Chapter Forty-three
Alessia
I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the fabric down my hips.
The dress hugged me too perfectly. The soft silk in midnight blue shimmered when I moved, the hem brushing just above my knees.
The neckline dipped low enough to tempt without surrendering everything.
And the thin straps on my shoulders felt like whispers against my skin.
My lips curved into a smile, though it was laced with dread.
When I had asked Rodion for this date, it wasn’t to be spoiled.
It would remind me there was still a world outside his walls and this heavy life where blood and power came first. I needed him to step into a normal world with me, even for a night, because I was enjoying his space too much.
If he could walk into mine, then maybe both sides could feel real.
Carina was behind me, busy fussing with my hair as if she were preparing me for a coronation. Her excitement was impossible to ignore, so bright it spilled into me and made me smile. She had helped me on every date so far, and this one was no different.
“I hope this goes well,” I said.
Carina chuckled. “According to my research, it will. Wasn’t he the one who sent that dress on your date with Marco?”
A laugh broke from me. “Not in a good way.”
“True.” Her grin flashed in the mirror. “But on the positive side, this man walked into a lingerie shop and bought you underwear. And he got your size right back then. Let’s stick with that side of the story.”
I covered my mouth, laughing, unable to deny it.
She moved in front of me and tilted my chin, fixing my lipstick with the pad of her finger. “Plus, he buys flowers.”
“Yeah, right? Today, I want us to talk about ourselves. Not business, not anything else. Just us. I hope it will go well.”
“It will.” She reached for the liner again. “Close your eyes.” I obeyed. “You could ask him anything you still doubt,” she said.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good. Open your eyes.”
I did, and the face staring back at me was mine, though it looked alive in ways I didn’t always recognize. She nodded with satisfaction. I smiled and pulled her into a hug.
“I’m glad you’re here. Thank you.”
She hugged me back, careful of my hair. “Don’t thank me until he proposes. Then I’ll send him an invoice for all these hours.”
We both laughed at that. When we pulled apart, I breathed out. “Okay. I’m ready.” She ran to the bed, snatched up my clutch, and pressed it into my hand. She fixed my hair again, and I swatted her playfully. “I’m sure I’m fine.”
“You look good. Smile. Go enjoy the night.”
Excitement and nerves danced through me. “Oh, Carina. This is crazy.”
She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the hall. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s crazy and real. And relax. This is not Marco. This is Rodion.”
I groaned. “We should ban that name from our mouths.”
Carina pinched her lips together, pulling something invisible out of her mouth, and tossed it to the ground. Then she stomped it flat with her heel. “Done and dusted.”
Our laughter echoed as we walked through the east wing toward the exit. The guard, Viktor, was supposed to be outside. When the doors opened, the car waiting wasn’t the one I had expected. A sleek Land Rover Discovery gleamed under the light.
Carina let out a dramatic gasp. “Looks like Rodion has it all planned. That’s my dream car. I’m sure I’ll save for half my lifetime, but one day, I’ll drive this.”
I shook my head. “You make me laugh. I feel better. Anyway, see you later. Go eat. You could join Matvet again?”
She rolled her eyes. “The man looks at me like I’m going to assault him just by showing up. He doesn’t realize I’m only trying to appreciate the fact that he saved me once.”
“Matvet is a sweetheart,” I said. “You have no idea.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll be in the room writing. I’ll make him a villain in my novel.”
I laughed and waved as Viktor opened the car door for me. I slid inside, glancing back. Carina was still grinning, her gaze stuck on the car.
The car rolled out of the territory. Tonight would be amazing.
The drive was quiet. My thoughts filled the silence, circling only on how the night would go. I imagined Rodion’s smile, the one he was showing more often. He didn’t know what it did to me, how that simple curve of his mouth erased the hard, cold mask of a mafia boss he always wore.
The restaurant wasn’t far. We pulled up, and Viktor was already at my door, opening it before I could reach for the handle.
“Thank you, Viktor,” I said.
“You are welcome, Miss. The boss said I could leave, but call me if you need anything.”
I nodded. “Yes. He could be here.”
“Alright. Enjoy your night.”
I walked toward the entrance. The doors swung open for me, and a woman greeted me. After confirming the reservation, she led me upstairs to the quieter level.
