Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Audrey
Traveling the world was wonderful, a dream really, but also exhausting. After all the partying we did and the lack of sleep, I didn’t know how my body could ever recover. I felt like I was hit by a train. I thought of this over and over as I got off of the plane and once again, ambled around aimlessly through the airport of New York City. There was no time to go home, another party was planned for this upcoming weekend. Which meant, I would be seeing Brian and introducing him to the people I’d been partying it up with. I wasn’t overly concerned until I thought about Alexei and then every thought flew right out of the window and fear took its place. How could these two worlds even collide?
When I finally collapsed on Ace’s immaculate couch, I found myself extremely fearful. Fearful of my future, fearful of Brian seeing the life I’d been living, and fearful that I would never find the happily ever after I always wanted for myself. It was just a lot earlier in the game than I originally thought or planned for myself. I’d always assumed I would have more than enough time to travel and enjoy the wild years of my life before settling down. Why had I begged for this?
“Tsk, tsk, is this the bride-to-be?” A raspy voice said above me and I almost shot up from where I was lounging. Thank goodness I hadn’t because if I had, I would have head-butted a very old, feeble-looking woman.
From upside down, she looked like any old granny, but when she came around the couch and looked me up and down, I saw that she wasn’t just any granny. She was a very posh nana. No grannies here.
“Well?” She poked me with her cane and I was taken out of my dumbfoundedness.
“That’s not the bride-to-be, Grandmother.”
Oh, not even a nana present. Lovely.
Alexei followed his grandmother around the couch and smiled down at me. It wasn’t a friendly smile, no it was a smile of someone ready to do wicked things. I sat up slowly, watching the cane as I did so. She seemed ready to wack anyone with it that misbehaved and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.
“This is Carina’s sister, Audrey.”
I held my hand out to her, and instead of getting a shake like I thought, with a loud wack her cane connected with the back of my hand. I yanked my hurt appendage to my chest and looked at Alexei with sheer horror.
When she turned around to inspect the space, now finally ignoring me, I mouthed WHAT THE FUCK at Alexei. He shrugged his suit-clad shoulders and followed his grandmother around the room.
“Is she living here with him?” She stuck her nose up and I watched as Alexei briefly closed his eyes before answering.
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Hmph,” She shook her head. “Not on my watch. Living in sin! How dare they!”
There was no way I wanted to be in this old hag’s presence any longer. I got off of the couch really slowly and tiptoed to the stairs.
“Audrey will be staying here with Carina and Ace.”
The old woman turned her narrowed bright eyes on me and I felt the floor fall out from beneath my feet. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Are you sharing a room with them?”
What the fuck, indeed?
I shook my head, unsure of where this insane situation was taking me.
“That means you aren’t preventing premarital relations.” She sighed as if that were my actual wedding duty. I decided right then and there, I hated rich people, every single one of them. Ace was included if it meant I had to put up with this for the rest of the wedding celebrations.
“We will be staying at my parent’s estate for the rest of the week, we just thought it cruel to force the girls to travel so much in a few days. They need rest.”
The woman, who looked feeble but certainly was not, marched across the space between us and poked me with her cane again, but this time much softer. “Hmmm, I can see you look rather fatigued. I am sorry for striking you with my cane. All of this is not how it’s done.”
Unsure of what to do with myself, I cleared my throat. “How is it supposed to be done?”
The woman straightened up and scowled. “The marriage arrangements are usually made a few months in advance and then they marry within a few days of the contract being signed.”
My mouth went dry. Contract? What were we cattle?
“Then it’s a good thing that this was a love match, Grandmother.”
“Bah! Love? Who marries for love? We marry for influence! We marry for convenience. We marry for the money we will make. That is how your grandfather did it when we married, your father before you, and of course…” She slapped his cheek, with somewhat loving affection. “You will do the same, just as Ace.”
My eyes rounded and as soon as Grandmother couldn’t see Alexei’s face, he shot me a warning look. Grandmother didn’t know that Carina didn’t have any of those things. Oh this was wonderful. She was going to murder us all.
