9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

T oula

My sisters and I walked into the receiving parlor precisely at 6:00. Guests were unpredictable, and we wouldn’t risk incurring my mother’s wrath by being late. Irini walked straight to the sofa and perched on the corner. I followed her lead and sat in the middle, with Katalina to my left. At ten, Sophia would escape this torture again.

I didn’t think any of us resented her youth. There had been a time when we’d been able to escape the formalities. It just seemed like my father favored Sophia more than the rest of us. She had a bodyguard and a nanny, when the only place she attended religiously on her own was school. He would laugh it off if someone caught her running in the halls. My mother often beat the rules into the rest of us until we submitted to her dominance. Sophia had free rein to bend them to her liking, with my father’s backing.

The grandfather clock chimed 6:15, but we remained silent .

“Hey, Irini.” Kat leaned forward, turning in her seat so she could see us better. “You should be excited. Ilya’s definitely an upgrade. I bet he’s stacked below the belt.” Kat cackled.

My emotions were too raw to find any humor in that, and if my mother had heard her, she would have beaten Kat to within an inch of her life. “You’re too young to be thinking about sex,” I chided her. “You attend church every Sunday. Try to pay attention, so some of it actually rubs off on you.”

“Oh, it does. Father Mihalis inspires me to do better.” She smiled widely at me, batting her eyelashes, before flopping back in her seat. Father Mihalis had only been with the congregation a few months, but he already had most of the women swooning over him. He was supposed to be married to the church, but he was young and hadn’t learned that the women would ask for favors he wouldn’t be able to grant.

The room went silent again as we waited. It wasn’t long before we saw the headlights shine through the windows, the light bouncing off the far walls of the receiving parlor. Kat and I turned toward the windows to watch as the Russian delegation’s convoy pulled into the roundabout in front of the compound.

“They’re here,” I whispered. I’d perfected my poker face over the years, but I must have looked as disoriented as I felt. Katalina watched me out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t voice her concerns, but it was enough to know I needed to lock my emotions down. I wouldn’t survive this dinner if everyone could read me like an open book.

My mother hurried into the parlor and took her place near the fire. Sitting in the nearest chair, she crossed her legs and smoothed the skirt of her dress. No one said a word as we waited. My father would lead the Russians into his office for a celebratory drink to honor the arrangement. This was all a formality, and we weren’t important until my father officially introduced us as his family. It was a reminder that the seemingly barbaric traditions were unbreakable.

The only sounds in the room were the occasional shift in position and the grandfather clock’s chime. It wasn’t until the men’s laughter rang through the empty halls that we knew it was time. Shifting to the edge of my seat, I hooked my arm through Irini’s, and when my father appeared at the parlor door, we stood together.

“Gentleman, my oikogéneia.” My father introduced us as his family. He went straight for my mother and kissed her on the cheek. They shared a quick moment, and all I felt was dread of the unknown.

“My wife, Maria.” My mother didn’t really need an introduction. She had her own reputation to uphold, but my father would never publicly spite her. He then turned and pointed at us. “My daughters. Irini, Toula, and Katalina.” He looked at Ilya and said, “Irini will be your wife.” She didn’t move an inch, not even a reflex at the mention of her name.

The Russian walked over to where we stood, nodding at Kat and me. “Ladies,” he greeted us. There was a roughness in his voice that I hadn’t heard before, and it made me want to ask if he was alright, to smooth any hurt he might have had. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but Kat discreetly pinched my side. The slight pain made me remember where I was. Schooling my features, I waited.

The Russian took a few steps so that he stood in front of Irini. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he leaned down and whispered into her ear. It was too soft for me to hear, but I wanted to demand to know what he said. Her head tilted towards him as he pulled slightly away. The Russian kissed her other cheek in greeting and stood back, waiting.

When Irini didn’t move, my mother took over as the perfect hostess. She ushered the men out the door and down the hall towards the formal dining room. Kat and I were supposed to be the last people to leave the parlor, but the Russian stayed. The blonde frat boy from earlier was in attendance, and he stood by the door that led to the foyer, his arms folded over his chest as if this was the last place he wanted to be.

“Irini,” the Russian spoke to her softly. “Will you do me the honor and walk me into the dining room?” He crooked his arm out in her direction.

Our arms were still hooked together as we stood, and I didn’t want to draw any more attention by letting go. I didn’t know why he was tempting fate when he’d been aware of her condition. If she slighted him by not taking his arm, he could ask for an immediate dismissal. My father would have to pay retribution, and it would come with a costly price tag. I had agreed to this deal to keep Irini safe, not place in her the eye of the storm.

Irini never looked at him, her eyes focusing somewhere on his chest. She shuffled forward and then stopped. Her arm remained looped with mine, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, which caused my anger to flare at the Russian all over again.

I felt Kat move against my other side, and I quickly reached down and held her hand. As much as neither one of us liked this, we had to let it play out.

Irini shuffled her feet again, shaking her arm loose from my hold. She took one last step towards the Russian, wrapping her fingers around his suitcoat-covered arm. He leaned over and whispered something in Russian to her before raising her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Kat and I waited until they crossed the threshold into the foyer before we moved to follow, but I couldn’t see straight. My brow furrowed as the questions pinged around my brain with no way to be answered. Kat squeezed my hand, and as I looked at her, I rolled my eyes. No one was in the room to see us, and I took a moment to breathe. I’d set this up, so I shouldn’t have been questioning anything. I just had to get through this evening.

