Chapter 14 - Benedikt

“You seem chipper this morning.”

Ari’s comment stirred me from my thoughts as I stepped into his office, quick to realize that my mind had in fact strayed from work and was once again stuck on Gemma.

While it was true, I was in a better mood than usual and held my chin up a little higher, I played it off with a nonchalant shrug. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

As he leaned back in his chair, Ari eyed me for a moment. “You were tense ever since your hasty wedding, and I assumed things weren’t going all that well. But the opposite seems to be true.”

Even if I didn’t want him prying too much, since that usually led to me being scrutinized by the entire family in one way or another, at least part of me was glad that my shift in attitude was noticeable.

“It was rocky to begin with, but we’re starting to make some strides,” I said with the slightest twist of a smile as I approached his desk and dropped a folder of new documents on his desk. Moving back to drop myself into the chair opposite him, I let out an easy breath. “The wife has been dropped off at work, we made it to the end of the week without screaming at each other, and the article was altered to protect our image. So far so good. What else could I ask for?”

With his lingering gaze on me, Ari snickered and shook his head as he reached for a file of documents. “If you say so. As strange as it is to see you this genuinely…level-headed, I’ll take it over you moping around any day. She must be quite the catch if you’re this smitten.”

My brows went up at that. “Smitten?”

My brother chuckled as he sifted through the print-offs nonchalantly. “Yes, that’s what I said.”

I cocked my head in slight curiosity. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ve had your fair share of flings throughout the years, but none of them made you this outwardly expressive. Most of the time, you kept your lips sealed so tightly about them that none of us even knew you were seeing anyone. But with Gemma, you seem to be proud of your progress already, even if it’s only been a week.”

I considered his words then, both surprised to hear it and suddenly made aware of that distinction. I hummed to myself and nodded. “Huh, I guess I never noticed. But what can I say? She’s my wife. I might be an ass at times, but I never wanted to condemn her to a life of suffering.”

A smug smirk pulled on Ari’s lips as he pointed at me. “And that’s another indicator right there.”

I scoffed. “So what if it is?”

He put his hands up in defense. “Listen, all I’m saying is, you made it seem like your genius plan to marry her was all for the greater good of the family. That it was essential to maintain our public image. But from what I can tell, it isn’t just that. If I’m not mistaken, I’d say you really do like her.”

Whether it came from the embarrassment of being vulnerable or the fact that Ari was able to point it out so easily, I found myself somewhat flustered. I waved him off casually. “Is it a crime to like your wife?”

Ari barked out a laugh at that, and he shook his head. “No, I suppose it’s not…but in all honesty, I’m glad this marriage might be more than nothing for you. We've all had to deal with your moaning and groaning about not having a wife, and I can speak on everyone’s behalf when I say it’s a relief.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, somewhat sheepish. “Don’t think this is me being soft or anything. I just…don’t want her to hate me forever for forcing her into this, and I’m doing what I can to make things easier for her.”

He gave me a nod and a faint yet understanding smile.

Before he could say anything, a shift in the energy around us claimed my attention, causing me to crane my neck as Lukyan reached the door hurriedly.

My brows furrowed. “What’s going on?”

Our younger brother sucked in a breath as he adjusted his loose curls and looked between us. “I just received word that the Ivanovs are now aware of the article. I got a surveillance notification that they’ve been on the move and are likely attempting to do some serious image clean-up now. I thought I’d let you know.”

While it shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that I knew they’d find out eventually, it still brought a sense of urgency over me.

I looked at Luk with a serious gaze. “Do they know it was written by Gemma?”

He shrugged as he stepped into the room and leaned against the wall. “We don’t know yet, but one would assume. Our guys are digging now. As far as we know, they aren’t too pleased about it.”

“As is understandable,” Ari murmured, tapping his fingers against his chin absently. “Even if we don’t know what their next steps might be, we need to be prepared. Luk, tell the others to make sure everyone is doing their due diligence and keeping an eye out. Watch the warehouses, upcoming trades, and everything in between. We need constant eyes on the twins so that we can respond accordingly if they retaliate.”

