CHAPTER TWO
Fyodor
“I take it you have no idea why I asked to meet, right?” Matteo Federov asks.
Just by being in the room with Matteo, I understand why Dimitri mentioned his name with respect.
Everything about the man sends a clear message that he isn’t the type to be messed with.
His solid frame has been weathered by years of experience in our line of work, and his sharp eyes size me up as if trying to decide my worthiness.
I really have no idea what is going on, but it has to be a serious matter if he specifically asked to meet with me.
When Dimitri told me that the leader of the Texan Bratva was looking for me, I couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of mix-up.
I have no relationships with anyone under Matteo, and I haven't been to Texas in the past ten years.
Every movement he makes gives off confidence, which he obviously gets from years of dealing with people who will do anything to get what they want.
I look at the woman sitting right next to him, and even though it’s difficult to tell, she seems to be somewhere in her early thirties. And I can't shake the feeling that she looks familiar. It’s likely that she is one of his people.
She’s actually breathtaking, with her long chestnut hair settling in waves on her shoulders.
I can’t actually see her eye color from where I am sitting, but for some reason, I think they are blue.
She’s quite beautiful, which makes sense, as men like Matteo always move around with the best of the best.
“No, I have no idea why someone of your reputation would want to meet with me. Perhaps you have me mistaken with someone else?” I try to clarify.
“Oh, there is no mix-up, trust me,” Matteo says as he sets his eyes on me for a couple seconds. “Do you know her?”
He points to the beautiful woman. I’m now confident that this isn’t the first time I have seen her, but I can’t seem to picture exactly where it was that I met her.
“She looks familiar, and I think I might have met her before,” I answer truthfully.
“Hmm, did you now?”
Matteo leans forward, his hands pressing against his lips. “This is my daughter, my one and only daughter, Anastasia,” he finally announces. “Just a couple days ago, I found out that she was pregnant, and I can't help but wonder, who would get my twenty-year-old daughter pregnant?”
I look at Anastasia again, a strange feeling growing in my guts.
No, this can't be.
I’m not sure how he jumped to this conclusion, but surely, he’s not suggesting that I am her father.
“As a father, I had to get to the bottom of this, and then I was informed that three months ago, my Anastasia was in Los Angeles, and she met with a man.”
Three months ago. That was when Natalia and I ended things.
I really don’t like where this is going, but Matteo isn’t slowing down for me to catch up.
“At first, I was angry, but then I found out that the man is one of ours. A man who has proven himself under Ivan, who I know can be quite demanding.”
“I think you might be mistaken,” I repeat again, not wanting to believe this is true.
“Oh, there's no mix-up, my son. You are the father,” Matteo confirms.
Three months ago, I was in a bad place, dealing with a broken heart after the woman I loved, and whom I intended to spend the rest of my life with, broke everything off.
Natalia broke my heart into a million pieces, and the only comfort I had in my life at that time was a glass of gin and tonic.
I do remember a night with a young lady I picked up at the bar.
It was a rather passionate night, though I can’t really seem to remember the details, and before I could get to know more about her, Dimitri whisked me out of the country.
According to him, there was an important need for me to travel to Japan.
One of our clients was in need of protection, and they had specifically requested that Dimitri provide them with that protection.
Three weeks in Japan, two weeks in the UK, and just like that, three months went by really quick.
All that’s left from that night in LA are the memories we made, and I haven’t thought about her that much until now. I am still trying to piece back my heart together, and this is the last thing I was expecting.
“She’s from that night.”
Anastasia, who has been quiet ever since I stepped into the room, finally meets my gaze. I can't help but feel this intense hatred from her, as if she destroyed my life.
There has to be something I can do.
“I’m not sure what you want me to do, sir.” I look at Matteo, who clearly won’t let me go scot-free. While the sex might have been consensual, there’s no denying the fact that I defiled his daughter, and if I were in his shoes, I’d make the man pay.
“Oh, it’s easy.” He wags his hand at me. A small wave of relief washes over me right before Matteo dashes me against the rocks. “All you have to do is get married to her. After all, you are already in the family.”
I stare at him, not sure if I heard him correctly.
Marriage?
