Chapter 18 Anna
ANNA
“What did you do to Lina?”
Luca looks up from his desk. His expression doesn’t change. “Close the door.”
“Answer me first.”
“Close the door, Anna.”
I slam it shut and cross to his desk. “Lina called me. She was crying. She said men came to her apartment. Threatened her. Told her if she spoke about the twins again, there would be consequences. Was that you?”
“Yes.”
The confirmation hits me like cold water. “You sent people to threaten her?”
“She was spreading information that damages my reputation. I stopped it.”
“By terrorizing her?”
“By making the consequences clear. She’s alive and unharmed. That’s more consideration than most people get.”
“She’s my friend!”
“She’s a liability. She came to my office expecting payment for information, and when I refused, she decided to spread it publicly out of spite. That’s not a friend. That’s an enemy.”
“So you had her threatened? What did your men say to her?”
“I don’t know the specifics. Pavel handled it. But based on the fact that she called you crying instead of dead, I assume they were persuasive without being violent.”
“You can’t just send people to threaten everyone who annoys you!”
“I can. And I do. That’s how this world works.”
“Lina didn’t deserve that!”
“Lina made herself a problem. Problems get solved.”
I want to scream at him. Want to throw something. But the cold calculation in his eyes stops me. He doesn’t see anything wrong with what he did. To him, threatening Lina is just business.
“If she talks again?” I ask quietly.
“Then Pavel will escalate.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning she won’t talk again.”
The implication is clear. If Lina opens her mouth, she dies.
“She won’t say anything,” I say quickly. “She’s terrified. She won’t talk.”
“Good. Then we won’t have further problems.”
“Luca!”
“This conversation is over. Lina is handled. The information stops spreading. We move forward.”
“You can’t just—”
“I can. And I did. If you have an issue with how I protect my interests, that’s your problem. Not mine.” He returns to the papers on his desk like I’m not even there.
I stand there shaking with rage and fear and the realization that I’m married to someone who will hurt people I care about without hesitation.
“Dinner is at seven,” Luca says without looking up. “Maxim will be joining us. Make sure the twins are presentable.”
“Why is Maxim coming?”
“Because I told him to. He’s been avoiding the estate since the wedding. That stops tonight.”
Great. An evening with Luca’s hostile son on top of everything else.
I leave his office and go find the twins.
Seven o’clock arrives too fast.
I’ve dressed Mila in a blue dress she hates. Alexei is in pants and a button-up shirt, which he keeps trying to untuck. Both of them are quiet, subdued. They’ve barely spoken to me since learning about their father.
We walk to the dining room together. Luca is already there, standing by the window. He’s changed into a dark suit, no tie. He looks at the twins when we enter. “Good evening,” he says.
Neither of them responds. Mila hides slightly behind me. Alexei just stares at the floor.
Footsteps in the hallway. Maxim walks in.
He’s thirty but looks younger. Tall, lean build, dark hair swept back. He has Luca’s sharp features, but without the coldness. Or maybe the coldness is there, just hidden better.
His eyes land on me first. Then the twins. His expression doesn’t change, but I see the calculation there.
“Maxim,” Luca says. “You remember Anna.”
“Of course.” Maxim extends his hand. “Good to see you again.”
I shake it. His grip is firm, professional. “You too.”
“And these are Mila and Alexei.” Luca gestures to the twins.
Maxim looks down at them. “Hello.”
Mila presses closer to my leg. Alexei doesn’t respond.
“They’re shy,” I say.
“Understandable. Must be overwhelming living here.” Maxim’s tone is pleasant, but there’s an edge underneath. “Big change from wherever they were before.”
“We lived with my parents.”
“Right. Viktor and Svetlana. How are they handling all this?”
“They’re adjusting.”
“I’m sure they are. Must have been quite a shock for everyone when the truth came out.”
The way he says “the truth” makes my skin prickle.
“Sit,” Luca says.
We take our places at the table. Luca at the head, Maxim to his right. Me to his left with the twins beside me. The staff brings out the first course. It’s a soup I can’t identify.
The twins pick at their food. Neither of them eats.
“So,” Maxim says after a few minutes of tense silence. “I heard an interesting story this week. About paternity tests and long-lost children. Funny how these things work out.”
