Chapter 9 - Maxim

After my niece’s birthday party, I thought that Chiara and I had a little breakthrough. She seemed more comfortable with me in front of my family, and even interacted with me a little, but I was wrong. As soon as we get home that night, she”s right back to being her normal, distant, cold self. She goes straight to her room, and I”m left alone for the night again.

I don’t know what to do, and I”m getting nowhere in this investigation into her family. So I decide to take matters into my own hands.

I pick up my phone, standing up from my desk and pacing my office as I speak.

“Angelo, how are you? It’s Maxim.”

“Maxim, what a nice surprise to hear from you. I’m great. How are things there with you two?”

“Things are wonderful. Tell me, what are you up to today? I thought I could stop by and have some lunch with you or meet you somewhere. Just wanted to say hello, really. Some time without the girls to chat.”

“You are welcome here any time. Come over. The chef is busy cooking up a storm, I”ll let him know to expect an extra person.”

“Amazing. I”ll see you in a bit, then.”

I decide not to let Chiara know where I”m going, and when I find her in the kitchen, I play it safe. “I”m headed out to a lunch meeting. Will you be okay alone here for a bit?”

“Yes, of course,” she nods, flicking the coffee machine on.

“Just remember, if you do go anywhere, make sure to take one of the bodyguards with you. Don’t go out alone.”

“I know, you”ve told me already,” she sighs. I hate feeling like I am annoying her every time I speak to her.

I clench my jaw. “Alright. I”ll see you later, then.”

She nods, staring at me with her arms folded over her chest.

I sigh and turn to leave. One day I am going to have to figure out how to get through to her. Or maybe not. Maybe I can just build a relationship with her father and find out what I need to know from him, and then she can be free of this marriage that she clearly hates being stuck in.

Not only do I feel like I am living with a stranger, but I feel like I annoy the hell out of that stranger whenever she is near me. It makes everything unpleasant, and I feel all sorts of tension and frustration when I”m around her. The frustration of not being able to be with her is definitely at the top of that list. I can’t get that night we spent together out of my mind. It”s driving me toward insanity.

I shake my head, lost in thought about her as I walk towards my car. My driver sees me leaving and comes to open the door for me.

“You can hang around here today, Bradley, I”m going to drive myself. I need to clear my thoughts.”

“Yes, sir. Enjoy your drive, then.”

I nod, trying to refocus my thought process toward lunch with Angelo. I guess for this meeting I can just go with the flow and use it to establish some kind of relationship. It might take a few meetings with him before I can start poking around without raising suspicion.

When I arrive at Angelo’s mansion, he is waiting outside to greet me. His broad smile is welcoming and friendly.

I climb out of the car and walk toward him to shake his hand. He huffs out a laugh and pulls me into a hug. “We are family now, my boy. Handshakes are for business only.”

He gives me two solid pats on the back and then ushers me into his home.

“You”re just in time. The chef made an incredible lunch spread. I like to mix and match my foods, you know, tapas and crackers, an assortment. It keeps things interesting.”

“Thanks so much for having me over today. I thought it would be good for us to get to know each other, you know, seeing as we”re family now,” I chuckle, following his lead.

“Exactly, and we haven’t really had a chance to talk properly without a crowd and some mayhem around us. Here, take a seat.”

The lunch spread is immaculate. Every kind of cheese you can imagine, crackers, fruits, jams and spreads, cold cuts, boiled eggs, baby potatoes, salads—I have no idea how he expects us to eat all of this. I chuckle again as I sit down. “It looks like you”re feeding an army.”

“I am, in a sense. After I’ve finished my lunch the house staff comes and sits down to enjoy the food too. I like to keep my staff happy. It”s the key to good business, whether it’s at home or in the warehouse. Happy employees means they stay loyal and put in a more personalized effort.”

“Mm. That is true. Making them feel appreciated.”

“Exactly that. So, how is my little Chiara doing?”

“She is slowly adjusting. I guess it”s a big move, and we”re taking our time to get to know each other. Everyone who meets her adores her. She is quite a unique, special woman.”

“That she is. And smart. A strong woman just like her mother was. I think growing up without a mother forced her to be more independent. When I remarried about ten years ago, she never really connected with my wife or her son, Stefano. Then, when my second wife passed away, it was just Stefano, me, and Chiara. I guess Chiara has always been a bit of a loner, staying out of the drama of things.”

“Well, then she sounds just like me in that regard. I am certainly not a fan or drama or politics. I like to keep things clean and clear cut.”

“She gets that from her father,” Angelo smiles.

We chat easily and comfortably through lunch, and I find that I really like the guy. He comes across as genuine and down-to-earth. He has a no-nonsense, strong minded, yet mostly peaceful approach to how he thinks about things.

“You didn’t tell me we were having guests over.” Stefano marches in and pulls out a chair at the table.

“I didn’t know it was my job to report my schedule to you?” Angelo chuckles.

Stefano eyes me intensely. “What brings you here, Dubrov?”

“The finest selection of cheese in the city, of course.” I gesture to the table.

Stefano sucks his cheeks in, unimpressed with my answer.

“Angelo, one of our shipments was delayed, we need to pay a fee—”

“Stefano, this is a social lunch, not a business lunch.”

