Chapter 8 - Vera
For the rest of the morning, I could not stop thinking about the look on Nico’s face.
It was true I had wanted to hurt him. That had been the entire point of the destruction of his office and the episode in his bathroom.
I had been angry and humiliated. I had felt violated because of his stalking, and I had wanted him to feel just a fraction of what I felt.
Instead, all I could think about now was the split second before he had walked away from me.
The fury. The hurt. The betrayal. I had seen all of it in his eyes.
And somehow that felt worse than anything he had done to me.
I sat curled into the corner of the enormous couch overlooking the massive pool, a cup of untouched coffee cooling on the table beside me.
The world continued at its pace beyond the mansion.
Meanwhile, my life had narrowed down to a luxury prison and a man who hated me.
A man I still loved. The realization hurt just as much as it always had.
Maybe more even, because now I had nowhere to hide from it.
Months ago, I could at least pretend there was distance between us, but now I saw him every day.
He occupied the room beside mine, and I heard his footsteps every time he stepped in or out.
I could hear his voice. The occasional low murmur when he was on the phone.
And every reminder only made the loss sharper and reminded me of how much I missed him.
But I couldn’t give in. Every single day, the possibility of Papa finding out where I was kept grew, which brought him one step closer to hurting Nico.
I hadn’t given up on the one thing I had ever wanted in my life in order to keep him safe, only to bring him into danger again.
But I couldn’t let go of the sinking feeling that the truth of the situation would come out sooner or later, and a war would begin.
A war that will inevitably reach this doorstep and drag Nico in it.
I shook my head, not wanting this line of thought to continue.
It only stressed me out.
A knock sounded somewhere downstairs, and I looked up.
Then another knock and the sound of a door opening.
I could hear voices. My entire body went still because voices usually meant visitors, and visitors usually meant problems. We haven’t had any visitors at the house except Bianca the other night.
Then I heard Nico’s voice.
I could not make out the words, but his tone was enough to tell me that something was wrong. Every muscle in my body tightened, and I stood and moved quietly toward the hallway, wanting to find out more. The office door downstairs was partially open, and I could hear him now.
“Tell me exactly how it happened in complete, proper detail.”
The words were low and controlled, yet he still managed to sound dangerous. When I did not hear a reply back immediately, I knew he was on the phone. Someone answered from the other end, but the faint robotic voice made it impossible for me to figure out who.
Nico’s response came immediately. “No.” The single word cracked like a gunshot.
“You don’t get to tell me what you think happened. You tell me what actually happened. I will be there soon, but give me something before I get there.”
Silence followed, which was followed by another voice. It was Viktor this time, who was probably inside the room with Nico. Viktor sounded as calm and measured as he always did, but I still couldn’t make out his low murmur. Nico interrupted again.
“How many of our men?”
The answer came too quietly for me to hear, but the next sound was glass shattering.
I jumped, unsure of what might have happened to cause Nico to act in this manner.
My mind immediately went back to Papa and how he could be behind something.
Why else would Nico be this angry after all?
The possibility of it all being because of my father was high, which made me want to know everything at once.
A few seconds later, the office door flew open, and Nico emerged.
His dark suit jacket was missing, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up.
His jaw looked carved from stone, and for a second, he simply stood there.
Then his gaze landed on me, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. I knew what it looked like.
I was crouched on the floor, against the wall, right beside the door. It was clear that I had been trying to listen in on the conversation. Viktor emerged shortly afterward, his eyes falling on me as well. I stood up at once.
“What happened?” I asked, motioning towards the office. He knew what I meant, but he shook his head rather than saying something.
He stared at me. “Nothing you need to worry about. Everything will be taken care of.”
I almost laughed. “You just threw something through a wall. I heard something shattering, and you wouldn’t have done that unless it was something serious. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It was just a glass, Vera, no big deal.” He sighed deeply, frown lines appearing on his forehead. “I wonder how that poor glass escaped your notice. I am sure you would have smashed it to pieces as well before I could find a chance to do the same thing.”