Did he just suggest that I get married to his daughter? I am not sure exactly how Ivan, Dimitri’s father, would take this news—I would be married to the daughter of Matteo Federov, a man who does not have his own heir at the moment.
“Do we really have to go that far, Papa?” Anastasia turns to her father, who simply waves her off.
“I have heard incredible things about you, and I'm sure you will be a good husband to my daughter.”
“But it’s not about—” Anastasia begins before her father cuts her off.
“Then you should have thought about that before having a one-night stand with him,” he snaps at her.
Everything is moving fast, and I can't help but feel like this is wrong.
“Can’t…” I begin, but I can’t finish the sentence. I am not sure exactly how to handle this situation, and I am still in shock.
“We will be staying at the hotel for the next couple days,” Matteo announces as he gets to his feet. “Ivan and I will talk about it; you don’t have to worry. I’m happy that my family has just gotten a bit larger.”
Anastasia and I look at each other, neither of us sharing Matteo’s enthusiasm about this whole situation. I’d think he would be furious, but so far, he appears calm, almost as if this isn’t an issue.
“I will leave the two of you alone to chat for a while. But don't mistake me, Fyodor. I’m not joking.” It is a subtle warning for me not to get any funny ideas.
After he leaves the room, I turn to Anastasia Federov, who simply continues to stare at me. The hatred in her eyes is piercing, and I think that if she had a gun, she would shoot me dead right away.
“What do we do?” I ask her.
She barely says a word as she continues to stare at me. Her gaze bothers me a lot, and I consider leaving, but Matteo asked that we have a conversation together.
“There is nothing we can do but follow Papa's instructions.” She finally breaks the silence.
Her voice is silky and melodious, and from the little that I remember from that fateful night, it has a warmth that draws people in. However, now that warmth has vanished, replaced by hostility.
“But you can't get married to me,” I try to reason with her. “That would be unfair to you and the child.”
She scoffs, almost as if I just made a bad joke. “Trust me. If I had my way, you would be the last man I’d marry, but my father has made his decision.”
“Do you think we can reason with him? What about your mother?”
“She died a while back,” she answers without any emotional reaction. “And no. My father is not the type of man you reason with.”
I lean back in the chair, not sure what to make of this. Three months ago, I was suffering from a broken heart, and now I will be getting married.
* * *
Before I know it, news about my visit with Matteo Federov spreads, and by evening, everyone is talking about the fact that I am now an engaged man and father-to-be.
“Who would have believed that you would be a father before me?” Dimitri laughs, finding my situation comical.
“Trust me, this is a nightmare.”
“Is it though? I heard Matteo is actually a good man, and I would have thought he would go to extreme lengths to kill you for defiling his daughter.”
Yes, Anastasia is quite younger than I am, but I did not defile her. “Do you remember walking into the hotel three months ago after Natalia broke my heart?”
“Oh, yes. Is she the woman I saw with you then?”
I nod slowly, feeling the slight headache that had begun after Matteo broke the news to me turn into a fucking storm.
“Well, there is a bright side to this,” Dimitri tries to be positive.
I scoff as I begin to slowly massage my temples.
How exactly am I going to fix this?
“We can finally be equal,” Dimitri says as he passes me a glass of whiskey.
“I don't care about becoming royalty. I just want things to go back to the way they were. I mean, what exactly am I going to do with a girl her age?”
The age gap between us is fifteen years, and that somehow makes me feel like a pervert. Of course, she wasn’t a teenager when we did the deed, but sleeping with someone fifteen years younger than me still doesn’t feel right.
“I’m not ready to be a married man, Dimitri,” I tell him. “I mean, what would Natalia think if she heard that I’m getting married?”
He places his glass on the table and reminds me that Natalia is the woman who decided that I wasn’t worth her time, so there’s no reason for me to worry about her opinion.
“If I were you, I’d embrace my new position and look forward to what it means to be a married man.”
“Yeah, I’m not so excited, trust me,” I tell him as I down my drink.
My siblings definitely won’t take this news well, but as Matteo not-so-subtly hinted at earlier, getting married isn’t a request but a done deal. I woke up this morning a single man trying to nurse his broken heart, and I’ll be ending the day an engaged man.