Chapter 17 - Marlen
The week has flown by, and when Friday arrives, I still have a lot to get done before I can enjoy a free weekend.
I’m hoping to have some time to myself so that I can spend it with Stefania.
Maybe I can take her hiking or to the botanical gardens.
Somewhere pretty and surrounded by nature.
It will be a nice change for her from being walled in that mansion day after day.
Lately, I’ve been wondering how much longer I can keep this up.
She deserves a lot more than what I’m putting her through. She’s proven her trust, she’s even proven that when given a direct opportunity to escape… she has no plans to.
So, what are my plans for her? She can’t live locked in my home forever. But I also can’t fathom letting her go. I’ve come to rather appreciate her being around. More than appreciate it. Somehow, I need it.
Shaking my head, I sigh out loud as I walk across the street toward the building of one of my clients, to meet with him before he goes on lunch.
It won’t take long. I just need him to sign off on some documents agreeing to our new rate increases.
Business is doing well, we’ve cut out some smaller clients to focus on the bigger ones because our time is limited.
With the high demand for our services, we get to charge more. That’s how the world works.
He can stay with us or find another way to move his funds.
Around me, the city is busy. People are coming and going, hustling, eager to finish their work day and start the weekend.
I walk into the foyer of the building. My shoes echo on the stone floor in the high-ceilinged, empty space. There is one single desk up against the far wall.
“Can I help you, sir?” A young man stands to greet me.
“I’m here to see Irvan Kole,” I say.
“Mr. Popov?” he asks. I nod. “He’s expecting you, sir. You can go up to the eleventh floor; he’s in the boardroom.”
“Thank you,” I say, heading toward the elevator.
Irvan is sitting at the long glass boardroom table, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, when I walk in.
“Marlen, good to see you, man, it’s been a while.
I keep meaning to say hi in person, but you know how it goes.
The days fly past, and before you know it, it’s a new year! ” he laughs heartily.
“I know exactly what you mean, thanks for seeing me today, I appreciate it,” I say, shaking his hand, then sitting one seat away from him.
“What did you want to discuss?” he asks. It’s one of the things I really like about Irvan, apart from his steady, reliable moods and logical business sense. He likes to get straight to the point.
“I’ve come to discuss a necessary rate increase,” I tell him, sliding the new contract over the table. He opens the brown folder but doesn’t look at it.
“Business is doing well, then? That’s good to hear,” he smiles.
“It is. We’ve had to flush out the smaller fish and refocus our time and energy,” I confirm.
“Of course, of course. This is just more confirmation that I’m working with a good company. You have been a reliable and efficient partner for me,” he says, finally looking down at the paper. “Where do I sign?” he asks, picking up his pen.
“Page three is the addendum to the old contract. It’s the only thing that’s changed, and the only page you need to sign. You’ll see the increases are fair and…”
“I’m not worried about what the increase is. I don’t want to work with someone else after you’ve earned my trust. Besides, I know you would have been fair in the decision,” he says, scribbling his signature on the addendum.
“Is that it?” he asks, sliding the documents back to me.
“That’s it,” I say with a broad smile, standing to shake his hand again.
“Next time, let’s grab a drink,” he says, walking me to the door.
“Anytime, Irvan, you just say when.”
Walking out of his building with the documents tucked under my arm, I’m smiling, pleased it went well.
He’s the client I would have negotiated the increase for. But he’s also the type of client who wouldn’t ask that, considering he understands the value of the service we provide.
Walking back across the street to my car, I glance left and right, then left again.
Clicking the button, my car beeps and the doors unlock. I’m about to pull the door open when I see her, and it makes my entire body scream to a stop.
My breath is stuck in my throat.
“Talia?” I whisper to myself.
She’s sitting in the coffee shop right opposite my car. I see myself in the reflection of the cafe window, and her just beyond that, smiling down at her phone. She’s alone, but I spot two guards sitting at a table nearby.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen or spoken to my sister.
My heart is beating fast as emotions wash over me.
Seeing her brings a well of resentment for what she did. But also an ocean of love.
She’s my little sister. My family.
I’d never stop loving her.
She’s just as beautiful as ever.
My hand drops from the car door. I want to talk to her. But I can’t imagine she’d be happy to see me. I also can’t imagine her guards would let me get too close.
Still, I find myself walking toward the coffee shop, through the doors, my heart racing.
I keep an eye on her guards as I get closer to her table.
“Marlen?” She jumps up from her seat and rushes toward me, immediately throwing her arms around me. I stand stunned for a moment, relieved and confused by her warm welcoming. A nervous chuckle ripples through me as I hug her back. “Hi, it’s been… a while,” I say.
“It’s been way too long,” Talia scolds me. “I’ve been trying to respect your boundaries, but I’ve missed you like crazy. All of you!”
She takes my hand and leads me to her table, sitting me down in the chair opposite hers.
