Chapter 7 - Viktor
I wake up at six despite the fact that I went to bed so late. I feel like I've saved the day and I can't wait to start the new day. I have a shower in my enormous bathroom and dress simply for today. Riley is safe, in my house, and with my name attached to hers, that should discourage any wannabe gangsters from trying to hurt her. Now, I just need to get the word out. First, I need to make sure the marriage is registered and then I need to call Roman and see if I can finally tell him about the plan. He should be awake by the time I'm done with breakfast.
I head downstairs and sit in the dining room. I pick up the newspaper and open it. I flip to the business section and start reading the morning reports. This is what I do, it's what I'm best at. I solve problems. The family really should trust me with more responsibility. Rachel, my personal maid, brings out breakfast and sits it in front of me. I look up at her over my newspaper. “Please make a plate for Riley and keep it warm for her. I don't know when she'll be down, but I assume she'll be hungry.”
Rachel nods and says, “I will do, Mr. Milov. I'll just bring your coffee and I'll fix her a plate.”
I nod my approval and set the newspaper down. Then, I start to eat my breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast, fried tomato, fried banana, bacon, and hash browns. It smells delicious, and despite the fact that I ate a couple of hours ago, I find myself hungry. Being a savior to all is hungry work. Roman is going to be so proud of me when I tell him what I've done. I can't wait.
Once I'm done with breakfast and sipping my coffee, I call Manny.
“Hello, Cousin,” he answers the phone. “I assume you're calling to follow up on your paperwork?”
“Did you get everything filed?” I ask.
“Yes, yes. Signed off by the Justice of the Peace and filed. I had to pay a few people to move it along, but you're now registered as Mr. and Mrs. Viktor Milov.”
“Thank you, Manny, that's perfect.”
“Does Roman know you did this?” he asks curiously.
“I don't need Roman's permission to do things,” I say testily. “Now, if you're done wearing down my patience, I have some work calls to make.”
“To Roman?” he teases.
“Goodbye, Manny.” I hang up and sigh. He isn't wrong. I do have to call Roman. But Roman is going to be happy that I protected Riley. I bet Gwen will be super grateful as well. Besides, I didn't tell them to go on a stupid spontaneous holiday.
I sip my coffee again and then dial Roman's number. I listen to the line ring and I'm about to hang up when he answers.
“What is it, Viktor? Is everything okay?” He sounds like he just woke up.
“How is your holiday going?” I ask cheerily.
“Cut the crap. Why are you calling so early?” he asks. I hear him getting up and walking outside, and I can hear the waves of the ocean become clearer.
“There were some developments after you left. I tried to reach you, but your phone went straight to voicemail. So did Gwen's.”
“That's because we're on holiday and I assume you can handle things without me being there. Besides, you should have just called Rigor,” he says.
I pause. I hadn't thought to call our oldest brother. This isn't the kind of thing I'd bother him with, anyway.
“What developments were there?” Roman asks, sighing.
“We discovered that Riley is being followed around by this guy called Jimmy, who used to work for the Vultures. But I solved the problem,” I explain with a gleeful grin. “He won't be coming near her now.”
“How did you send him a message?” Roman asks.
“By marrying her,” I say simply. “Genius, isn't it?”
“You did what?” Roman yells.
I pull the phone away from my ear before I say, “Calm down. It was the most logical solution.”
“No, the most logical solution would have been to give her a bodyguard. To keep her safe at the mansion. Not to marry her, you idiot. Where is she now?”
“She's here at my place,” I say, trying to maintain my calm. This is not the reaction I was expecting, and it's thrown me off my game a little.
“Viktor, do you ever think anything through?” Roman growls. “Why would you marry her?”
“Because my name carries a certain reputation. Now this Jimmy won't mess with her because she's not only tied to me, but to our entire family. Starting with us is suicide,” I explain. “It made logical sense to me.”
“It isn't logical. You could have given her a guard.”
“But a guard would have drawn attention to her,” I argue. “It would have tipped him off that we know about him. That's not sending a message that's just asking him to be more creative with how he would kidnap her. I really thought this through.”
“No, you didn't,” Roman says angrily. “God, I'll be home in a few days and we can discuss it then. Until then, keep your filthy hands to yourself, and don't do anything else stupid. This is Gwen's best friend. She's going to freak out when I tell her what you've done. She's been through so much because of our family and now you do this? You don't think, Viktor. You're completely reckless every time I leave you alone.”
I fall silent. I don't know what to say at this point. I refuse to apologize because I believe that what I did is right. Then, a thought occurs to me. “Hey, you did the same thing with Gwen. You married her to protect her. You weren't in love or anything.”
“It's different with Gwen,” Roman says exasperatedly. “You're not the kind of guy that can handle commitment or marriage, it isn't in your nature. You're too impulsive and out of control. This is a terrible fucking idea.”