“I am ready to retire, boy.” She clacked her cane on the back of Alexei’s leg and he hobbled up the stairs to show her to her room. At least I wasn’t the only one on the other end of the abuse.
“Your nana is interesting,” I would have never called her that to her face but it seemed fitting now that Alexei and I were alone.
He snickered. “That is not my nana. My nana will be here tomorrow.”
“Oh, you actually have a nana? How interesting. I guess you weren’t raised as horribly as I assumed.”
“That is my father’s mother, she raised him to be ruthless when his father died when he was a young child. She took over the household, all of the businesses, and she has a sharp aim with a gun. She can and will take down a man, and she will get away with it.”
And I thought her cane-wielding was frightening.
“Nana, my mother’s mom, she didn’t let us take anything seriously. She always brought water guns and attacked us during our studies. She hated that we were forced to learn Russian and the family business. She had many regrets with my Mother and was trying to make up for all of them. But don’t think you can take advantage of her, she is just as ruthless as Grandmother, you just won’t see it coming.”
“And her husband?”
He leaned against the kitchen counter and his gaze shot to the windows lining the back wall. “Ace thinks she killed him soon after he forced our mother to marry our father. I’m not really sure and I wouldn’t ask her even if my life depended on it.”
It was strange talking to him like this. Like he was actually human and he had a heart. It was nice but also deceiving. He was raised by ruthless women and what I now saw as a heartless man.
I nodded.
“Are you excited for Brian to be coming in at the end of the week?”
The question took me so off guard, all I could do was stare at him.
“He is coming, right?”
I blinked.
“Have you been struck dumb or did something happen that I am not privy to?”
“Who are you?”
He scowled. “What does that mean?”
“Who are you and what have you done with Alexei?” This was too normal, too much. My brain was going to explode. How could we be just having a normal conversation?
That wicked grin was back and before I knew it, he was stalking across the kitchen with me pressed against the island. A mere couple of inches separated us.
“Is this how you’d prefer it? Would you prefer me to push all of your buttons until you are begging for more? Are you secretly hoping we get to be alone in this big penthouse or would you like me to abandon you with my ruthless grandmother?”
I couldn’t breathe like this. I couldn’t breathe with just a few inches separating us. I planted my palms on his firm chest and shoved. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Reminding you of your hatred for me.” He winked and went to get closer again.
“I’m engaged, Alexei, I don’t play these games.”
The playful smirk that was on his lips disappeared with a sneer. “Why are you engaged, Audrey?”
“Excuse me?”
Fire seemed to ignite in his gaze. “Why? Why would you want him?”
“I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”
“It may not be, but I want to know all the same.”
I looked away from his probing look and tried my best to get my heart to calm down within my chest. What was wrong with him?
I shook my head. No, he didn’t deserve an explanation. I wasn’t going to play his games.
He stepped closer but didn’t crowd me before. His whisper almost broke me. “ Who were you before Brian told you who to be? I wanna know her.” He let out a humorless laugh. “All this time I couldn’t understand why you are so far under my skin, but now I know. That’s what’s bugging me. Thats why I can’t keep you out of my head. And do you know what the worst part is? I thought I hated you there, but now I’m not so sure.”
He was gone before I could say anything else. He was gone before I could try to put together a coherent thought. I closed my eyes.
Why me?
“Did you meet Ace’s grandmother?” Carina’s voice made me jump and I opened my eyes.
Ace was typing on his phone but stopped when I didn’t answer. His eyes narrowed. “Oh no, she didn’t try to kill you, did she? I told Alexei to stay here with the both of you until we got here. I see he didn’t keep his promise.”
The mention of the man who was taking over my brain only made me short-circuit further. “No, she didn’t.”
It was all I could say. Was that true? Was what Alexei said true? I couldn’t think of anything else even if I wanted to, even if I tried with all of my might. Because deep down, I knew it was true. Who was I?