Chapter 26 Sienna
SIENNA
I grinned as a very flustered Dimitri fled from the kitchen. That was fun.
A thump on the French doors drew my attention back to find Vovk’s face pressed against the glass. I snorted before I slipped back outside and sat down on the patio.
I wasn’t so stupid that I didn’t understand there was risk involved with wild animals, but it sounded like Vovk had been with Dimitri since birth, and his behavior hadn’t been remotely aggressive.
Vovk lay down beside me with his head in my lap. My fingers rubbed his ears, enjoying the feel of his fluffy fur.
“Don’t get too comfortable. I need to figure out lunch soon.”
I bristled at Dimitri calling my life sheltered and pampered when he knew shit about me or what I’d been through, but there was some truth to it.
I wasn’t used to taking care of daily things, like feeding myself.
My kitchen was always full of meals from Gianna, and once Sofiya and Juliet became my neighbors, they’d made sure I actually ate on a reasonable schedule.
It was too easy for me to get sucked into work, the hours flying by without me noticing.
Baby Apple was good at reminding me to eat regularly, but it still felt harder than it should be.
I dragged my hand down my face. I should use this time to practice the whole building a routine thing. Babies needed routines.
I pulled out my phone and opened the Mafia Girls Group Chat, needing a distraction before I grew too panicked about the future.
Sienna
Where do you order Noodle’s sweaters from?
Sofiya
…why?
Does Dimi have a dog?
Sofiya texted a link and I found myself on the website for The City Dog Boutique, apparently Manhattan’s finest in couture dog clothing.
It was over the top.
And amazing.
I held up my phone to Vovk. “We need to find a tape measure to get the correct size, but what do you think about this?”
He inspected the red rain jacket on the screen.
“There’s also a blue one.” He perked up when I swiped to the next screen, showing a blue rain jacket with little clouds and rainbows on it. “Aww, what a good boy. Blue it is.”
Three items were in my cart before I realized my unread texts were stacking up.
Mila
Umm you can’t be talking about getting clothes for the literal wolf???
Sofiya
What?
Juliet
Sienna, did you befriend a wolf?
Mila
Dimi’s “dog” Vovk is a literal WOLF he rescued in Ukraine
I snapped a selfie of Vovk and me.
Sienna
Isn’t he a cutie? He is a big fan of baby Apple
I swiped back to the website and quickly got distracted again by all the outfit options. He definitely needed some sweaters for winter. It would get cold soon.
“Oh no. I forgot to ask Dimitri for his credit card.” I gently nudged Vovk’s head off my lap. He shot me a grumpy look. “Don’t judge me. He needs to learn he doesn’t get a wife and an heir for free.”
I didn’t care how much money I had at my disposal. It was the principle of the matter.
The second I opened the patio door, Vovk slipped past me into the kitchen. I giggled, watching his nose twitch while he sniffed the floor. Lives outside, my ass.
My phone vibrated in my hand again, one buzz after another. I cringed when I saw Leona’s name.
Leona
YOU BITCH!! YOU GOT MARRIED TO DIMITRI IVANOV? AND I HAD TO FIND OUT FROM RONAN?????
HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?
YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE IT WHEN HE KNOWS THINGS BEFORE I DO
A strangled laugh escaped my throat as I shut the door behind me, but before I could respond to her, someone let out a scream.
I ran into the kitchen to find Vovk a few feet away from Svetlana, who had jumped onto the counter, and Polina, who stood in the corner by the table, her body tense and her eyes squeezed shut.
“Vovk, come here,” I called out. I wasn’t sure he would listen to me, but to my relief, his tail wagged while he trotted over. “Good boy. I know you were just saying hi but you look big and scary, so you have to be extra gentle.”
Polina and Svetlana stared at me, mouths gaping.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here. I met Vovk in the woods and he’s decided to stick to my side today. Aaaand you can’t understand anything I’m saying. Okay, let’s try this.”
I pulled up a translation app on my phone and set it up for English to Russian.
“I am sorry Vovk scared you, but he is nice.” I turned my volume up all the way so they could hear the robotic voice spat out the translation.
Svetlana nodded and slowly got down from the counter.
She looked so young with her light-brown hair in two braids and a dusting of freckles over her cheeks and nose.
She and Polina were both dressed in simple black clothes.
Polina looked closer to my age. Her straight, dark hair framed striking blue eyes.
My heart squeezed. If I could learn Russian, maybe I could befriend them.
“I’m sorry again. We will leave.” The translation played and Polina shook her head, brow furrowed with frustration.
She pointed at my phone and I closed the space between us—pleased to see Vovk stayed in his spot—and held it out.
She took it, saying something into the app. I recognized the word for lunch.
“We will make you lunch,” the robotic voice read out in English.
“Spasibo,” I said. Thank you.
Polina said something else and I waited for the app to translate it. “I made an appointment for the baby. It is a good doctor.”
My smile grew a touch strained, but I repeated my thanks.
I was grateful for her help, but that didn’t make any of this easier.
My future here would be lonely and overwhelming.
I didn’t want to think about going to ultrasound appointments alone…
and giving birth alone. I cleared my throat and looked away.
Stop being weak. You are not powerless.
I would figure something out. Dimitri was not god, no matter how much he wanted to be.
A nudge at the back of my thigh brought my attention down. I smiled at Vovk. Did he know I’d been anxious? Or was he looking for food, too?
I hopped up on a counter stool and watched the women prepare lunch. Would I always feel like an outsider in this home?
“Mmm, do I smell pelmeni?” Maxim’s booming voice preceded him. He entered the kitchen with a man I hadn’t met yet following closely behind.
“Good afternoon, ladies. Sienna, I don’t think you’ve met—”
A low growl by my feet made both men freeze.
“Vovk,” I scolded. “No growling.”
