Chapter 22: Daniil

The rage swelling inside of me was pushing me to do the unthinkable. She had not only betrayed me, but she also now had babies with another man.

I was so mad, and for the first time, my body was trembling at the thought of what I would do to her. This feeling was alien to me—not the feeling of anger but the inner struggle on whether or not to act. This was never a problem because I had done worse to people who did far lesser things than what she'd done. Yet, I found it difficult to act with immediate effect.

My hands flew into my hair as I fought against a faint voice inside me, telling me to calm down. All I wanted to do was end her right there in that alley. Everything but that voice was pushing me to do so.

I turned my back on her, seething vividly as I ruffled my hair, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Daniil…" she said softly, prompting me to glare at her.

The pitiful look on her face wouldn't fool me anymore. She was an actress, and she'd proven to be an excellent one. Chances were, she was pretending to be sorry. I could see fear in her eyes, and her lips were quivering as she tried to speak, probably wanting to explain herself.

I couldn't help that rage, that jealousy that she'd been with another man after me. With a swift movement, I lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck.

Her eyes widened in absolute fear of what I was about to do.

"Please, I'm sorry. Daniil, I'm begging you, please," she coughed out as I slammed her back against the car.

"You're sorry?" I repeated in disbelief. "You're sorry ?!" I barked at her, pulling out my gun.

Her hands were raised in surrender while she whimpered, nodding in a hysterical manner.

"What are you sorry about, Vivian?" I glared at her, aiming at her head. "For running away, or for fucking another man?!" I raised my voice on the last statement.

Her lips were moving, but no words were coming out. I saw the terror in her gaze as she pleaded with her eyes.

"Answer me!" I pressed the barrel of my gun against her temple.

"Please…." Her voice was barely audible. "I have kids that I need to take care of, Daniil…. I'm all they have. I'm begging you."

The mention of those children infuriated me to my bones and marrow. I was so hurt that my heart ached.

Telling me she had kids in an attempt to save her own skin was pathetic, given the smart woman that she was. But watching her beg sent a mix of different emotions and different signals to my brain. But one stood out amongst the others: the fact that she'd slept with another man.

Frowning, I growled at her, "Who the hell did you fuck?"

"Daniil…I—"

"Was it the man who ran away with, huh? Tell me!" I interrupted whatever flimsy excuse was about to come out of her mouth.

"I haven't been with anyone!" she cried out amidst tears.

I paused for a second, a little bit relieved; then, I remembered; she was a very good actress. Plus it didn't make any sense to me.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"I've not slept with any man since I left you, Daniil," she said to me.

With the look in her eyes, she actually believed what she was saying. Vivian believed her own lie.

"And you expect me to believe that?" I asked, still pointing my gun at her.

"Why would I lie?"

"Because I could pull this trigger at any time and end your life. This is your way of saving your own skin," I replied, my voice dripping with the resentment that threatened to consume me.

"I'm telling you the truth, Daniil." She looked me dead in the eyes, her lips thinning as her expression turned serious. "My kids are yours."

This statement hit me like a bullet, and I didn't realize I'd taken a couple of steps away from her.

This was unbelievable, but could it be true?

I cast a rather stern glare at her, but she didn't flinch. She really believed what she was saying. Her acting skills had either grown off the charts, or she was indeed telling the truth. I couldn't draw any conclusions yet. Nothing was certain. With Vivian, I had learned to question everything because the last time that I'd believed her, she tricked me.

Andrei was staring at me; I could feel it.

When the argument with Vivian was swelling, he had commanded the other guys to drive off. They had no business here anymore. He was the only one standing by the car, watching the whole thing. He must be thinking to himself that I should give the girl the chance to prove her claims.

"You're lying," I said to her.

Vivian shook her head, drying her tears with the back of her hand. "Unfortunately, I am not. They are your kids, Daniil."

I laughed sarcastically.

"There's no way that I could've knocked you up in the one week we spent together," I defended.

"But you did, Daniil," she insisted. "You did. You got me pregnant." Her voice was a mix of pain and anger, rising as she grew more frustrated.

It was now that I realized I had lowered my gun. I shot a glance at Andrei, and although he didn't say a word, I knew he bought what she was saying.

"Then why did you run?" I asked her, calmer but still raging in silence. "If you knew you were pregnant, why did you run?"

"I didn't know at the time," she said. "I only realized that when I escaped to Spain. But can you blame you? We didn't exactly have the healthiest dynamic."

I scoffed at how ridiculously convenient her story was becoming.

"The woman over the phone said, ‘the kids….'" I brought this fact to her notice. "Which means there are more than one. Now, are you trying to say that I have—"

"Twins?" she asked, interrupting me.

I was quiet as the temptation to believe her was sneaking into my brain.

"Yes," she added, her shoulders drooping. "I have twins with you."

I thought for a moment at the possibility of her claims because the conviction in her eyes was palpable. But I needed more evidence than mere words in order for me to believe her.

It would be great to have a successor, an heir to the empire I had spent my life building. But I wasn't certain yet.

She was the reason for my lack of trust in her. I'd trusted her once, and look what it cost me. I'd been fooled by her false pretenses before, and I was being extra careful not to fall victim again. As much as I wanted this to be true, I couldn't let my guard down. She couldn't be trusted. This could be yet another game she was playing. But she was smart enough to know not to play such a game with me.

I shook my head. "I'm not buying this." I added, "Unless I see for myself."

She paled as I spoke, her eyes widening. She seemed worried—afraid, maybe.

Now, my disbelief was strengthened further.

