7. Dimitri

7

DIMITRI

It’s been a week since Zara and I decided to get married. Which means, it's been a week since Alexei asked me to marry the daughter of a rival mafia Don, and I told him to get fucked.

I’ve put this conversation with my brother off for long enough. So, as much as I would like to do literally anything else, I make the trip out to Forest Hills on Monday morning to sit down with Alexei in his office to talk through our options.

I find my brother sitting behind the large mahogany desk, looking just as pissed off as he did on Saturday at the engagement party.

He glances up at me as I close the door, and he leans back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

The room is cast in darkness, and Alexei looks as if he’s been locked away in here all night.

I glance at the desk and notice a half-empty bottle of vodka. “Long night?”

“I thought you might not show.” The muscle in his jaw flexes as he stares at me.

“You’ ve trained me to come when I’m called.” I head straight for the bar cart.

It’s barely eight in the morning but from the look on my brother’s face, it’s clear I’m going to need something to take the edge off.

“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy here.”

“When you make accusations that question the authenticity of my relationship with my fiancée, I’m going to get pissed off, Alexei.” I pour myself a scotch.

“And I’m going to get pissed off when you decide that your priority is no longer this family.”

I huff a laugh.

“You sound just like Papochka, you know that? Sitting at his desk, telling us what it means to be a Koslov. It’s impressive, really.”

Alexei is silent, and I know I’ve touched a nerve.

I look him in the eye. “Zara is my family. She comes first. I would have thought that you of all people would understand that.”

Alexei rubs his hand over his jaw, the beginnings of a shadow starting to form.

“Believe me, I do.”

I throw my head back and down my drink before turning to face my brother again. “How much of a fallout is this going to cause?”

Alexei shrugs. “It’s hard to tell.”

“You have told Massimo that I’m not marrying his daughter, right?”

“I’ve not said anything to him, yet.”

“For fuck’s sake, Alexei!”

“He’s going to be pissed as hell when he learns of your engagement to Zara, and I think our best bet is to play innocent and let the news reach him organically. ”

“Why not just tell him now and get it over with?” I scoff. “Gives him more time to find another match.”

“Because telling him now will only arouse suspicion. Your relationship with Zara came out of nowhere, Dimitri. Forgive me if we’re all a little skeptical .”

Despite him offering to pay for our wedding, I know it was only a tactic to try and get Zara to crumble and admit the truth. It’s clear she’s struggling with the guilt, especially after telling her parents yesterday, so the last thing she needs is my brother breathing down her neck.

The sooner all of this wedding stuff is behind us, the better, which is exactly why we decided on the drive back to the city last night to get married as soon as possible.

“Well, it’s going to be even more suspicious when he learns that we’re actually married.”

“What do you mean?” Alexei frowns.

“I mean, Zara and I are planning on getting married next Saturday.” I cross the room to sink down into an armchair.

“That’s in less than two weeks. You can’t be serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”

“Why the rush? I don’t know much about planning a wedding but surely, it takes longer than that? Unless you have a reason to rush…” he narrows his eyes at me.

“She’s not fucking pregnant.” I lean forward to rest my forearms on my knees.

“Honestly, brat , it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“We just don’t want to wait. We’ve hidden our relationship for long enough, and we just want to start living our lives. Besides, the longer we wait, the messier things will get with Massimo.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? ”

“What do you mean?”

Alexei gets to his feet and strolls over to the bar cart to pour us both a fresh drink.

“About your relationship with Zara?” He glances over his shoulder at me. “I thought we had the sort of relationship where we told each other things.”

Well, fuck…

“Zara… She asked me not to.”

Alexei is quiet as he replaces the crystal stopper in the decanter and picks up the two glasses filled with amber liquid.

“It’s not like she wasn’t vocal about her dislike of me.” I chuckle, thinking back to the first time we met. “I guess she was just embarrassed about having to admit that she was wrong about me.”

Alexei’s lip twitches as he hands me a glass and takes a seat opposite me.

“Is that what she said?”

“She didn’t have to say it.”

“I still don’t get the rush. Joining our family is so much more than just signing on the dotted line. Does she know what she’s getting herself into by becoming a Koslov?”

“I think she learned what it means to be a Koslov when Mario fucking Gilanto put her in the hospital for a month.”

