Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
TITUS
I t’s been a satisfying day. I put a block on my calls from anyone other than family and spent the day working through the many emails and messages I need to run my business effectively. It’s been extremely productive and as I change for dinner, I’m surprised to find that I’m looking forward to this evening, which isn’t like me.
I don’t entertain and I don’t socialize, but I am doing both tonight with an extremely attractive woman on my arm. She will be the perfect accessory for my business meeting because as always, business comes first and always will.
Suzannah informs me that Tia’s belongings have arrived safely and her apartment has been secured should she ever be heading back there. It’s doubtful because even if our marriage fails, as will undoubtedly happen, her payoff will mean she will be able to afford a penthouse or mansion should she desire.
I reward my staff well and that is how I see her. She is here for a reason, a very important one at that.
Divorce may never be an option or it may be the answer, but it’s my decision to make. It always is.
I have instructed Suzannah to liaise with the Kremlin in arranging our wedding. It will be a spectacular affair and the most desirable invitation in town. It will be a show nobody will forget in a hurry because it is required to feed the machine that will inevitably crush my family’s enemies.
I have no rage, no anger, and no desire for revenge. I am past all those emotions and what remains is a cold, hard promise. The men who killed my father and engineered his soulless life are about to lose theirs and there is nothing they can do about that.
I have planned my strategy like any general and am lining up my soldiers and it begins tonight.
I shower and dress accordingly in a black dinner suit with a black silk shirt and tie. My belt is handmade from the finest leather and my shoes are custom made in Italy. The watch on my wrist cost two hundred thousand American dollars and is one of only three in existence. I am a man of means and a man of resolve because our wealth has come at a huge price and I’m determined to make it count.
Once I splash some aftershave across my face and neck, I head to the formal living area where Suzannah has been instructed to direct Tia and as I wait, I hold a glass of vodka in my hand and stare into the flames of the fire roaring in the grate.
I like my comforts but am equally at home in a room with peeling paint and blood-soaked floors. It’s as if the flames dance around my black heart. I don’t feel the burn but relish the power.
I am that man.
Mikhail, my brother, excels at the security side of our business and would have been my first choice to deal with Leo. Arman is equally ruthless, despite the fact he pushes a pen for a living. Valentin would have stepped up, along with Alexei, but last night was personal. Last night was my fight and even though I don’t fight often, it doesn’t disguise my love for it.
It invigorates me, and when I read the news reports of Leo’s demise, a soft smile of satisfaction remained on my lips for the duration of the day. He may as well be dead rather than the living hell he is in, and I have no remorse for gifting it to him.
He touched my future wife against her will. He laid his hands on her in anger and marked her perfect skin. If Simeon hadn’t stopped him, he would have forced his way inside her and tainted her soul forever. Just thinking of it causes the beast to roar inside me and my anger takes over as I toss the glass and its contents into the fire, the effects of which cause a blaze that intensifies the flames but I don’t flinch. I am the fire and I understand it. If someone pours fuel on the fire inside me, it invokes a catastrophic reaction and consumes anyone who dares intervene.
As the flames settle down, I adjust my mood accordingly and a movement by the door drags my attention from the fire and what I see blurs my vision. It’s as if a star has fallen into the room and blinds me to anything else.
Tia is wearing a black dress that hugs her figure as it drapes in waves toward the floor. Long white gloves are an elegant addition as is the pearl choker around her neck. Her hair has been pulled back away from her face which accentuates her slender neck and huge blue eyes and is secured in a chignon with a black feather comb. However, what I love most is her expression which is a mixture of nerves and fear.
I hold out my hand, which is an odd thing for me to do, and motion for her to join me beside the flickering fire.
“You are beautiful, Tia.”
A gentle smile accompanies my words and as she meets me, my hand instinctively finds hers and I wonder why I can suddenly breathe again.
“Titus.” She says my name with a slight tremble to her voice and, as she stares into my eyes, she whispers, “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
It’s as if her words take forever to answer me and she whispers, “Nadia never returned with the ring.”
“The ring?” I shrug. “Did she call? Perhaps she is sick. It happens.”
“No and–”
I note the misery in her eyes. “And what?”
“Leo?”
I say nothing and merely study her with curiosity rather than guilt.
“He was hit by a car and, well, they couldn’t save his legs. He’s in a bad way and will never dance again.”
I say nothing and the anxiety in her expression reminds me of how amazing she is. To be upset for a man who tried to rape her demonstrates a strength of spirit I admire and I say softly, “Accidents are the reason you must live your life every day as if it’s your last. None of us know what fate is planning on our behalf and putting things off until tomorrow may mean they never get done.”
She nods and bites her lower lip, revealing her nerves.
“But the ring? Aren’t you angry?”
Angry. It amuses me because if she considers me angry now, she wouldn’t believe who I become when I am.
“I’m not angry, Tia.”
I note her relief replaces uncertainty and I tighten my hold on her hand, running my thumb over the finger, missing the ring and whisper, “Gloves was a good choice. It effectively removes unwanted questions.”
“But what if she doesn’t come back? What if?–”
She blinks quickly. “What if she never comes back? That’s one huge temptation I placed on her finger and I know she has little money. What if she was robbed on her way home? I am so worried about her.”
“I will investigate. The problem is mine, not yours, and if the ring never shows up, we will get another one. One that you can choose this time. One that wasn’t thrust upon you unexpectedly.”
I reassure her and note the disbelief on her face as she gasps, “Get another one!” She shakes her head. “I will never understand the wealth you enjoy, Titus. It is unbelievable.”
I shrug nonchalantly. “What is wealth to you, Tia, because it may be very different to what it means to me?”
“I don’t understand.”
“You consider wealth money. Having the freedom to live without worrying about how you have to pay for it. That is most people’s perception.”
She nods, her gaze direct as she waits for my explanation and I love how intimate this is.
“Wealth to me, or anyone who has money, is very different.”
I tighten my hold on her hand and instinctively pull her a little closer, noting her heightened color and the brightening of her eyes.
“When you remove one problem, another takes its place.”
I lean closer, her sweet breath fanning my face as I whisper, “Wealth takes on a new meaning then. You crave acceptance, freedom of choice, and no responsibility. When you have money, others rely on you for their own, so you employ many people and subsequently have a duty of care to protect their livelihood.”
I lean a little closer, surprised at the incredible urge I have to kiss her and say huskily, “Wealth isn’t the way you live your life in the amazing homes, driving the performance cars and buying everything you want and don’t really need. It’s walking away from all of that and taking pleasure in what nature provides. To be accepted for the man you are, not who many see. To shed the burden you drag like chains behind you and run free knowing nothing can touch you. That is what wealth means to me.”
I’m shocked when she raises her free hand and holds it flat against my face, the fabric an irritant I never appreciated until now.
Her eyes sparkle as she stares into mine and she whispers, “Then it appears I am richer than you because I get all of that through dance.”
She smiles and says almost to herself, “Why are we doing this?”
“Why not?”
She nods and then her expression changes and she leans forward and gently touches her lips to mine and before I can react at all, she kisses me in a surprise attack that I definitely wasn’t expecting.