“I have thought hard about this. I planned this carefully.” I start to pace up and down. “You're just not seeing the bigger picture, Roman.”
“Does Rigor know?” Roman asks. “Did you run it past him?”
“Do I have to run every little thing past both of you?” I ask.
“Yes, because we're a family.”
“You didn't run your idea to marry Gwen past Rigor. You just did it. It's the same thing.”
“I assure you it's not,” Roman says with some finality. “Now, Gwen and I will be home in a few days. She's going to freak out when I tell her about this and if she calls you and takes off your head, I don't want to hear any complaints. You put yourself in this position and you have to deal with the consequences. I would suggest starting on an annulment as soon as possible. Speak to Manny.”
“I'm not getting an annulment,” I say hotly.
“You will once I'm there,” Roman threatens. “You have a few days to sort this out or I am going to sort it out for you and you will not like it.”
He hangs up and I stand there staring at my phone. The hypocrisy.
He did the exact same thing. I try not to feel slighted by his words because I have been known to be reckless. There have been many instances, even recently, where I've made rash decisions. I can think of a few examples and it makes me wonder if Roman hasn't forgiven me for them. That he's holding them against me, even though I think I've really thought out this plan to marry Riley. I'm not getting an annulment no matter what Roman says. This is the best possible solution. A bodyguard is not the answer.
I sit back down at the dining room table and Rachel comes out. “Can we get you anything else, Mr. Milov?”
“Another coffee,” I say. “Extra coffee and extra sugar.” I put my phone down on the table and mull over what Roman has said. He's probably concerned about my need to bed so many women. I don't get it. I wasn't in a committed relationship when I did that, and it's not like I'm going to do that now. I'm married. I'm loyal to a fault. Surely, Roman knows that. I mean, you cannot question my loyalty to the family.
I can be loyal to Riley.
Not that she requires it. We're only married in name, not in an actual relationship. If she wants to see someone, she can. If I want to sleep with people, I can. It's not like we agreed to be exclusive.
Not that I want to see other people now that I know her. She's gorgeous and is a spitfire, even if she has some trauma. I want to help her get over it. I want to help her heal. I want to be the reason she heals. There's something about her that just pulls me toward her. I want her to fight me. I want her to be fiery and full of shit. I want her to be a brat and then melt at my words. But I won't push that onto her. I don't force women to do things that they don't want to. I've never been like that and my family isn't like that. It's why I feel guilty about the marriage, but I need to protect her.
I look around the room as Rachel walks back in.
“Has Riley been downstairs for breakfast yet? I haven't seen her.”
“No, Sir, she hasn't. Do you want me to check on her?” Rachel asks.
“No, I'll check on her once I'm done with my coffee,” I say, taking the piping hot cup and sipping from it. I lick my lips and sigh. I do love a good cup of coffee.
My phone rings and I check the caller ID.
It's Gwen.
I answer it hesitantly. “Hello?”
She immediately starts shrieking at me. “What the fuck were you thinking, Viktor? Riley has been through so much and now you force her to marry you?”
“I am just protecting her,” I say, trying to maintain my calm. My patience is thin now. “I would think that you would appreciate that I'm trying to keep her safe from some gangsters.”
“Look, I appreciate that you want to keep her safe, but this is not the way. Roman says you don't want an annulment. You go get an annulment now.”
“No,” I say simply. “This is for her own good. She needs the Milov name to protect her from danger. These guys mean business, Gwen, and so do I. My reputation precedes me, and I can keep her safe.”
“We aren't done discussing this.”
“Enjoy your holiday,” I say calmly. “I will take good care of Riley.”
“Keep your hands to yourself Viktor, and don't traumatize her any more than she is.” Gwen knows. She knows there's something wrong with Riley, even if Riley is pretending that everything is fine.
“I won't do anything she doesn't want to do,” I promise.
“Like marry her?” Gwen points out.
“That's different. That was for her protection. I won't hurt her. You have my word.”
“Good, we'll see you in a few days.” Gwen hangs up.
I sip my coffee and muse to myself. I have a few days to convince Riley to tell Roman and Gwen that this was a good idea and that it's working. I will have Martin shadow her again and make sure that Jimmy has backed off. If all goes well, perhaps Roman and Gwen will come around and understand and see things from my perspective.
I finish my coffee and leave the cup on the table for Rachel to clear. I head upstairs and stop outside of Riley's room. I pause for the longest moment and just listen. There's no sound coming from inside. She must be fast asleep. I don't know if I should wake her or not. I check the time. It's almost nine in the morning. It's the weekend though, and we were up in the early hours of the morning. I feel so conflicted about what to do. It is my mansion though, and I can go anywhere I want. I open the door quietly and step into the room. The curtains are open and light is streaming in. Riley is lying in bed with the covers pulled over her head. She stirs slightly and I pause. I watch her.
She tosses and turns under the covers, and I'm again tempted to wake her. She groans in her sleep and then cries out.