The room was washed in dim light, candles flickering on every table. Glass walls framed the city outside, its lights scattered like jewels against the night. A few couples were in the space. The air smelled faintly of wine and polished wood.
Rodion wasn’t here yet. A small part of me had expected him to be waiting, but I reminded myself that I was the one who asked him for the date. I sat at our table by the window, letting the glow of the city pour into me.
This was real. I was on a date.
A deep voice caught me off guard, and I turned, hope rising, but it was another couple being guided to their table. My smile lingered. I looked back outside, then down at my phone. It was a few minutes before seven. I arrived early—no need to rush my thoughts.
I opened our chat to double-check the details. The location I sent him was correct. His reply was still there: Received, Little Gem.
The words eased me. I locked the screen and set it down.
My eyes drifted again to the entrance, then back outside.
Cars slid along the streets below, headlights glowing in neat lines.
A group of people hurried by with their coats pulled tight, the weather already turning colder than it had been last week.
Rumors said that the rain would be worse this year, harsher.
Footsteps caught my glancing up quickly. But it wasn’t him. My phone buzzed with a message from Carina asking how it was going.
I typed back, telling her not to distract me, and smiled to myself.
Half an hour passed. Rodion should have been here by now. My hand twitched toward my phone, wanting to call him, but I held myself back. I wanted to see him walk through that door with his smile aimed only at me.
The thought made me lower my head, lips curving faintly.
But the minutes crawled. People began to leave while others were shown in. My eyes kept darting to the entrance, each time disappointment settling heavier. I grabbed my phone, ready to call him. It had been an hour, so I couldn’t exaggerate by calling him. I did, but the call didn’t go through.
It could be due to a network failure. I called again, and still nothing. His phone was off?
I typed a message.
My excitement bled out, and stress wrapped around me instead, clawing at my stomach. Why wasn’t he here? Why was his phone turned off?
A waitress approached. “Would you like to order, miss?”
“Not yet. He is almost here.”
She nodded politely and walked away. I glanced back at my phone and noticed that the text message hadn’t even been delivered.
He promised he would come. He had to. I turned back to the window, trying to distract myself with the cars outside. The blinking traffic lights and the occasional shout from the street below didn’t help.
I called again, and each time it was a failure. Even so, I waited. Hours bled together. I waited for four hours with no food or drink. Only stubborn hope held me in place. The servers had started to exchange looks. They circled three times, each time I whispered the same lie that he was coming.
The last couple in the room left. I blinked back the tears burning my eyes and typed another message.
“Miss,” a waiter said. “I can bring you a drink.”
I shook my head. “Thirty more minutes. Please.”
His eyes softened with pity, and I hated that look almost as much as the emptiness inside me.
Midnight came, and with it, the last of my hope. He wasn’t coming, and I couldn’t wait anymore. I gathered my things, ignoring the glances from the staff, and walked out. The cold hit me instantly, reminding me that I hadn’t even brought a sweater.
One guard approached. “Would you like me to call for your car?”
Viktor had left. My hands trembled as I fumbled with my phone. Who was I supposed to call? Viktor? Carina? I didn’t know. A tear slipped onto the screen.
The guard stepped closer. “I can call a taxi for you, ma’am.”
“Yes,” I breathed.
Why was this so painful? Why had he stood me up? Did he forget? Or did he choose not to come? Or was he sick? Why tonight?
The guard returned. “The taxi is here, ma’am.”
I lifted my head, and a yellow cab pulled up at the curb. I walked to it and slipped inside. The driver turned and asked, “Where to, miss?”
I almost gave him Rodion’s address. But the word caught in my mouth, and instead I gave him my parents’ address.
The drive home was filled with questions, each heavier than the last. Questions I couldn’t answer. The cab slowed, headlights washing over the familiar gates of our house. The reality was that I wasn’t walking into silence but into a storm of questions from my parents.
“We are here, miss,” the driver said.
“Yes … hm.” My fingers fumbled for the card. Shame curled tight as I realised I was paying with his money after he had made me sit like a fool.
After paying, I stepped out, and the cab drove away, leaving me on the quiet street. My breath shook in the cold air. I wiped my eyes before I pushed the gate open.
Vivo’s barking shattered the stillness, his nails scraping against the door as I walked up the path.