Alexei’s jaw flexes as he looks at me.

I can almost see the memories reflected in his eyes. The blood. The terror.

I take a sip. “I’ve been nothing but transparent with her.”

“She’s been through a lot.”

“We all have. Surely that’s a good enough reason to just fucking live a little.”

“But— ”

“No. You don’t get an opinion here. What I have with Zara is just as fucking real as what you have with Bianca, and if I’m being honest, it fucking hurts to not have your full support.”

Alexei looks down as he swirls the scotch around in his glass.

“You’re right.” He sighs. “It just seems so sudden.”

“Not all marriages follow long relationships, Alexei. I mean, look at you and Bianca, for fuck’s sake! You didn’t even know each other before you got married. Mamochka and Papochka weren’t much better. But I can’t think of two better marriages to look up to. I aspire to have what you have, what our parents had.”

“Yeah, well, Mamochka and Papochka might not be the best example of true love…” Alexei’s jaw flexes.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“ Alexei .”

His dark eyes flick to mine, and I’m taken aback by the sorrow that fills them.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” He leans forward to set his empty glass on the table between us. “For a long time.”

“Okay…” I set down my own drink and fold my arms across my chest. “Spit it out.”

“This is something Mikhail and Danil need to hear too.”

“Well then, tell them to get their asses over here.”

Whatever it is that Alexei has been hiding, it’s clear from the look of devastation on his face that it can’t be good.

I almost drive back to the city to collect my younger brothers myself. I can barely stand to look at Alexei as my mind goes to the worst-case scenario.

Is this situation with Massimo worse than he originally let on? What could possibly be causing my brother such anguish?

I leave Alexei in his office and head down to the kitchen to make some coffee just to give us some distance. I hate fighting with Alexei like this, but he’s not giving me much of a choice.

I’m so deep in my own head that I almost run straight into Bianca.

“Shit, sorry.” I grab her by the shoulders to steady her.

“You were miles away.” She laughs, patting a hand on my chest. “Everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Where’s Leo?” I head over to the coffee machine. I busy myself with grabbing a fresh filter and a mug from the cupboard overhead.

“Napping.” She frowns. “Dimitri? Is everything okay?”

“I’m not sure. Ask your husband.”

“Look, I don’t know what you’re fighting about, but you will get past it.”

“We’re not fighting.”

“Then why are you sulking around my kitchen?” She raises her eyebrows.

I brace my hands on the counter top and bow my head.

Every muscle in my back feels tight, and I’m desperate to go back to my penthouse and spend the rest of the day alone with nothing but a bottle of scotch for company.

“Is this about Zara? Has something happened?”

“No.” I sigh, turning around to face Bianca and plastering an easy smile on my face. “Zara is…perfect. Alexei’s ju st having a heart attack when I told him the wedding budget, that’s all.”

I know Bianca doesn’t believe a word that’s just come out of my mouth, but she chooses not to question me further.

“Well, I’m here if you need to talk.” She grabs her coffee mug off the island.

“Thanks.”

The moment she’s out of the room, I lean back against the counter and rub my hand over my jaw. I’m tired of talking. I’m tired of lying .

And I don’t see it ending anytime soon.

“I was fucking sleeping,” Mikhail mutters as he and Danil stroll into Alexei’s office an hour later. “I need a drink.”

“You look like shit.” He looks like he’s just crawled out of bed, wearing a pair of light gray joggers and a black T-shirt that shows off his intricate sleeve tattoos.

“Fuck off.”

I reach out my hand for him to slap, and I flash him a grin.

“What’s this about, Alexei?” Danil looks like he’s actually bothered to shower and is wearing a crisp black shirt and pants.

He stalks over to the brown leather Chesterfield that's situated against the far wall and takes a seat, watching Alexei curiously.

“You should all sit down.” Alexei goes to the bar cart. “This is important.”

Mikhail slumps down on the couch beside Danil, and we wait in silence until Alexei has handed us all a drink.

“You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.” He looks at each of us .

I rub my left hand up and down my thigh as I try to predict what bomb is about to come out of my brother’s mouth.

“Spit it out, brat ,” Mikhail grumbles.

