Chapter 22 - Stefania
It’s been two days since we fought.
Marlen has turned stone-cold toward me, and no matter how much I try to reach him, he has walls up so high that he refuses to even look at me.
I can’t give up on him, though.
I can’t give up on what we have. I believe it was real.
I wish he would talk to me.
Staring into the open-plan kitchen, I can see Marlen making something to eat. I’m in the living room, sitting on the sofa with a book in my lap. The same one I haven’t started reading yet.
It’s hard not to go in there and be near him, but I know the moment I walk into the kitchen, he will leave. How am I ever going to get through to him?
He’s even more grumpy than he was when he first brought me to his mansion. When he was my kidnapper, and I was his prisoner. It seems like a lifetime ago.
At first, I thought his anger would subside, and he’d be willing to hear me out, but two days later and that theory is quickly fading away.
Not daring to call my brothers and risk upsetting Marlen further, I called Simon instead.
I explained briefly what had happened and begged him to tell Talia to keep my brother’s at bay.
I need time. I promised Simon, and I told him to make sure Talia also understood that I would fix things soon.
What choice do I have? None. I love Marlen, and I want to make things right.
Because Marlen is so hell bent on avoiding me, I’ve decided to stop chasing him around the mansion and sit quietly in the living room during the day.
I’m waiting for him. Letting him know I’m here without trying to force him into a conversation.
My heart believes that he will eventually come around.
What we shared can’t be pushed away or ignored.
It can’t be forgotten. It was too real for that. It is too real.
He has to let me in.
I flick the page, turning to a new chapter, even though I’m not focused enough to remember what I just read. It doesn’t matter. I’m just wasting time. Waiting.
Marlen is upstairs somewhere, maybe in the gym. I’m not sure, and I won’t go check.
It’s so hard to have patience now, when all the walls are closing in, but I must.
The front door opens with a loud bang, and I jump, startled.
Who in the world would arrive like that?
Standing up, I set the book aside and hurry toward the entrance, walking straight into Bardil.
We bump into each other, and I gasp in surprise.
“Bardil?” I mutter, trying to step back to regain my balance, but to my shock, he pushes me.
“You fucking did this, didn’t you?” he snarls, taking another step toward me and pushing me again. I trip over my feet and almost fall, staggering. I grab onto the wall, only just managing not to lose my balance.
“Stop touching me!” I shout angrily, placing my feet firmly on the ground and facing him.
“You’re a lying little bitch, you know that. I know what you did. I know you went around talking about me and inciting this mess,” he hisses, stepping closer and towering over me with his imposing height.
I press my hands into his chest and push him away. He doesn’t budge but grabs my wrist and tugs me against his chest. His eyes are dark and dangerous. Flooded with anger. He looks like a wild animal, backed into a corner.
His desperation is clear. He’s terrified of the truth coming out.
“It’s not me you should be angry with,” I snap at him, trying to free myself from his grip.
“Oh, yes, it is, little rat,” he snaps.
“No, it’s yourself. You’re the one who did those horrible things, and you’re the one who lied about it to cover your own ass,” I say boldly.
“What the fuck do you know about anything?” he huffs, but his eyes flare with fear and doubt, and he shifts nervously. His hands are gripped too tightly around my wrist, his fingers digging into me painfully.
“I know the truth, and I’m going to make sure that by the end of it, everyone else does too.”
My words spike into him like daggers and spark a deeper rage.
Bardil grabs my shoulders and lifts me off my feet. I cry out in fright and kick at him. He shakes me roughly. “I’ll fucking kill you if you keep interfering. And then I’ll go after your family. Leave this alone,” he growls into my face.
I manage to land a kick against his kneecap, and he drops me. I land on my feet and try to step away, but he grabs my arm again. “I’m warning you, Stefania!”
“What the hell is going on?” Marlen’s voice booms through the foyer as he walks in on us fighting.
Bardil releases me immediately and steps back.
“She’s betrayed our family. She’s spreading lies about us. Why is she still here?” he snarls.
Marlen is furious as he storms toward Bardil.
My heart leaps into my throat when he pushes between us and grabs Bardil by the throat.
“And you think you have the right to come in here and attack her? Is that how you deal with things? You hurt her and threaten her while she’s a guest in my home?
” he snarls, throwing Bardil further away from me.
Bardil’s anger flares. “Why are you defending her?”
“Why don’t you tell me, Bardil… why don’t you tell me exactly what happened that night?”
“What are you talking about? I’ve already told you everything!” he snaps.
“Why were there families from out of town there? If you claim you were looking for new allies in the city?”
“What? Uh… why would that matter?” Bardil huffs.
“What reason did you have for meeting with a man from Mexico? A cartel leader who is known for black market dealings?” Marlen demands.
“If someone like that was at my event, it wasn’t because I invited him.
I didn’t have control over everyone who came.
I told you, I just wanted to meet new, powerful families to try and grow our alliances in the city.