Dinner was a smooth affair. The conversation flowed around the table as each course was served. Salad with feta and olives. Lemon rice soup. Lamb as the main course. It surprised me that I could taste all the deliciousness. I thought for sure it would stick to the roof of my mouth as punishment for my involvement. The blonde sat next to me. I’d tried to engage him in conversation, but he’d looked at me and simply said no. I didn’t know what his problem was, but if I turned my head towards him every now and again, no one would be the wiser.

The Russian sat across from me, but I tried not to glance in his direction. He would constantly whisper in Irini’s ear, and even though she didn’t turn to face him, she was listening. Her head would tilt towards him, as if she was giving him her ear. Every time I caught the movement, the hole in my heart grew. Pain radiated out into my chest, but I didn’t rub it away. I let it fester, reminding myself that I wanted an undesirable status. I’d worked too hard to want a man to claim me. This was just an end to a means.

“Toula,” my father called from his seat at the head of the table.

Dessert had just been served, and I didn’t bother to pick up my spoon, waiting.

“As a part of the wedding contract, the Russians will be our new refreshment vendor. I’ve already assigned a location for your club, so this summer, you can partner with them to get started.”

I should have been excited, but my father had set me up to fail in front of the Russians. He had assigned a site, which meant I was going to get stuck with some piece of property that he didn’t know what to do with. This only confirmed that no matter what I had done to better myself, I would never succeed. My father had always intended to sell me to the highest bidder.

“Thank you, Patéras.” I played the part of the dutiful daughter.

Suddenly, Frozen Frankie Lombardo’s voice filled my mind. You need leverage , his image screamed at me.

I quickly scrolled through every scenario, looking for something that I could use against them. I didn’t have money of my own. My father would finance the club, so that wasn’t a viable option. I assumed the location was an empty warehouse space that I would have to build out. Permits, contacts at city hall, everything my father didn’t have. He was more interested in collecting his portion from someone else’s work, which was why he didn’t have that many legit businesses. It gave me an idea.

“Patéras, will the Russians have an ownership stake in the club, or are they only a vendor?”

My father laughed and sat back in his chair. “Speak freely.” He steepled his fingers and rubbed them underneath his chin. I noticed he hadn’t answered my question, proving I was on the right path.

“I would like a proper introduction to your contacts at city hall, the planning committee, and the mayor’s office,” I directed at the Russian.

“Why would I do that?” he asked, staring at me. He looked relax, leaning back with his arm resting against the top of Irini’s chair. However, there was a bite in his tone, and his eyes narrowed directly at me. I wondered if I was the only one who could see the changes in him. The heat in his gaze burned another hole in my heart as the Russian transformed into the powerful Russian boss.

“You won’t make any money as a vendor if you don’t.” For once, I had control, and I wanted to clap my hands and stomp my feet in excitement. Instead, I sat demurely, eating my scoop of ice cream as I waited for his response.

“Are you threatening my business?” He smirked at me.

“No. I’m stating a fact.” I smirked back, and I swore my mother was about ready to have a heart attack at the other end of the table. I should have never been engaged in this dinner conversation, but he had irritated me with the whispers, and when my father had opened the topic of conversation, I saw my opportunity for revenge.

I lowered my eyes back to my lap and turned my head in deference towards my father.

“Continue,” he said to me.

“If it’s a warehouse space, the aesthetics will need to be built out. I can lobby the correct agencies, but it would be easier with a proper introduction. If the layout doesn’t have a kitchen because I couldn’t get one approved, then we have no need for a refreshment vendor.” I had won that round, but it didn’t feel as good as I had thought it would.

My father held his stomach as he tilted his head back and laughed. My mother chuckled lightly, but no one else made a sound. I didn’t raise my eyes from my lap, my cheeks red from embarrassment. I wish I could have taken it all back and never said a word.

They dismissed us from the evening shortly after. I walked out of the dining room with my sisters, following them up the stairs to our rooms. When I reached my door, I didn’t bother opening the room. I didn’t want to stay, instead wanting to finding solace in the one room of the house that had always taken care of me. Turning back towards the staircase, I stole away to the library. Curling up in one of the reading chairs, I used the solitude to settle my thoughts, sighing into the emptiness.

“Why do I always find you without a guard? ”

I didn’t need to see behind me to know who it was. The Russian always had a way of finding me in my most vulnerable moments. “Is Angelo alright?” I asked, not moving from my chair.

“For now.”

“You wouldn’t have disposed of him in my father’s house,” I retorted, crinkling my nose.

“You’re too valuable to be left unattended, and when you’re mine, I’ll have no problem replacing Angelo as your guard.”

“That will never happen. I’m just another commodity to be sold, and you’ve already bought.” There was a bite to my tone that I couldn’t hide. There was no one to save me. I could only rely on myself, and it made me angry all over again.

“You’re angry, malenkaya lisichka. Why?”

“I’m not angry,” I lied. I wanted him gone so that I could wallow in my self-pity.

“You are, but it’s alright. You don’t have to tell me. I already know.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, not bothering to offer a response.

I could feel him crossing his arms over the back of the chair, near the top of my head. “It’s alright,” he repeated. “Be angry. My wedding is in a month, and I’m warning you, malenkaya lisichka. The only gift I want from you is between your legs.” I felt him kiss the top of my head.

I didn’t hear him walk out of the library, but we had limited time. Someone would come searching for him, and it would be disastrous if they found us together. Yet my body was on fire at the mere thought of spending the night with him, which made me angry all over again.