"What's the matter?" I walked over to her, my gaze unwavering. "You said they're mine, right?"

Her body was tense, and her breathing was heavy.

"Since the kids are mine, then let me see them," I said with a commanding tone.

Vivian's tears returned, and she dropped to her knees, her eyes red from crying and her lips trembling as she begged.

"Please, leave them out of this…. Don't hurt them—they're just kids."

"You say they're mine, right?" I asked, shrugging off the thoughts of what I would do should she be lying.

She nodded, wiping her tears.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," I replied. "But listen carefully, Vivian Kennedy," I added menacingly, "if it turns out that you're lying, then whatever comes next will be on you."

I watched the effect of my words play in the form of fear on her face, and I smirked. Even with her palpable terror, I couldn't deny that the thought of hurting her made me sick to my stomach.

I'd cross that bridge when I came to it, if need be.

__________

The drive to her place was a silent one. I had dismissed Andrei and taken Vivian in my car since hers had crashed into that street lamp. We didn't say a word to each other until I saw her texting someone on her phone.

"What're you doing?" I demanded.

"I'm reaching out to Alba, the babysitter," she replied and showed me her screen.

I glanced at it for a moment, taking in the content of the message before returning my focus to the road. It wasn't anything serious. She wanted the woman to fetch the birth certificates of the kids.

Vivian directed me to her place, and I realized that when we were chasing after her, she had been going in the opposite direction. The woman really wanted to keep those kids from me, which only piqued my interest.

We got to her place, and I pulled over by the driveway and killed the engine.

Peering into the rearview mirror, she tweaked her hair and used a handkerchief to dab the blood off her face—likely to not scar the kids. Then, she unbuckled her seatbelt and took one last look at me before opening the door to step out.

I did the same and followed her into the house. Its interior was cozy, nice for someone just starting to find her place in the world.

"Hi, Ms. Keith." A girl in her mid-thirties, I presumed to be Alba, rose to her feet as we reached the living room.

She had two documents in her hands, and when she saw me, she just simply froze for a second. I had never seen her before in my life, but for some reason, it seemed like I appeared oddly familiar to her.

I noticed the subtle eye signal between the two ladies, and I figured that Vivian must have filled her in on our history together.

"The certificates you asked for," Alba said, handing them over to her.

"Thanks, Alba." Vivian accepted them and turned to me. "Here. See for yourself."

I took the papers and carefully read through them, paying rapt attention to the dates of birth.

She wasn't lying.

Based on these certificates, the kids—Leo and Sophia—were born exactly nine months after she'd fled. A newfound feeling was gradually swelling up inside me as the possibility of fatherhood was gnawing at me.

"You can do a DNA test to confirm," she said to me, her voice laced with certainty.

Just as I lifted my head to reply, the playful noise of two toddlers racing to Vivian's feet caught my attention.

"Mama! Mama!" they chorused.

They were the most adorable toddlers I had ever seen: so cute and full of life.

Time slowed down just enough for me to observe the kids; Leo, the first to get to his mom, was a spitting image of myself, and there was no need for a DNA test, given the striking resemblance.

"Hey, pumpkin." Vivian smiled broadly, picking him up in her arms as he giggled and played with her hair.

Sophia soon got to her mom's feet, but she seemed more interested in the strange man in their living room than she was in seeing her mom. She was a mini-Vivian: the same charming blue eyes, innocent look, and hair color, among other features.

Partly hiding behind her mother, Sophia timidly looked at me, probably wondering who I was.

With an inviting smile, completely blown away by her innocence, I bent over to her level. I had never felt this way toward any child before. The way Sophia's eyes penetrated my soul broke down the solid wall that I had built, and I almost felt like a different person. My heart melted when she smiled at me, revealing her missing teeth.

"Hey," I called her softly, my voice laced with affection.

I wanted so badly to hold her, to embrace her and tell her that I was her daddy. My brain was flooded with thousands of thoughts about the thrill of fatherhood.

Vivian was right. The kids were mine; I didn't need any other proof. I had all the proof that I needed.

"Hi." She waved at me and took gentle steps forward.

At the sound of her voice, something clicked in me, and I was overwhelmed by an unfamiliar feeling—but it felt good.

"What's your name?" she asked with a blush.

"Daniil," I replied with a smile.

"Okay, Daniil." She giggled softly. "I'm Sophia."

"Nice to meet you, Sophia. You're very pretty."

She blushed, looking just like her mother.

"Thank you. Mom tells me that every day."

"Hm. She does?" I stole a glance at Vivian, who was looking on with an unreadable expression.

"Yes," Sophia replied sharply. "Are you Mommy's friend?"

The question caught me a little bit off-guard, so again, I peered at Vivian. Her wide eyes told me that she was surprised at how the girl and I were bonding; I couldn't blame her, considering the side of me she'd witnessed.

"Sophia," I said to her, looking into those blue eyes of hers, "I'm your father."

Her brows rose in astonishment, and her eyes widened with joy as she slipped into my arms.

I felt a sense of satisfaction, a dose of excitement that I didn't know I could feel. Allowing myself to feel the comfort that came with her warm embrace, I let out a sigh at the same time she did.

"Come here!" I picked her up while she yelped, giggling.

I jerked my eyes toward Vivian and Leo, and I saw my son looking right at me with an expression that exuded confidence and power.

He was indeed my son: my legacy and the heir to my empire.

This was a new chapter in my life, and although I wasn't ready for it, everything changed that very instant.

"Get everything you need. You're coming with me," I said to Vivian. "All of you."