12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

T oula

I wasn’t alright. I didn’t tell anyone that I was still reeling from the wedding. Using school as an excuse, I avoided any family functions unless absolutely necessary. I didn’t attend breakfast, and I made sure never to be in the compound for family dinner. No one questioned why I was burning the candle at both ends, and in reality, I didn’t want them to. The wedding had left scars, ones I hid even from myself. I didn’t have the answers, and it was easier to just avoid the situation entirely.

Every morning, I left early for school, avoiding any interaction. It had worked until my father had stopped me in the foyer one morning. He’d leaned against the arch and stroked his chin, watching me pack my backpack.“I asked Angelo what time you normally leave. You must be working hard. It’s not even six in the morning.”

He hadn’t asked me a direct question, so I gave the answer that I knew would please him. “I just want you to be proud of me, Páteras.” Honestly, that was far from the truth. I couldn’t look my family in the eye, knowing I’d been a part of the Russian’s marriage contract. It all seemed like a fragile lie waiting to implode.

He shook his head and scrunched up his nose. “Are you planning on coming home tonight?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, giving a generic answer. His expression was blank, but I still felt the weight of his expectations. My father constantly waited, watching for me to break. I would never give him the satisfaction of gloating.

“Oh, well.” He straightened his stance, walking towards me. “School’s almost over, and you’ll need another project to occupy your time.” His hand slid into his pocket, and he pulled out a card. Handing it to me, he said, “I figured you would want to stop here on your way home.”

The card was blank on one side, but as I flipped it over, I noticed there was a hand-written address. I said nothing as I raised my head to look back at my father.

“That’s the address I’ve assigned to your new club. Funds shouldn’t be an issue, but you will need to turn a profit, Toula. I can’t have a failing business run by my daughter in my portfolio. I don’t think I need to explain what’s at stake here.”

“No, Páteras. I understand.” The dread crept down my spine. I’d worked almost five years for this moment, and none of it mattered. My father had no confidence in my ability, and the minute I proved worthless, he’d sell me for his own gain. “Bred to be owned,” I whispered as I walked out the front door.

** *

T his was hell. This might be worse than hell. Is there such a thing?

I’d prayed, desperately, to be wrong, but as I stood in the middle of an empty warehouse, rage poured from my skin. It threatened to consume me, and I wanted to open my mouth and scream until the sound reached the ceiling, echoing all around me. This was a sham, and I was going to have to smile and pretend to be grateful for the opportunity. I couldn’t even release my frustrations because Angelo stood at the door behind me. If he thought I’d lost it, he’d immediately call my father. It would only solidify any assumption they had that I was a weak woman. I would have to grin and bear this torture on my own. No one was going to save me.

All I could feel was despair mixed with streaks of violence. In a fit of revenge, I wanted someone to pay for this humiliation. The first problem was no one would voluntarily visit this part of town. It just wasn’t safe to draw people in. I’d have to research influencers and successful ad conversion if I even wanted a chance to turn a profit. The second was the bareness of the space. There were offices upstairs but not enough room for a VIP section. The bottom was even worse than the top. The place would need to be sectioned off, and I would have to hope I’d designated enough room for everything to function properly.

I repeatedly opened and closed my eyes as I stood in the middle of the warehouse. If I couldn’t see this nightmare, it wouldn’t be real. However, every time I opened them, there wasn’t a silver lining, and no one was breaking out into song. Instead, the gray walls became dingier, and I envisioned taking a lighter and setting the place ablaze.

I faced the far wall, but I heard the front door open behind me. Catching snippets of conversation, I didn’t have to turn around to know who had walked in. I’d been avoiding the Russian, and he’d picked today of all days to make his presence known. The soles of his dress shoes clicked against the concrete floor as he approached. I didn’t want to acknowledge his presence, but it was too much of a coincidence. “Did my father send you?” I asked over my shoulder.

“No,” he replied, stopping a few feet away from me. “Your seat was empty at dinner. If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re avoiding me.”

I rolled my eyes. I thought it was funny. He assumed I was hiding from him, when in reality, I didn’t have the strength to fight my family. I didn’t want to be reminded that my choices had consequences, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could pretend. There wouldn’t be a phoenix rising from the ashes. In her place, I was becoming jagged, plummeting into the darkness. The light completely snuffed out.

“Talk to me, Toula.”

“There’s nothing to say.” I sighed into the space, letting it absorb the anguish.

“School is ending in three weeks and yet, you still use that excuse. Your father may turn a blind eye, but I’m no longer willing to do so. Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“Why? So you can ride in on your white horse and save me?” I placed my hands on my hips in defiance, even though we weren’t face-to-face. “My father is already aware. If he really cared, he’d be standing here, making a list of first steps. That’s never going to happen. He’s going to shell out the money for this place, and when it fails, blame me.”

