Chapter 4 #4
I rolled my eyes, though a faint smile tugged at my lips.
Elif had a habit of wearing either white, black, or red to meetings, she claimed those colors expressed power and authority, and above all, suited her.
And that idiot Roman always tried to buy her something afterward to match what she had worn.
Last time, it had been a pair of black heels from a brand-new collection.
The large doors finally opened and the women began to file out, some chatting quietly in groups, others alone.
I quickly replied to my brother’s message.
My gaze suddenly met that of the woman stepping through the doorway, Ksenia Kosnetzov.
She was in her forties but looked older; life had not been kind to her.
Being married to Vassili was trial enough, but losing her only son thirteen years earlier had destroyed her.
I held her gaze, filled with hatred and bitterness, my fists tightening in my pockets as I straightened to my full height.
She clenched her jaw, then looked away and left, nodding briefly to the others.
Was Ksenia aware of this trafficking business?
Did she turn a blind eye to her husband’s actions?
It was possible. Whatever sense of honor she might once have had had died long ago, ever since Vassili had brought his pregnant mistress into their home.
A mistress who had later died in a so-called accidental fall down the stairs, taking the baby with her.
My attention returned to the doorway as Elif’s voice rang out.
She appeared moments later, wearing a red dress that highlighted her complexion and dark eyes.
She walked arm in arm with Maria Vasilkova, the two were inseparable, Maria was a little older, but that had never stopped their closeness.
When Elif first arrived, Maria had been her strongest support at the table, defending and guiding her until she found her footing.
Since then, they had always watched each other’s backs.
“I’ll send you the guest list for the gala tomorrow.
Get some rest, moya sestra, you look exhausted,” (my sister) Maria said, hugging my sister-in-law.
“Don’t worry about me,” Elif replied warmly.
Maria stepped back, gave me a gentle tap on the arm as she passed, and left the building.
I nodded in return. I was about to join Elif when Ekaterina Yelsky approached.
Her pale blue eyes, lighter even than mine, met my gaze briefly before shifting to my sister-in-law.
She was an intelligent woman, keenly aware of where danger lay and whom to distrust. She was the eldest daughter of Pavel Yelsky, who had taken over the family after his father’s death more than a year ago, a succession we hadn’t welcomed.
Ekaterina was tall, nearly my height, with striking features and long, straight, almost white-blond hair.
Elif and Maria often joked that women envied her hair, assuming it was dyed, but according to Elif, it was natural, and if Elif said so, it was true.
Ekaterina embodied the ideal of Russian feminine beauty, not only physically but in her composure.
I had never seen a woman so controlled, so measured in emotion, gesture, and speech.
She was as eloquent as Elif, if not more.
Elif often said she could have gone far if she hadn’t been born to Pavel Yelsky, a first-class misogynist. Unfortunately, we didn’t choose our parents.
Elif lifted her head and smiled as Ekaterina spoke quietly to her.
I couldn’t hear their words, but Ekaterina’s expression never shifted.
She finally handed Elif an envelope and walked away without sparing me another glance.
Elif watched her go, lips pressed tight, concern flickering in her eyes before she masked it.
I joined her, having just replied to my brother’s message.
She slipped her arm through mine, and we walked toward the exit without speaking, only resuming once we were safely inside the car, away from prying ears.
Samy opened her door and she thanked him before climbing in, I followed, and Marcus started the engine, pulling away from the manor.
I leaned toward her to look at the invitation card she pulled from the envelope.
“It’s for her little sister Ludmila’s birthday.
They get along well with Ivan, so I think I’ll bring him.
That poor child needs a change of scenery, living with that monster,” she said with a grimace.
“And it’ll let me see the environment Ekaterina lives in. ”
“You know she’s almost the same age as me,” I said, typing a message to Sally asking, again, about the merger documents.
The merger was with a petroleum branch of a large Canadian corporation.
On paper, it would allow us to supply fuel to our ships in exchange for a generous percentage of profits.
