Chapter 22 - Darya
“Are you ready?” Stefano calls out from downstairs, his voice carrying up towards me.
“Almost,” I call back, grabbing my handbag and taking one last glance in the mirror to make sure everything is in order. I tuck a stay hair into my high bun. I’m ready.
Then I rush down the stairs. I know how Stefano hates to be late for meetings with my brothers, and this morning I completely lost track of time.
“Okay, sorry, I’m ready to go now.”
Stefano grins at me. “Well, it was worth the wait, you look lovely.”
I giggle, knowing my cheeks are blushing, and rush outside to the car.
He holds the door open for me and then jogs around to his side.
Despite being late, and it being obvious that it makes him uncomfortable, he is still in a good mood.
On the drive there, he rests his hand on my leg, which is something I have grown to love. It still gives me butterflies every time he does it. I thread my fingers through his and then glance over at his face to see the smile gently curl at the corners of his mouth.
Paval’s home is kind of central to everyone, so we usually have the meetings here.
Luckily, by the time we actually arrive, we are only about ten minutes late and Ivan is also only just arriving.
“One of those mornings,” Ivan says as he walks inside behind us.
“One of those mornings,” Stef agrees, glancing at me with his brows raised.
“Sorry,” I whisper, knowing that it was entirely my fault we were late.
Everyone grabs a coffee and a croissant and then we make our way to the dining room table so that we can sit down together and discuss the schedule for this week and the ins and outs of a new shipment plan Stefano put together and emailed to everyone earlier this week. He is hoping to impress them with his idea, and I know he is quite excited to get their feedback.
I am sitting next to Stefano, who grabs the back of my chair and pulls it closer to his. Beneath the table, he places his hand on my thigh and then smirks ever so slightly.
I suck in my cheeks for a second to hide my own grin. This is a work meeting. But we still can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.
He has been very affectionate lately, and not just sexually, but generally—he’s been cuddlier and more open to me. We share little glances during the day and warm smiles that set my heart on fire.
It makes me really happy and really nervous at the same time, because my heart is pulling more and more towards him. I am afraid of what it will do to me in the end if I admit that I am falling for him.
“Good morning, good morning,” Paval says, opening a folder that has his notes and the meeting agenda printed out and slotted neatly inside.
“Let’s start with the positives—last month, overall, we saw a five percent increase in turnover, which is a great improvement for just one month of implementing those changes. Now that the warehouse staff is trained in the new process, we expect to see a much bigger increase for the coming month.”
Everyone nods, happy to hear that things are going well there.
He runs through the aspects that need some improvement, or where staff might need a little more training, and then moves on to the next topic.
“Stefano, your email…." Paval glances down at the print out of the email and taps his fingers on the table top. “What about the outgoing—"
Kiril slaps his hand on the table. “Sorry, but this isn’t really going to work.” He shakes his head.
Stefano turns to glare at him, and his fingers tighten over my thigh for a second. My body sharpens with tension as I sense another argument is going to break out between them. I bite my lower lip, waiting for the inevitable.
“What isn’t going to work, Kiril?” Stefano says, his voice tight with restraint, but calmer than I expected it to be.
Everyone seems to be holding their breath, knowing what happened the last time these two did not agree on something.
“Your plan, you didn’t factor in the new management system.”
“I don’t think you read all the way through to the end of the email?” Stefano shrugs and gestures with his chin to the print-out in front of Kiril.
“No, because right away I saw the error—"
“Kiril, you can’t just assume. You have to take the time to hear me out until I’ve explained everything. I thought that by putting it in an email before the meeting everyone would have chance to look at it properly ."
Paval chuckles. “You really should have read till the end Kiril.”
Kiril’s cheeks flush red. Paval obviously read the whole email, and now Kiril is squirming in his seat.
“What? Why?”
“Just read it. We’ll give you a minute,” Paval says, folding his arms across his chest.
Kiril pulls his mouth tight, and while he is reading, I can see the muscles of his jaw are clenching and unclenching. Then they seem to relax, and he shakes his head.
“Shit. I should have read till the end, hey?”
Stefano chuckles. “So what do you think then?”
“Yeah, I like it.” Kiril nods, then shakes his head. “Sorry.”
“No worries.”