“Maxim.” Luca’s voice is a warning.
“I’m just making conversation. It is quite a story. Anna recognizes her one-night stand from five years ago at her own wedding. Doesn’t say anything. Marries him anyway. Moves her children into his house. And only reveals the truth when someone else forces it out. Very dramatic.”
“That’s enough.”
“Is it? I think it’s fascinating. The timing is so convenient.”
I set down my spoon. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just observing that everything worked out very well for you. Debt forgiven, family saved, children provided for. All because you happened to have my father’s babies.”
“I didn’t plan any of this.”
“Didn’t you? Seems like a happy accident that the man your family owed millions to also happens to be the father of your children.”
“It was an accident. I didn’t know who he was when I slept with him.”
“So you say.”
“Maxim.” Luca’s tone is harder now. “Stop.”
“I’m just asking questions. Surely Anna doesn’t mind answering questions about how this miraculous coincidence occurred.”
“It wasn’t miraculous. It was a nightmare.” I push my chair back slightly. “I spent five years hiding from Luca because I knew what he was. What he’s capable of. The last thing I wanted was to marry him.”
“And yet here you are. Living in his house. Spending his money. Quite the sacrifice.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? I think I understand perfectly. You saw an opportunity and took it. Can’t blame you, really. Most people would do the same in your position.”
“I didn’t see an opportunity. I was trapped!”
“By circumstances you created. You’re the one who slept with a stranger. You’re the one who kept his children secret. You created this situation.”
“That’s not fair—”
“Isn’t it? You made choices. Now you’re living with the consequences. Very comfortable consequences, from where I’m sitting.”
Mila starts crying quietly. Alexei’s hands are clenched into fists on the table.
“Maxim, that’s enough.” Luca’s voice is ice.
“I’m just being honest. Someone should be.”
“You’re being disrespectful. To Anna and to me.”
“I’m stating facts. She trapped you with those children—”
“She didn’t trap anyone.”
“How do you know? How do you know the DNA test wasn’t tampered with? How do you know those children are actually yours?”
The table goes silent.
Luca stands slowly. “What did you just say?”
Maxim doesn’t back down. “I said, how do you know the test is accurate? Labs make mistakes. Results can be altered. Maybe Anna found a way to ensure the test came back positive.”
“The test was handled by Pavel. Through a facility I’ve used for years. There was no tampering.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Because it seems very convenient that—”
“Maxim.” Luca’s voice drops to something dangerous. “You’re questioning the legitimacy of my children. Do you understand what you’re doing?”
“I’m asking reasonable questions.”
“No. You’re insulting Anna. You’re suggesting my children are fraudulent. You’re implying I’m too stupid to verify paternity properly. That’s not asking questions. That’s disrespect.”
Maxim’s jaw tightens. “I’m protecting your interests.”
“My interests don’t need your protection. What they need is your acceptance. Mila and Alexei are your siblings. Half-siblings, if you want to be technical. They live in this house. They’re part of this family. Whether you like it or not.”
“I never agreed to this.”
“You don’t have to agree. You just have to comply.” Luca leans forward. “Let me be very clear. If you continue to disrespect Anna or question the twins’ legitimacy, you’ll lose your place in this family. Is that what you want?”
“You’d disown me over them?”
“I’d disown you for insubordination. For publicly questioning my judgment. For treating your stepmother with contempt at my own dinner table. Yes.”
The twins are both crying now. Mila has her face buried in my side. Alexei is trying not to, but tears are streaming down his face.
I stand. “I’m taking them upstairs.”
“Anna—” Luca starts.
“No. This was a mistake. They don’t need to be here for this.” I take both twins by the hand and walk out of the dining room. Neither of them looks back.
Behind us, I hear Luca’s voice. Cold. Final. “Get out of my house.”
“Father—”
“Get out. Don’t come back until you’re ready to apologize to Anna and accept that those children are your siblings.”
Footsteps. A door slamming.
I get the twins upstairs and settled, though they won’t stop crying. I sit on the floor outside their rooms and put my head against the wall.
This is my life now.
A husband who threatens my friends.
A stepson who hates me.
And children who don’t trust me.