I pressed the bell, and he barked louder, his body thudding against the wood. Growing impatient, I knocked and rang again.
After a few minutes, my mother’s voice came, muffled through the door. “Who is it?”
My throat tightened. “It’s me, Mamma.”
The door unlocked fast, and her voice rose in alarm. “Alessia?”
I stepped inside and into her arms before she could ask more. Vivo jumped up against me, whining, but I clung to my mother, desperate for the warmth.
She pulled back to look at me, her eyes already scanning me from head to toe. “Come in.” She shut the door quickly, as if afraid of the night outside. “What happened? Why are you like this?”
I breathed out, forcing myself to calm down, because I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t say Rodion had made me wait for him. My voice came out low. “Can we talk tomorrow? I’m tired.”
Her brows pinched together. “Yes, yes. Of course. But are you alright? It’s late. What happened? I am worried.”
“I’m fine, Mamma.” I eased my hand from her grip and started toward the stairs.
“I’ll bring you something warm,” she called after me. “You’re freezing.”
But I didn’t stop. My legs carried me up and into my room.
I lingered in the doorway, staring into the familiar space. The room looked exactly as it always had. I walked to the bed and fell onto it, not bothering to strip away the dress clinging to my skin or remove the makeup smudged across my face. My chest felt unbearably heavy.
The door cracked open. My mother’s voice was gentle. “Alessia?”
I didn’t move. She lingered a moment before she stepped back and let the door close, leaving me in the dark with only my own shattering thoughts.
Tears slipped onto the pillow. My throat burned as I whispered into the silence, “I hope he had a good reason.”
I didn’t know when I had fallen asleep, or when the tears had stopped, but voices stirred me awake. I shifted under the blanket.
“Should I wake her?” my mother whispered.
“Let her sleep, she will…” Dad paused when I sat up. “Sweetheart, you’re up.”
I blinked at both standing in my room, my mother’s face pinched with worry, my father’s arms folded tight. “What is it?”
My father cleared her throat. “It was one in the morning. Where were you coming from? Did something happen? You’ve been crying. Why didn’t you call us?”
A sigh dragged out of me. “Papa…” I looked between them. “I’m fine. Can you leave?”
“No.” His tone hardened. “I’m worried. What happened?”
Pushing the blanket aside, I slid out of the bed. “I need a shower,” I muttered, moving past them.
“We are going to talk about it,” he warned as I stepped into the bathroom.
I shut the door and leaned against it, shutting them out. Their muffled voices carried a moment longer before retreating.
Moving to the mirror, my reflection nearly scared me. The makeup had run, streaking my face with black. My dress clung awkwardly, wrinkled and shifted. I stripped it off and stepped into the shower. The hot water poured over me, and I relaxed, letting it wash the night away.
Rodion never lies; that was one truth that I hoped for. So, I had to find out what happened. And honestly, I hoped it wasn’t because of his business.
When I finally stepped out, I dressed in jeans and a hoodie. My body ached as I sat on the bed. The clutch lay on the floor where I had dropped it.
I picked it up and pulled out my phone. The screen lit, and a flood of notifications hit me all at once.
My stomach sank when I saw the screen. Carina had called me several times, along with a string of unregistered numbers. Even Viktor had tried reaching me. Why would they be calling so much? I dialed Carina back, but my phone buzzed with another unregistered number flashing across the screen.
Without hesitation, I answered. “Hello?”
“Finally.” His breath was ragged, like he’d been waiting forever. “Alessia, where the fuck are you?”
I froze. “Who is this?”
“It’s Matvet. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m at home. I was about to call Carina in case she was worried.”
“Forget Carina.” His tone snapped. “Why the hell didn’t you call Viktor yesterday when the boss failed to show up? Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put yourself in?”
“Don’t yell at me.”
He sighed. “If that happens again next time, call Viktor or me.” His voice dropped. “And until Viktor gets there, you don’t leave that house. Did Doctor Dorothy call you?”
So he knew Rodion stood me up. If he did, that meant Rodion had a reason. And why would Dorothy call me? “No, why?”
“Nothing. Wait for Viktor.”
“Matvet … what’s going on?”
A beat of silence stretched as if he were deciding whether to replay or not. “The boss is in the hospital.”