And that was the entire disagreement. I practically breathe out a sigh of relief. I can’t believe they resolved a difference so amicably. I think things are really improving every time we have a meeting. They are learning how to talk to each other, and Stefano doesn’t seem as defensive anymore.
Paval looks around the table with his eyebrows raised. “Does everyone else like the new shipment plan?”
Ivan leans forward with his arms resting on the table. “What about the larger cargo?”
Stefano leans forward as well so that he can see Ivan clearly, addressing him directly. “I thought it was best to test the new plan out on the smaller cargo shipments and let it run for a month or two. If it works out, then we can start integrating the larger cargo. What do you think?”
“Ah, I see, okay. That makes sense. So then will you keep an eye on this and put a report together at the end of the month so we can see if it's working?”
“Of course.”
Paval and Kiril nod with satisfaction and Maxim throws me a smile. He can see how relieved I am that this is all going smoothly even though there was a minor hiccup.
All in all, I am actually pleasantly surprised to find that my brothers and Stef seem to be handling each other much better. The original tension that was there before has faded and the macho rubbish has settled.
Thank goodness.
Stef leans back in his chair looking relaxed, his hand still resting on my thigh.
I reach down and thread my fingers through his, and the corner of his mouth curls upwards.
The meeting carries on without any issues. I take notes here and there for things to follow up on in the next meeting.
Paval is busy wrapping up some final bits and pieces when Stefano’s phone starts ringing.
He picks it up off the table and glances at the screen. “Sorry guys, I need to take this,” he says, standing up and stepping away from the table.
My eyes follow him because I didn’t really like the look on his face when he answered.
I can see something is wrong right away.
He is pacing up and down at the other end of the room, talking softly, the color in his face gone. He is keeping his hand held close to the receiver, almost covering his mouth to keep the conversation private.
I am trying to pay attention to the last pieces of information Paval is sharing for the meeting, but I feel the tension in my shoulders growing as I watch Stefano.
He glances over at me, noticing that I am watching him. He throws me a tight expression that I can’t work out, his brows knotted, and a tight awkward smile plays over his lips. Then he walks out of the room, probably looking for some privacy.
Beneath the table, my leg starts bouncing in nervous agitation. What could it be? Has something happened at one of his warehouses again?
“What’s wrong?” Paval asks, dragging my attention back towards him.
“Mm?” I don’t know what he was saying. I wasn’t listening.
“What’s wrong? You looked like someone just gave you bad news.”
“Oh, nothing, sorry. I was just distracted. Actually, I really need to pee.” I laugh and stand up, not really wanting them to know anything.
Paval accepts my explanation and carries on talking to my brothers as I rush out of the dining room to find Stefano.
But he’s gone, and so it our car. He left without me, without even telling me what was happening.
Annoyance flares inside me.
I am angry, but worried, because it must mean that it’s really serious for him to rush off like that. I run back inside to grab Paval’s car keys. He won’t mind if I borrow his car, I hope. In the entrance hall I pull open the key cabinet and stand on my tiptoes to grab them. I don’t want to ask right now, because then I will have to explain everything, and Stefano won’t like them knowing his business.
“What are you doing?”
I spin around, caught in the act. Maxim stands in the doorway staring at me with his arms folded across his chest.
“I was just going to borrow Paval’s car—"
“Why?”
“Um, he won’t mind,” I stammer.
“But why? Where is Stefano?”
“Um—he had to go to the warehouse.” I am glancing left and right, feeling one hundred percent uncomfortable.
“Darya, what are you not telling me? Something is going on.”
“I just need to get to the warehouse, okay?” I say, annoyed, with my brows knotted tightly together and my body tense.
I sigh in frustration. I know Stefano will be really upset with me if I tell my brothers that stuff is going wrong lately. He wanted to sort it out himself, but at the same time, this is really stressful, and he just left me here—what am I supposed to do?
“I’ll take you.” Maxim says, taking his own keys out of his pocket. “Come on. Leave Paval’s car. I’m happy to give you a lift.”
I bite my lower lip. I need to get there, and he hasn’t really pushed me for details, so I guess there is no harm in him giving me a lift.
“Thanks, can we leave right now?”
“Yes, let’s go.” He gestures towards the door.
Without saying goodbye to anyone else, Maxim leads me to the car and we start heading towards Stefano’s warehouse. My leg is still bouncing with anxiety, so I press my hands into my lap to try and hide it.
