Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alexander
After wrapping up business matters, I finally escaped Tatyana's clutches. She'd been going on and on about some family cooperation deal, and I just played along politely while my mind was already on Anna.
I searched the entire ballroom for Anna but came up empty. After asking a few waiters, one told me he'd seen her head to the terrace.
The night air was cool, and unease crept into my chest as I walked toward the terrace.
I found Anna standing alone by the railing, her slender figure looking somehow isolated in the darkness. That deep blue dress shimmered in the moonlight, but her silhouette radiated a distance I couldn't shake.
Seeing her in that thin dress against the night breeze, I immediately reached to remove my jacket to wrap around her shoulders.
My hand grasped nothing but air. Damn. I'd given my jacket to Tatyana earlier.
The realization hit me like ice water. Had Anna witnessed that?
Perhaps I should have introduced Tatyana to Anna sooner, but every time the opportunity arose, I hesitated. I wasn't certain our relationship could withstand that revelation yet.
She turned at the sound of my footsteps. Those usually warm green eyes were cold now, her expression unreadable.
"Anna." I approached her, reaching to encircle her waist. "What are you doing out here alone?"
She gracefully sidestepped my touch. "Let's go."
Just two words, but the detachment in them made my stomach clench.
The drive back to the manor was suffocatingly silent.
I kept watching Anna. Though she sat beside me, there might as well have been an ocean between us. She stared out the window with none of the excitement or nervousness from earlier. Since leaving the terrace, she'd erected an invisible barrier I couldn't penetrate.
I reached for her hand. She pulled away again.
"Anna, are you feeling unwell?" I ventured.
She simply shook her head. "Just tired."
Her voice was flat, emotionless. Nothing like her usual tone. I studied her profile, those eyes that used to steal glances at me now fixed solely on the passing scenery, as if something out there held more importance than I did.
A sense of foreboding settled in my chest.
When we arrived at the manor, Sofia was waiting in the living room wearing pink pajamas, clutching her favorite bunny plushie. Her face brightened immediately upon seeing us.
"Alex! Mommy!" She launched herself into my arms, small hands wrapping around my neck. "You're back! I waited so long!"
I lifted her up, her warmth providing some relief from the tension. "Little princess still awake?"
"I wanted to wait for you both." She nuzzled against me. "Alex, can you play with me for a little while? Even just read me a bedtime story?"
I was about to agree—this was my favorite part of each day—but Anna suddenly interrupted with unusual sternness.
"Sofia, Alex is tired and needs to rest."
I looked at her in surprise. I wasn't tired at all, and spending time with my daughter was what I treasured most. Why was she preventing this?
Sofia's lower lip trembled. "But I wanted—"
"Be good," Anna cut her off. "Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed."
Under her mother's firm insistence, Sofia had no choice but to say goodnight, though her confused little eyes darted between Anna and me, clearly sensing the tension.
Anna picked up Sofia and headed upstairs without so much as a glance back at me. I stood in the empty living room, my confusion deepening.
What was wrong with her? Had something happened on the terrace? Had she discovered something I wasn't aware of?
I thought about Tatyana's appearance tonight, and unease twisted in my gut. Surely she hadn't said something to Anna?
I waited a full thirty minutes before Anna emerged from Sofia's room. I was in the master bedroom, determined to resolve this issue.
But she entered and immediately turned away from me, beginning to change clothes while dismissing my inquiries with claims of exhaustion.
"Anna, we need to talk," I said. "Your behavior tonight has been unusual."
"I'm just tired," she replied without turning around. "There's nothing to talk about."
Her cold demeanor escalated my anxiety. I moved behind her, attempting an embrace, but she recoiled as if burned.
"I need some space."
That obvious rejection ignited my simmering anger.
"Anna, we're partners. We're a family," my voice turned sharp. "What can't you share with me? What is this cold treatment supposed to accomplish?"
"I'm not giving you cold treatment," she whirled around, eyes blazing with anger and a hurt I couldn't decipher. "I simply need personal space. Why can't you understand that?"
"Personal space?" I scoffed. "You've been pushing me away all evening, avoiding my touch, refusing conversation. That's personal space?"