We used a dredging business to launder much of our income, and this deal would open a new route into Canada, bypassing Yelsky, Vassili’s new lapdog.
The merger had to happen. Without it, we were in serious trouble.
“I don’t feel it, Sasha,” Elif murmured suddenly.
I froze and looked at her profile, when she said things like that, it was never good.
She sensed trouble before it arrived so I put my phone away.
“What do you mean?” “I don’t know… something about Ekaterina feels wrong.
When she took her mother’s place seven years ago, I worried, she was so young, barely seventeen but she managed brilliantly.
She was sociable, bright, full of ideas” she said a smile on her lips.
“Then, after the first year, she changed. She withdrew, spoke less, only when spoken to. Now she’s cold, distant, completely closed off” she sighed, rubbing her forehead, and I clenched my jaw.
“I should have acted sooner. I should’ve noticed sooner, but I was pregnant with Ivan…
” I shook my head and took her hand. That was Elif, always trying to save everyone, forgetting herself “Elif…” “I can feel it, Sasha. Something’s wrong with her,” she whispered, resting her head against the headrest, fingers tightening around mine.
I didn’t answer. If Elif sensed something, then something was wrong, “I’ll go with you to the birthday,” I said finally.
“I’m better than that idiot at reading people”.
She shot me a sharp look. “Don’t call your brother that! ” I smirked. Roman really was her baby.
I looked away, shaking my head, and returned my attention to my phone, still no reply from Sienna.
She had left the villa early again that morning, at least not sneaking out this time.
Kenji had come to pick her up, and I’d watched them leave, powerless, bound by the promise I’d made to Nikolai months ago: not to pressure her, not to scare her away and risk Selina following her.
Now I knew Selina wouldn’t leave, but I didn’t want Sienna to go either.
And it wasn’t as though she truly could.
I wouldn’t let her. But I didn’t want this house to become her prison.
I needed a solution. Tracking her phone was risky, our technicians might talk, and Niko would find out. But then an idea began to form.
“What do you have planned this afternoon?” I asked Elif as we neared the villa, a plan taking shape in my mind.
“A little introductory session for Selina and Sienna, if she’s home,” she replied with a small smile.
“An introduction?” I repeated as the gates opened and Yuri waved us through.
“Yes. I want to explain how the meetings work, how voting goes. Introduce them the members, so they won’t be lost if they ever have to replace me…
” “Replace you ?” I repeated, as a feeling I didn't like at all crept into my veins.
Elif smiled at me and placed her hand on my arm, the hand that had wiped away my tears when I was a kid, the hand that had patted my back to help me fall asleep after a nightmare, the hand that had defended me.
“I’m human too, Sasha. We never know what the future holds.
Better that the girls be ready, just in case.
Even if Sienna isn’t an Ivanov… yet ” she smiled, eyes bright and tried to pull her hand away, but I grabbed it quickly and held it against my forearm.
Her smile gradually faded when she saw my expression.
"Don't ever talk like that again," I said, my jaw clenching as I felt my heartbeat quicken. “Oh, Sasha,” she whispered gently, covering my hand with hers, “I’m not going anywhere. Not before I see you become a father and struggle the way you made my husband.” I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart.
I had to control myself; my emotions must never take over.
Emotions were the greatest weakness; they led to mistakes, sometimes even death.
Memories came flooding back, memories of screams, the sound of weapons, and the smell of blood.
But I pushed them away, burying them deep within myself.
I swallowed the cry of rage that rose in my throat and clung to the coldness that gently enveloped me.
I plunged into this feeling of indifference and ignorance, ignoring the claws of guilt that tried to grab me.
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing, a life without Elif, just the thought was unbearable.
“Don’t say that ever again,” I repeated, forcing myself upright, she studied me with concern.
“You have to stop doing this Sasha” she said.
“If you keep bottling everything up, it’ll explode, and you won’t be the only one hurt. ”