That was my only goal, and our enemies came in to stop that from happening. They want to keep our family weak!”
Bardil lies so easily that it makes my stomach churn. All of the men who were at his party were most likely from out of town and into black market auctions. His party had nothing to do with building alliances.
Marlen takes a step away from Bardil and turns to look at me. His face is taut with anger. His eyes burn hazel-green, much brighter than I’ve seen before.
“Marlen, he’s lying,” I whisper, already knowing it’s pointless. He’s made it clear he is standing by his brother’s side and won’t listen to anything I have to say.
Marlen shakes his head and takes a deep breath.
Bardil walks closer to him and places his hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Don’t listen to what this lying girl says to you.
I’m your brother, Marlen. Your family,” he says, making my stomach churn.
I wish Marlen could see that I’m not the one manipulating him. Bardil is.
“Get your hand off me,” Marlen snaps at his brother.
“Come on, man, don’t be like th…”
Marlen spins, his fist clenched as it arches toward Bardil. His knuckles smack into Bardil’s jaw, and Bardil’s head snaps back with the force of it.
He lands on his ass on the floor, staring up at Marlen in absolute shock.
I stare too, my mouth dropped open, as surprised as Bardil was by Marlen’s sudden lashing out.
“Alex Sokolov,” Marlen says, walking to Bardil and standing over him.
Bardil winces at the mention of this name. My brows knit together, trying to recall if I’ve ever heard it before. I’m sure I have. Sokolov. Aren’t they our newest alliance? My brothers never tell me anything!
Bardil says nothing. Marlen carries on, watching his brother’s reactions.
“Alex Sokolov. A nice guy, actually. I had a chat with him early this morning,” Marlen says. Despite the calm of his voice, the energy around him is threatening.
Bardil scoots backward along the floor. He laughs nervously. “I’ve never heard of him,” he lies.
“Funny, because he knows exactly who you are, brother.”
“Look, Marlen, please, man, whatever they told you…”
“They told me everything.”
“It’s not true!” Bardil pleads.
Marlen scoffs.
“Unfortunately, Bardil, this time there was proof. The money you borrowed from Sokolov… the fact that you couldn’t pay it back. You panicked. You started trying to get another debtor to lend you money to pay your first debtor. They refused. It got ugly…”
“I was stuck!” Bardil shouts defensively. “They pushed me into a corner. They threatened my life! They threatened my family!”
Marlen closes his eyes. My heart races watching the two of them as the truth finally comes out.
“They threatened your life, so you thought you’d host a party and hopefully make some quick money. Right? That’s what really happened.”
Marlen is glaring at his brother, his eyes dark with anger. Pain. Anger. Betrayal.
Bardil is his brother. His family. The last person he expected this from.
Bardil has nothing to say. He can see it’s too late. Marlen knows everything, and there’s nothing he can say now.
“Bardil, you were the one in the wrong the entire time. You kidnapped Angelika to sell her on the black market, hoping to make enough money to cover your debt.” Marlen’s voice is edged with disbelief.
“In all my life, in all my years, I would never have believed you capable of such a thing.” He sounds broken-hearted.
Bardil scampers to his feet, holding his hands up defensively.
Stammering his words apologetically.
“They approached me and made it sound so easy. They made it sound like the girl would live in luxury in some palace with some rich asshole from Dubai or something. I thought, she’s our enemy anyway…
I didn’t even really know what I was doing.
I made a mistake, man. I was desperate,” Bardil pleads.
But his words fall on deaf ears. Marlen clearly isn’t interested in hearing anything his brother has to say.
Marlen turns his back on Bardil. My heart aches for the pain in his expression.
“Bardil, you need to leave,” he says darkly.
“Marlen…”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” he snarls.
Bardil presses his lips together and swallows nervously. He takes a reluctant step toward the door. “I’m going, ok, but Marlen, please…”
Marlen walks away, not listening to whatever Bardil was going to say.
Bardil looks at me, his eyes lost and bewildered. He says nothing as he turns from me and leaves the mansion.
I glance toward where Marlen left. Do I go after him? Do I try and talk to him?
Now hardly seems like the best time.
Instead, I walk back to the living room and sit down on the sofa. I’m in complete shock over everything that just happened.
Shock and relief.
The truth is finally out. Marlen knows.
When he’s ready, he has to help me convince my brothers he isn’t the enemy.
I sit quietly in the living room, watching the sky grow darker outside. Marlen doesn’t come down for dinner, so I make him a grilled cheese sandwich and carry it up to his room. The door is closed. I knock lightly and call his name.
“Marlen?”
He doesn’t answer.
“I made you something to eat. It’s at the door. I’ll just leave it on the floor here,” I call out.
My heart pains for him. I want to hold him and tell him that everything is going to be ok.
Setting the plate down outside his door, I head to my own room.
His door clicks open, and I glance back to see him reaching for the plate, then closing it again.
It reminds me of when I first arrived here, when he left food at my bedroom door.