given the mood shift in the house, it was the safest course for them.
My whole body shook, fury igniting every nerve in me. Cold, unemotional logic was my approach with him. Then I would walk away.
As soon as I saw him step inside, my plan to remain calm disappeared. The wrath bubbling up in my veins erupted, and I charged at him.
I kept my arms at my sides, not trusting myself to avoid clocking him. I wanted to hurt him, make him feel a mere ounce of the pain I felt because of his actions.
“How could you lie to me all along?” I screamed. “Why did you make me believe?”
“Avra?” He held his hands up, stepping back with utter confusion on his face. “What’s going on?”
I was too devastated to think straight. If I were any weaker, I’d crumple and drop, sobbing into the carpet as I pounded my hand to the surface .
Instead, I shoved the agony and tears back and faced him directly. “You lied to me over and over. How could you?”
“How could I what?” He looked around me as if expecting others, and then returned to me. “What did I do?”
“How could you make me love you, knowing that you would destroy my world and take everything from me?”
“What?” His eyes widened, and a crease formed between his brows.
He shook his head as if needing a moment to let my question sink in.
When he finally spoke, his words came out as if he was in disbelief. “I did what?”
“How could you marry me and make me feel—” I stopped myself, not wanting to repeat how I felt and endure the pain of it, so I asked, “How could you align with me only to take everything away?”
“I have no fucking idea about anything you are saying.”
“You do!” I shoved the folder against his chest, wishing he could have the decency to be honest now. “Explain this. Tell me you weren’t laughing and making plans with Ozias’s people while pretending with me.”
He stared at the pictures, shaking his head. “I can explain these. There is a reason for these.”
“What explanation can you give me that I will remotely believe?”
“They’re my men.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Of course, they are your men. Xenos men. They belong to you and your father.”
As if trying to calm an excited beast, he moved slowly into the house, taking measured steps. “No, they are mine. Not Ozias’s. They are my eyes and ears around him. I swear to you. I have nothing to do with whatever you heard.”
The sincerity of his words slapped me in a way that was worse than any physical hurt I’d ever experienced.
“I saw the recording of your last meeting. You were laughing about me killing you if I found out.”
“Recording? Whatever you saw was wrong. They updated me on Ozias, and I gave them orders for my other men.”
“You want me to believe you meet with them nearly every week only for updates on Ozias?”
Eli cocked his head to the side. “What other reasons were you given? And how do you know I’m meeting with them that often? Are you having me followed?”
“Does it truly matter? Given what I’ve learned, trusting you seems like the worst choice I could make."
“Avra. If something is planned or going on, I have nothing to do with it.” He stepped closer, but when I glared at him, he stilled. “I haven’t betrayed you in any way.”
“I can’t trust you. I heard what you said, and others did too.”
“Whatever that was, it wasn’t the truth. Every plan I’ve made is to protect you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He sighed and lowered his head. “I swear on my mother’s place in heaven. I would never do anything to hurt you.”