Alexei takes a deep breath before throwing back his triple vodka and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“Our father had an affair with Igor Ivanov’s wife.” He slams his glass down on the table.

I can’t stop the laugh that escapes me as Alexei’s words sink in.

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.” He perches on the edge of his desk, folding his arms over his chest.

“I don’t understand…” Danil mutters. “ Papochka had an affair?”

“Yes.”

I shake my head. “That makes no sense. They were in love. I… No, I don’t believe you.”

“Dimitri—”

“You could see it every time they looked at each other. You can’t fake that.”

“I’m not saying they weren’t in love.”

“That’s exactly what you’re saying! Because if they loved each other, Papochka wouldn’t have crawled into bed with another woman.”

“Well, he did.”

“Says who?” I get to my feet. “Because that’s one hell of an accusation to make.”

Alexei frowns. “It’s not just an accusation. I’ve had it confirmed by Frederik.”

“ Frederik ?”

“He’s worked for us for years. He’s credible.”

“We know better than to trust anyone. We all know firsthand that people can be bought. Who’s to say Frederik isn’t working for Igor himself?”

Mikhail gets to his feet and walking over to the bar cart. “That makes no sense, Dimitri. You’re being delusional.”

“I’m being delusional?” I round on my brother, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the wall.

Mikhail grunts, but I don’t make a move to loosen my grip. “Listen to yourself. Alexei tells you our father cheated on our mother with the wife of one of the most powerful men in Russia, and you just roll over and accept it? I swear to fucking god, Mikhail, he could tell you the sky is fucking green, and you’d accept it for truth.”

“Fuck you.” Mikhail slams his hands into my chest. “You’re not any better.”

“You understand what Alexei is saying, right?” I release my hold on him.

“Oh, I heard him perfectly. And I’m saying I’m not fucking surprised.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m saying that people have affairs all the time.”

“Not our parents.” My hands curl into fists. “Not our father .”

“That’s enough !” Alexei gets to his feet. “This is exactly why I didn’t fucking tell you.”

Danil looks at Alexei. “How long have you known?”

We all turn to look at our youngest brother, whose face has drained of color.

“ Alexei .”

Guilt flashes across Alexei’s face as he looks down at Danil.

“Frederik confirmed it on the day of Bianca’s baby shower.”

Danil shakes his head. “Fuck. ”

My stomach feels like lead.

Mikhail points a finger at Alexei. “You’ve known all this time, and you didn’t fucking say anything?”

“No, I didn’t, because it never seemed to be a good time to tell you that the man we all looked up to, the man we idolized , was an adulterer.”

I throw my arms in the air. “You didn’t need to tell us. They’re dead, Alexei. They’re dead…”

I sink down into an armchair and bury my face in my hands.

Alexei’s eyes are wide. “You’d rather not know?”

“What fucking difference does it make?”

“It makes all the difference!” Alexei slams his fist on his desk. “It might be easier to believe the lie that our parents had the perfect marriage, but the truth always comes out in the end, Dimitri. Always.”

I don’t miss the knowing look he gives me, but I don’t have any fight left in me to push back. In the space of a few minutes, my brother has shattered the memories of our parents that I cherished. Was it all a lie? Were they simply acting the part of the perfect couple, playing us all for fools?

I swallow the bile in my throat as I consider the fact that it might be true.

Mikhail’s voice cuts through the heavy silence. “Does Igor know?”

“Yes.”

“ Fuck .”

“Some of our father’s old Russian properties were given over to him.”

Danil frowns. “A pay off?”

“There’s no official record, so it’s only speculative. But it’s likely. There’s no other logical reason why our father would have gotten rid of those properties. ”

I glance at Alexei. “And you think it kept Igor quiet for a while, but not any longer?”

He nods, his face grave. “It’s why I couldn’t hold off telling you. We should prepare ourselves on the off chance that Igor decides our family hasn’t paid enough for the crimes of our father.”

I pray that Alexei is wrong, otherwise this situation with Massimo and his daughter will be the least of our worries.

Alexei might trust Frederik, but I need to know for myself.

I make a mental note to give my own PI, Rurik, a call on my way back to the city. Until I’m handed concrete proof, I won’t let the memory of my father be tainted by some ridiculous accusation.

After all, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.