Mulling over Gemma’s involvement and the position that put her in, the weight of that consequence seemed heavier than before. I looked at Ari. “Shouldn’t we strike while the iron’s hot and send them a more direct follow-up message?”

He considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “The situation is still developing…there's no use diving in headfirst and risk escalating things more. While their strength pales in comparison to ours, we still don’t want any more potential media eyes on us because of them. If more people start prying into the Ivanovs, they would eventually be led right to us.”

I let out a huff and tried to see it his way, but I couldn’t shake the dread in my chest.

“Who knows?” Ari added, lifting his hands in question. “Maybe this will bring them to their senses and they’ll stay in line.”

It was the ideal outcome, and as much as I wanted to put my faith in it and keep my cool, there was no denying what I had done—what I caused for Gemma. There was a high chance they’d be after her, and I couldn’t risk that happening to her. I needed to know without a shadow of a doubt that she would be safe from them.

With tensions rising, there was no telling exactly what they would do to her if they got their hands on her, and I wasn’t prepared to wait and find out.

“Hopefully,” Luk added before he nodded in Ari’s direction and put his hands against the doorway. “I’ll pass the word around.”

As Ari gave his acknowledgment, Lukyan returned the way he came, disappearing into the hall.

“This puts Gemma in a less-than-ideal position, I imagine,” Ari said, wearing a more serious expression as he looked at me from across the desk. “What’s your next move?”

Still trying to go over it in my mind, I shook my head. “I don’t know…but I can’t let the Ivanovs get their hands on her. I want to allow her the opportunity to keep her internship at the paper. I know how important it is to her, and I don’t want to take that away.”

“But?”

I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my mouth. “But I can’t let her go back to that office. They’ll know where to find her easily enough, and she’ll be their perfect target to get back at us—me specifically. I know how quickly word gets around. They’ll know we’re married.”

Ari gave me a nod. “So I suppose you know what needs to be done, but how will you mend that one caveat?”

It was true, I wanted Gemma to have that one thing in her life was that beyond important to her. I believed it was an anchor for her while we navigated our new normal together, and it would be cruel of me to take it away just like that. She would hate me all over again, and that was the last thing I wanted after we started making strides towards being more cordial with each other.

Losing myself in that dilemma for the rest of the day, I found myself stuck on Ari’s words. While I didn’t realize it at the moment, I knew once I was driving down the highway that it had been a sort of test.

A moment of brotherly support. Even if he didn’t have an answer for me, and I didn’t have a complete one for him either, it was enough to put that bug in my ear. It got the gears turning.

While I had been unsure about how to approach it, it slowly became clearer as I sat in traffic and mauled it over in my mind.

Without a doubt, I couldn’t let Gemma go back to the office. That was a given. With her name linked to that article, they would find her in no time at all. And as much as I didn’t want to take that away from her, I wasn’t left with much choice.

Even if she hated me for it, I needed her to know exactly what was on the line. Hopefully, I could help her to see how imperative it was for her to stay as far away from that office as possible.

Wanting to make it up to her, or to soften her up before having to break the news, I stopped by a local restaurant and grabbed some takeout on the way home.

As hungry as I had been, I felt myself losing my appetite as I spread the food out and prepared the table while I waited for the driver to bring her back home. I silently reminded myself that I needed to be calm and level-headed. Assertive yet understanding. I needed her to be as receptive as possible, but all of that depended on me and my actions.

Sitting at the table and left alone with my thoughts, I couldn’t shake the damning thought that I had risked her life by forcing her to alter that article.

I found myself genuinely wanting to have a relationship with her, and to one day feel more like a real married couple. It was against my nature to be so concerned about her and the situation as a whole beyond what was necessary for the family business, and that fact alone was enough to prove to me that I had to safeguard her in any way possible.

Even if I was misguided at times, I cared about her, and I was trying the best that I could.