I rest my elbows on the table, leaning toward her. “What do you mean by my boundaries?” I ask, unsure.
“Well, I know you think I betrayed you. You were really angry with me. I understand that. I figured I was the last person you wanted to hear from… but Marlen, it wasn’t a betrayal. It was never that. I never did it to hurt you or offend you. I never wanted to push you out of my life.”
“What happened then?” I ask, frowning.
She smiles, light laughter spilling from her lips as she shrugs. “I fell in love.”
Her answer is so simple.
It’s so clean and to the point.
Those four words make all the time away from her seem pointless and childish. I fell in love. No underhanded scheme. No malice.
Just a girl who fell in love.
I’ve been staring at her for a while, thinking about the time that’s drifted us apart. Talia pulls her mouth to the side. “I didn’t contact you because I knew you didn’t want to hear from me… not yet anyway. I figured when you were ready, you’d reach out.”
“I wanted to…” I murmur, unsure of myself. I really did. There were so many times I wanted to call her, but how could I when I didn’t trust the people she was with? Yet now, I have my enemy sleeping in my bed, and I might understand her side a little better.
I sigh, smiling tightly and shaking my head. “I’ve missed you, too, Talia. The family dinners aren’t the same without you. We need your charming charisma to balance out all the macho bullshit that goes on,” I tease.
I reach across the table and take her hand. “I really missed you,” I nod, looking into her eyes.
Talia swallows away a lump of emotions sitting in her throat. She blinks away the glittering threat of tears and wraps her other hand over mine.
“Can we change how things are between us?” she asks. “Maybe you can call sometimes? Maybe I can come visit?” The excitement in her voice makes me smile.
“Yes, I think it’s time to put everything behind us. We’re family, kiddo. We should never have turned away from each other.” My heart is aching with guilt for pushing her away. It seems too petty now. She’s family. How could I have done that to her?
“How is Bardil?” she asks, sitting up a little straighter.
“He’s doing ok, considering,” I answer, my voice rougher than I intend, considering what her new family did to our brother. It reminds me of how this all started and shifts a layer of tension between us.
“Marlen, Bardil wasn’t honest with you when he told you what happened. He lied about the auction…”
“Talia, don’t do this,” I snap. “How can you talk about your brother like that. You know him. They accused him of human trafficking. This is Bardil for crying out loud. He can be a moron sometimes, but he isn’t a monster.”
“Marlen, there’s no reason for them to lie about it, and I spoke to the woman that he kidnapped, Angelika Shevchenko. She wouldn’t make up what happened to her. And now her sister is missing…” Her voice trails off as the pain of her friend being missing goes through her.
I clench my jaw. I haven’t even broached the topic of what Angelika claims she went through with Stefania. I don’t know how much they would have told her, but I’ve assumed from her reactions that she knows nothing.
Maybe they wanted to keep her safe from the worry or the fear. I don’t know.
Sighing, I shake my head at Talia. “They say Bardil tried to sell Angelika. Sell her. Talia, be reasonable,” I say sternly. Your new family is brainwashing you into believing horrible things about us. But you should know us. You spent your entire life with us.”
She sighs. “It’s not them against you, Marlen. It’s them against the thing that Bardil did to their sister, and to all the other girls whom they rescued from the auction.”
“This conversation is over, Talia. I can’t talk to you when you won’t see reason.” Huffing, I stand up, wanting to leave.
She stands too. Her face is sorrowful. “It’s you who isn’t willing to look past defending our brother.
Why don’t you just come to one dinner? I’ll set it up.
It will be a temporary truce. You’ll see that they are good people.
It will be an incredible gesture from your side.
And honestly, they need something good to happen.
The whole family is going through hell right now,” she whispers the last part, and I know she’s talking about Stef.
And I know that I’m the reason they’re all going through hell.
Staring at my sister, I wish I could accept her dinner invitation. It would be a good opportunity to get closer to them and figure out what the hell this is all about. It could be a doorway opened that might lead to better things.
But I can’t accept it.
Not when I have Stefania.
“They’re not evil people, Marlen. If you spend time with them, you’ll see that,” she says.
I shake my head. “I can’t,” I say simply. “I can’t do it, Talia, I’m sorry.”
She smiles tightly, reluctantly accepting my decline.
“It was good to see you, though, Marlen,” she says.
“You too, kiddo. I’d better get going,” I say, stepping close to her and hugging her. It’s a brief, awkward embrace that makes my heart ache with more regret.
I want my family to feel whole again. With everything going on, I feel separated from them.
Detached and distanced. Everything that’s going on with Bardil has left me with questions and doubt.
But I don’t want to believe he did what they claim.
There is some other explanation, I just have to find out what it is.
And Simon is still upset with me about the Stefania situation. He still wants me to let her go home, but I can’t.
And Talia, my little sister.
We’re all moving in different directions, further away from each other. I’m the head of the family. I’m the one who needs to fix this.
I just wish I knew how.