I am so relieved that he doesn’t talk much on the way there, acting causal and relaxed, but Maxim obviously knows something is going on.
When we arrive at the warehouse there is a lot of commotion, but I cannot find Stefano anywhere.
Maxim follows me around, his eyes on everything. I know there is no hiding anything from him at this point. It’s obvious this warehouse has been attacked. The place is a mess, and the workers are looking shocked and scared as they rush around.
Whoever it was got caught in the act and only managed to get half of what they planned done. But one of Stef’s shipments is strewn, damaged, across the warehouse floor. Two workers are injured, and the others are looking worried.
I run over to one of the men I met on the camping weekend.
“Sergio, where is Stef?” I ask in a rush.
“He was here a moment ago, but then he got really pissed off and stormed out to his car.” He shrugs, sighing heavily. “Sorry, I need to go and help—maybe try calling him. I don’t know where he went.”
I spin around, trying to find someone else who might know something.
“Darya, I think you need to tell me what is going on.” Maxim walks up beside me and places his hand on my shoulder. I bite my lower lip and close my eyes. Stefano will be furious with me, but I am so worried right now.
Where would he have gone?
“Well, I mean, I think it’s obvious that something happened to his shipment,” I sigh in frustration.
“I can see that, but why didn’t Stef say anything before he rushed off like that?”
“Because he wanted to sort it out himself. He doesn’t want to feel like he owes you guys anything. He doesn’t want you to think he can’t handle his business.” I feel guilt flood through me as I confess what I have been holding back for Stefano’s sake. I never wanted to betray him like this, but right now, all I care about is his safety. I don’t know what to do, and Maxim is here to help.
Maxim’s eyes narrow and his brows knot. “That’s ridiculous, though. We have all had issues like this in the past and we’ve been there to help each other.”
“I know. It’s just—Stefano is—he’s never had family support like us before.”
“I see.” Maxim’s jaw flexes as he thinks things over.
I glance around the room, trying to figure out where Stefano would have rushed off to—then it hits me. He’s gone to confront the man who he believes is responsible for all of this.
“Shit,” I say out loud. This is bad. “Maxim, we have to go right now. ” I grab his arm and start pulling him towards the doors.
“Where to?”
“Marco Colombo.”
“Why would we want to go to him?”
“Because that is where Stefano went—to confront the person he thinks did all of this. Marco has been threatening him and demanding that he pays his father’s old debts off. Stefano has been making payments to him, so it doesn’t make sense that he would still be messing with him, but I guess Marco is just impatient, I don’t know. But I am convinced that that is where he went—alone. We have to go help him.”
The stress in my voice registers in Max’s reaction. He starts running towards the car, pulling me along with him now as I struggle to keep up with his long legs.
“I don’t get why that idiot would go alone. Why didn’t he just ask for help?” Maxim complains as we rush forward.
I roll my eyes. “Can we please just focus on one issue at a time? Do you know Marco? What is he likely going to do if Stefano barges in there all heated and confrontational?”
“It’s never good to walk into someone’s space alone, aggressive and angry. He really should have taken some kind of backup.”
In the car Maxim accelerates, obviously now as worried as I am. We both know Stefano can be really quick to reach a boiling point, and then he acts irrationally.
I sit tensely in the passenger seat, wishing that we were there already.
“I should call the guys.”
“Don’t you dare. I am going to be in enough trouble as it is because I told you about it.”
“And what would you have done right now, Darya? Would you have gone running off after him alone if I wasn’t here?”
I bite my lip. What would I have done?
“Honestly, I think I would have called you.” I say, hoping that I would not have been stupid enough to go alone.
“Hmph.” Maxim doesn’t seem convinced. “Before or after you stole Paval’s car?”
“Just drive, will you? I can’t deal with this now.” I throw my hands in the air in agitation.
My anxiety is through the roof, and I just need Maxim to focus on getting us there, not on lecturing me.
He throws me one last don’t ever do this again look and then leaves me alone.
Luckily Maxim knows where Marco Colombo’s offices are, and it doesn’t take us long to get there.
“You were right, there’s Stefano’s car,” Maxim says, parking next to it and climbing out quickly, not waiting for me and not bothering to even try to tell me to wait in the car.
I run in behind him, terrified about what we might be walking into.