Maxim took a step forward, but Vovk’s growl intensified. “What is he doing in here? He hates men.”
I couldn’t stop my wide smile. “He’s a good judge of character, then.”
Maxim rolled his eyes. “If he bites me, I’ll bite back.”
Svetlana said something in Russian that made Maxim’s cheeks turn red. I looked between them, desperately wishing I knew what she’d said. I was downloading a language learning program the second lunch was done. I hated being left out of gossip.
The man who had come in behind Maxim was tall and lean, with angular cheeks and dark brown hair that was long enough to curl against his temples.
“This is Aleksei Sokolov, our computer genius hacker,” Maxim said.
So this was Dimitri’s hacker. His name didn’t ring a bell, but if he was on the Forum, he would use a code name. The mischievous, nosy part of me that had been somewhat dormant as I grew my little Apple perked up. The competitive part of me wanted to know if he was any good.
He gave me a little wave from the other side of the kitchen, since Vovk apparently wasn’t in the mood to let him near me. I brushed my socked feet against his fur. Ridiculous, overprotective Wolfy, and I loved him for it.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“Very nice to meet you. And please, call me Lyosha.”
“Ahh, right.” I remembered now that Sofiya had mentioned how Russian and Ukrainian used all sorts of nicknames, especially in more friendly or casual situations. “I wish my name had a cute version like that.”
Aleksei leaned against the counter. “Hmm. Maybe something like Sienochka?”
The nickname felt clumsy on my tongue, but I liked it.
“Even Vovk has a nickname,” he continued. “Vovchyk is the Ukrainian diminutive. There are children’s stories about Vovchyk Bratyk, or Brother Wolfy. Not that I think Dimitri was inspired by that.”
“Pretty sure he thinks life would be easier if everyone was just named after what they are,” Maxim said dryly. “Be careful or your baby will end up with the name Baby.”
I grinned. “Good idea for me to come up with the name, then. Does everyone in the house speak Ukrainian?”
Sofiya had grown up speaking Ukrainian with her mom and grandma, which was why she’d also been teaching Clementine. The idea of trying to master two new languages just to communicate with the other house staff and guards felt hopeless.
Maxim shook his head. “Nah. Sveta is from Ukraine, so obviously she does, and Dimitri does as well. But since all of us speak Russian, that’s the main language we use in the house.”
Phew. Okay. I could manage that.
“How are you settling in?” Lyosha asked.
I gestured at the construction zone of a hallway to my right. “I really love the rustic, stripped-down design you have going.”
Maxim’s lips tipped up in a smirk. “Amazingly, it’s better than it was.”
“Do you all live here? Or on the property?” I asked.
He stole a Russian dumpling, evading Polina’s slap to his hand, and popped it into his mouth.
“If you go around to the other side of the garden, there’s a smaller house for the guards.
Polina, Sveta, and some of the other staff live on this side of the house.
” He gestured towards a set of stairs that must lead to the opposite side of the house from my bedroom.
It was hard for me to wrap my mind around how enormous this house was.
“Oh, I meant to ask—does Dimitri have a credit card for me to use? I have things I need to buy until the rest of my stuff arrives.” I crinkled my nose. “And I had this crazy idea that we should put some furniture in the living room. It’s all the rage these days.”
Maxim laughed and pulled out his wallet. “Actually, yes. Aleksei ordered a credit card for you.” He handed me a black and gold credit card that said SIENNA IVANOVA on it. I hadn’t realized until this moment that Sofiya and I had essentially swapped last names.
“Any spending limit I should know about?” I asked lightly.
“You’ll have to ask the boss about that.”
No, thanks. If Dimitri was upset by how much I spent, he could tell me himself.
I pulled up the dog boutique again and placed an order with my new card.
The women placed a large platter of what looked like dumplings in the middle of the kitchen island, along with bowls for soup and a salad.
The food was good—hot and comforting—and I enjoyed listening to them chatting with Maxim and Lyosha.
I hadn’t been sure what the energy would be like in Dimitri’s home since he was so intense…
actually, scratch that. The correct descriptor was asshole.
But his staff and guards seemed happy and relaxed.
Once we finished eating, everyone dispersed to go back to work. I was left alone in the kitchen, petting Vovk and trying to figure out what I was supposed to do with my time.
My first trimester had made me so tired that I hadn’t taken on any hacking jobs.
Even though my energy was returning, I was hesitant to return to the black market forums. What I did wasn’t dangerous…
as long as I didn’t get caught. Carrying little Apple made me a lot more aware of the risks than I’d ever been.
Then again, if I didn’t get some sort of project going to hyperfixate on soon, I would lose my mind.
Maybe my CozyScape characters needed to franchise their ice cream shop.
I hopped off the stool and wandered through the house, my new wolfy friend following me like a shadow, until I found myself in the doorway of a room that took my breath away.
It wasn’t particularly large—about the size of an average bedroom—but the ceiling was vaulted and the entire back wall was made of windows.
I stepped inside, and my feeling of claustrophobia eased. This side of the house had completed walls and floors, but not much else. Nothing to indicate what this room was meant to be used for.
My lips pulled into a smile. “What do you think, Vovchyk? Should I make this into my office?”
He trotted to the windows and peered outside, his nose twitching like he was trying to scent the fall air.
Large trees bordered the garden, their remaining leaves an array of dark orange, red, and brown.
Soon, the entire view would be covered in a blanket of snow.
By the time my baby was here, it would be an explosion of springtime green.
For the first time since everything descended into chaos, I caught a vision of my future—one where my baby and I played on a plush rug covering the hardwood floor, sunlight streaming in through the windows.
I clung to the image, letting it build a tender hope inside me.
I couldn’t control the future, but I could source the perfect furniture for this space, so that was what I’d do.