"Yes!" Her voice rose. "I need time to process certain things. What's wrong with that?"
"Process what?" I stepped closer. "Did Tatyana say something to you?"
Her expression shifted instantly, that wounded look becoming more pronounced.
"Of course," she laughed bitterly. "Of course you know she sought me out."
"Anna, let me explain—"
"Explain?" she interrupted. "Explain why you're so attentive to your ex-girlfriend? Explain why you allowed her to wear your family heirlooms? Or explain why everyone else knows about your past relationship while I stand here like a fool, completely ignorant?"
Her words left me stunned. Heirlooms? What was she referring to?
"Anna, you're mistaken—"
"I'm mistaken?" Tears gathered in her eyes. "Then what about those sapphire earrings she was wearing? Didn't you give those to her?"
Finally, I understood her fury. But the truth wasn't what she believed.
"Those aren't my family's jewels," I explained. "Tatyana's family also possesses extensive jewelry collections. Those earrings belong to her."
"Do you expect me to believe that?" She laughed coldly. "And the way you helped her with her coat—so natural, so practiced. Those society women were right. You two truly are a perfect match."
"Anna, what are you saying?" My anger flared as well. "My behavior toward Tatyana was purely courteous. I love you!"
"Courteous?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "That kind of intimate courtesy?"
"Enough!" I exploded. "What do you take me for? Some plaything you can push away and pull close at will? We've just established our relationship, and already you're doubting me, treating me like this?"
"I'm not treating you like a plaything!" she shouted back. "I simply need to sort through my emotions, to understand my place in your life!"
"Isn't your place in my life clear enough?" I roared. "How much have I sacrificed to protect you both? I brought you into my home, introduced you to everyone. Isn't that enough?"
"But you never told me about Tatyana!" Tears finally spilled down her cheeks. "You never mentioned having such an accomplished ex-girlfriend, never prepared me for what I'd be facing!"
Our argument grew louder and more heated, loud enough that even Sofia in the adjacent room might hear. But I'd lost all emotional control.
"I don't owe you a report of my past!" I said icily. "Just as you never told me about Sofia's existence either!"
The words escaped before I could stop them. Immediate regret flooded through me, but it was too late.
Anna's face drained of all color. She stared at me, eyes filled with disappointment and anguish.
"Fine," she said, voice trembling. "Very well."
Then she turned and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door with finality.
I stood in the bedroom, listening to water running in the bathroom, experiencing a defeat unlike any I'd known before.
I knew I'd spoken wrongly, but my pride prevented me from apologizing immediately.
Ultimately, I chose to leave. I slammed the master bedroom door hard, the sound like a wall being erected between us.
In my study, I lit a cigar. Through the curling smoke, I attempted to calm myself, but Anna's cold expression and disappointed gaze filled my mind.
Our first fight had erupted just like that.
At midnight, Ivan knocked and entered to deliver his report.
"Pakhan," he placed a file on my desk. "Those small-time threats against Miss Anna have all been eliminated. Director Black and the Salvatore family members retreated after receiving our warning."
"But?" I detected the qualifier in his tone.
"But the true mastermind remains at large," he frowned. "Slippery as an eel. Every time we close in, he vanishes. Our people have uncovered some leads, but he's cunning."
I fixed him with a cold stare. "Continue the hunt. When you find him, eliminate him directly. No need for prisoners."
"Understood." Ivan hesitated. "There's another matter, concerning Miss Romanova..."
I looked up at him.
"She approached Miss Anna at tonight's reception. Our surveillance confirmed they exited the restroom in sequence."
My heart sank. So Tatyana had indeed spoken with Anna.
"I need to know exactly what they discussed," I commanded. "Also, increase security for Anna and Sofia. I suspect our troubles are far from over."
Ivan nodded, then regarded me hesitantly. "Pakhan, you and Miss Anna..."
"It's nothing," I cut him off. "Simply a minor misunderstanding."
After Ivan departed, I wearily massaged my temples. Rising, I gazed out at the profound darkness, worry mounting in my chest.
Though I'd projected confidence before Ivan, I knew this was no minor misunderstanding. This was the first crisis in our relationship, and I wasn't certain we could survive it.