“Delayed shipments affect everything. Perhaps if you paid more attention to that side of things, you would realize—”

“Stefano,” Angelo warns. “You wanted to take over the more aggressive side of the business. You practically begged me for control of that aspect, and I granted it to you. That means that if there are problems there, I expect you to be able to sort them out without my help. I have not been involved in any of that for over six months now. And I certainly do not want to discuss them at lunch.”

Angelo’s face is stern, yet not confrontational. He delivers his words soundly, making himself clear.

“Maxim, how to you smuggle larger shipments—”

“Stefano.” Angelo stands up, his voice still calm, but his eyes have an intense warning in them. “Conversations like that have a time and place. And this is not it.”

“My bothers handle that side of things anyway, so if you want to discuss it, I suggest you get in touch with one of them,” I add, noticing Stefano’s eye twitch in anger as he tries to control a near outburst.

He seems to be a man who struggles to keep his emotions in check, and all of his emotions seem to revolve around aggression.

His comments also have my attention for the simple fact that I now know that he is the one who manages the smuggling, and Angelo has not been involved in that part of the business for six months. That means that Stefano is my primary suspect.

The difference between the two men is staggering, Angelo being diplomatic, welcoming, and easy to be around while Stefano is a tense, aggravated man who seems angry at the fork he is holding. Angry at everything and everyone.

With Stefano at the lunch table with us, the atmosphere changes completely, and I find myself no longer enjoying the visit. I wait a polite thirty minutes after his arrival, then stand up. “Angelo, it has been a fantastic lunch, you’ve outdone yourself. Next time I will have to have you over to my place, and I”ll do my best to deliver the same level of incredible food. And, of course, the pleasant company.”

Angelo stands as well, smiling. Stefano remans seated, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest as he glares at me with hatred in his eyes. What the fuck is this guy’s problem? He needs to pull the stick out of his ass.

“Maxim, any time, my boy. Any time. You say when and I will come and visit.”

Angelo walks me out to my car, we say goodbye again, and then I am on my way back home.

My head is swimming in new directions based on what I”ve learned today. I”ll get in touch with my brothers tonight to tell them to take a close look into Stefano. I want to know his background, and what role exactly he plays in Angelo’s business.

When I arrive back home, I head inside, and immediately ask about Chiara.

Even though I hardly spend any proper time with her, I find that I”ve missed her, missed just having her in the same space as me.

“She left a few hours ago,” the housekeeper tells me.

“Left for where?”

“She and my daughter went to the mall.”

“She went shopping with your daughter? Why?”

“They were just chatting and decided to go. I am not sure, sir.”

I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial the bodyguard that is on duty for Chiara today.

“Dameon, where are you now? Is Chiara safe?”

“Sir? I”m at the main property. I’m not with Chiara.”

“What do you mean you”re not with her? She”s out. You are supposed to be with her,” I snap.

“I asked her this morning to call me as soon as she wants to go anywhere and she said she would. I thought she was still at home, she never asked me to take her anywhere.”

“Are you fucking kidding me.” I grit my teeth and slam the phone down.

Immediately I dial Chiara, starting to pace up and down the hallway in agitation as I wait, listening to the constant unanswered ringing.

She doesn’t pick up, so I dial again, then again.

By the third attempt, I am ready to explode.

I storm through the house to locate the housekeeper.

“Where did say they were going?” I yell. She winces, not used to me raising my voice.

“The mall in the city, River Park Mall.”

I storm back out to my car, climbing in and flooring the gas in the direction of the mall. Anything could have happened to her, why did she have to risk going out without security? Why would she ditch them like that? What is the point of trying to keep her safe if she isn’t going to listen to my very simple requests? I was so clear about it when I left the house this morning. It’s not like I am trying to lock her up, I just want her safe.

Walking through the mall, I try and call her again, but I still get no answer. My blood is boiling. Fear that something is wrong has creeped into my mind, and I can’t seem to push it away. The mall is relatively quiet, and my eyes are darting everywhere trying to spot her.

Then I see the housekeeper”s daughter in one of the swimwear stores, and I rush over to her. She looks up and nearly jumps right out of her skin when she sees me and the expression on my face.

“Where the fuck is Chiara?” I demand.

With wide eyes, she points to the changing rooms. I march right into them. The lady in the front looks like she is about to tell me I may not enter the ladies” area, but the glare I throw in her direction has her backing off quickly.

There is one closed door, so I storm right up to it and shove it open.

Chiara lets out a loud squeal of fright and spins toward me with her eyes shooting open, and her mouth parted in shock. “Maxim?” she stammers.

“Why the hell did you leave the house without the security I specifically hired for you?”

“You can’t just walk in here—”

“Answer my question, Chiara.” I stand over her in the small space, pushing her up against the wall. She is wearing nothing but a bright pink bikini, which looks fucking incredible on her, but I am doing everything in my power not to notice that. The rage is helping to distract me—or it is making it worse? I can’t tell.

“I-I just wanted to get a new bathing suit. It’s just a mall. Nothing is going to happen to me here,” she murmurs, seeing how angry I am.

My arm is pressed against the wall above her head, and my face is inches from hers. My hand is wrapped around her chin, forcing her to look at me. She needs to hear my words, and she needs to understand that I am not messing around with this.

My eyes pierce into hers with a darkness I have not shown her before.

“This is the last time I will let you get away with disobeying me. It will not happen again. You need to understand that you are now part of a very powerful family, and we have enemies who would not think twice about harming you in order to get what they want from me. And I cannot let anything happen to you. Do you understand me, Chiara?” I growl in a harsh, whispered tone.