The reminder was unwelcome, but I had asked for it. Destroying his office was certainly not my brightest moment, but it was done now.
“Interesting work inside the office, Vera,” Viktor commented, a faint smile on his face. “I was both horrified and impressed at the same time.”
“Thanks, Viktor,” I replied drily, not in the mood for banter right now. No matter how much they tried to distract me, I needed my answers. “You breaking things isn’t normal, Nico. Tell me what the call was about?”
His eyes narrowed as if he was trying to gauge my interest and still failing to see reason.
Normally, I might have pushed further, but today I didn’t.
The entire morning had already been spent sparring with him, and I almost had no energy left anymore, even if I was extremely worried.
Whatever had happened clearly had nothing to do with me directly, or else he would have told me. At least I thought so.
Maybe Papa hadn’t found out yet.
Nico dragged a hand through his hair, and the gesture was unusually frustrated. He was human after all. His worry made something uncomfortable twist in my chest, and the familiar feelings of care I had never stopped feeling for him resurfaced.
“I have to leave.”
I blinked, already knowing he had to go. At least that was what he had said on the call. “Leave?”
“Yes.” The answer came sharply, and then his expression shifted slightly. It did not soften. Not one bit. I could simply see him recalibrating.
“Although there is a potential problem I would want you to deal with,” he suddenly said, immediately catching my attention. Nico Romanov wanted something from me, and I was thrilled to simply know that.
“What can I do?” I asked at once, sounding like an eager disciple.
“My sister is coming here.” I stared, confused. I knew he had a sister, but why was she coming here?
“Your sister?”
“Ilana.”
For a second, I forgot everything else. He had never introduced me to his family, but we had talked about it.
We had been planning it as well, and just a few more months, and it would have happened.
Nico had already told them about me, so meeting was the natural next step.
But then everything fell apart. The fact that after all this time and the chaos that had unfolded between us, I was still about to meet one of them now felt surreal.
“Why?”
His jaw tightened.
“Her husband, Avgust Chernykh, had to send me something, so Ilana is only coming to deliver it. I was planning to meet with her myself and have lunch with her here at home, but I have to leave urgently for work. I don’t think she will stay for long, but you will need to collect the package from her. ”
I folded my arms. “What’s in the package?”
“That, Vera Stavros, is none of your business. Just do as I am saying.”
“Will Ilana know what’s inside the package?”
Nico looked at me as if he had never heard a stupider question. “How am I supposed to know this? I am not sure if Avgust tells her everything or not.”
“I am sure he loves her enough to tell her everything.”
“In that case,” Nico said, rolling down his sleeves, “it is only fair that I don’t tell you anything.”
The words stung, but I deserved them. He quickly buttoned up his sleeve, took his suit jacket from Viktor, and threw it on. Viktor marched away at once, probably going to draw up the cars, while Nico stood staring at me as if he was trying to understand something.
“What exactly do you expect me to do with your sister?”
His gaze sharpened. “Well for starters, I expect you to stay here.”
Offense immediately flared. “You think I’m going to use her to escape from here?”
I had never once tried escaping in the past month I had been here, and Nico knew that.
I was the worst prisoner alive because I had no desire to run away.
Staying here, close to Nico, despite our distance, felt peaceful.
I knew the real world awaited me, and Nico won’t be able to hide me here forever, but I had no qualms about staying here for a little longer.
“I think you are intelligent.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It means that smart people always come up with interesting ideas. Hence, here I am, shutting down any idea that might form in your pretty little mind.” He moved closer and tapped on my forehead with his index finger. “Get the package and send Ilana on her way. Do you understand?”
I stared at him, and he stared back, the tension between us stretching. Finally, I shook my head.
“I haven’t tried to leave even once, Nico.”
Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly to identify.
“I know.” The admission surprised me.
“Then why—”
“Because I don’t, I can’t, trust anyone right now.”