The Russian laughed.

I wasn’t a violent person, but the sound made me want to turn around and hit him repeatedly. He was just another man who wanted to see me fall from grace so that he could swoop in and play the hero. “Fuck the patriarchy, and the horse you rode in on.” I let loose the scream that I’d been holding back, letting it float to the rafters. I didn’t care anymore who heard.

“Easy, malenkaya lisichka. Angelo’s outside, so there’s no one here you have to hide from. I only want to see you succeed.”

My shoulders sagged as the metaphorical weight I had been carrying fell to the floor. “How am I going to do this? It’s a standard warehouse, so the decor has to be steel and glass. I can make that work, but there’s no build out. I’m not even sure there’s enough electricity.”

“You’ve already put together the concept. Do you have the blueprints for this place?”

“No, but I can get them. Even if I divide the bottom into sections and work on them individually, no one’s going to party here voluntarily. They’re four city blocks from the nearest restaurant. It’s too far to walk, and if, by some miracle, this place becomes hotter than Euforia, no one’s going to feel safe. I know you saw the gang across the street.” It was all for nothing. “He set me up to fail, so he could sell me,” I whispered. “You’re never going to profit off of the marriage contract.”

“I’m not really worried about the contract. Once you breathe through the frustrations, you’re going to make this place sing. I have a feeling it will be one of my most profitable endeavors, but you’re not in a headspace to hear it. You’ll just tell me I’m wrong.”

I turned around, the fight completely drained from me. “I don’t get why he’s willing to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into this place.”

“That’s probably my fault. I offered him a deal that favored the Greeks, with limited liability. Giving him a cut of the profits, I made sure that my crew handled all the refreshments. It’s free money for him, and if it doesn’t work, he has lost nothing. I asked for an introduction to his associates, and if I really wanted to, I could have done the legwork to meet them myself.” He brought his hand up to rub at his eyes. The black X’s were bright underneath the fluorescent lights.

“So you gave him an easy out? I could have told you my father prefers laundering. Clean money doesn’t make as much.” I turned around slowly, surveying the place. “I bet he was hoping you wouldn’t realize that he didn’t plan on lining your pockets.”

“Too smart.” He nodded as I slowly faced him again. “My loyalty is to you, not your father. I figured you’d have a question here or there, but I hadn’t planned on a complete rebuild. I can open the first set of doors you’ll need with permits. How do you want to play this?”

“This is my cross to bear.” My only focus when we had made the first deal had been Irini’s safety. Now, I knew better. There was too much maneuvering needed to see any of this through. I would do the best I could, but if it failed, I’d fall on the sword and accept my fate. I cared too much to let the Russian take the bullet with my name on it.

“This is your project, but you’re smart enough to know you’re not in this alone. If you need help, you reach out to me, and I’ll get Adrik to track down the answer. You’ll be doing me a favor, malenkaya lisichka. He’ll hate every minute, and I’ll enjoy tormenting him. What are little brothers for?” He chuckled, placing his hands in his pockets. “The best part is that he won’t be able to say no.” His smiled widened.

“You’re not doing this out of the goodness of your heart. What do you want in exchange?” I wanted to pat myself on the back. I’d learned this lesson once before, and I wouldn’t fall into his trap. He’d opened the door, but I would shove him through it before I ever followed blindly.

“Why do you think I want something?” He took a step closer to me. “I’m protecting my investment.”

I kept quiet, waiting .

He tilted his head back and laughed. The sound wrapped around me. “My malenkaya lisichka has learned. I won’t be able to fool you anymore.” He smiled, taking another step closer to me so that the tips of his shoes touched the top of my sneakers. “Katalina and Sophia take turns visiting Irini each week. They keep her company for a few hours, and the chef feeds them.”

I didn’t respond, hoping that the ground would open up and swallow me.

“You haven’t visited Irini since the wedding. That’s going to end. I’m not there on Tuesday nights, and I expect you to take a turn. Her eyes noticeably light up when someone mentions you. Makes me think she misses her sister.”

I missed her too, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to visit her, knowing she was the Russian’s wife.

His hand came up to caress my cheek. “You don’t have a choice. I have the leverage over you this time.” He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger against the skin. As he pulled away from me, he whispered, “Frankie Lombardo says hello, bambina.”

The Russian pulled out his cell phone and sent off a message, walking towards the front. As he opened the door, Angelo walked in, confirming my suspicions. Angelo wasn’t loyal, and somehow, he was feeding the Russian information about me.