8. Alexander

She’s actually here.

When I spoke to her yesterday, a part of me believed she wouldn’t show up. Katerina’s never done anything she didn’t want to. Strong-arming her is impossible and yet she showed up. I’m pretty sure it’s because of guilt.

She stands far from me, still staring. My eyes roam over her, cataloguing every detail of her face, spotting any differences or changing. I had every inch of her memorized once before. I thought I knew everything about her. I was dead wrong.

Her curly blonde hair flows past her shoulders, rounded full lips that I know for a fact are pink but she’s painted them a deep red color today, making her appear even more dangerous. She has a petite nose, straight and I know for a fact that her nose is pierced, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the piercing’s closed up by now out of unuse. I was the one that dared her to get the piercing after a drunken night out in college.

Katerina’s 5’7 with average sized breasts and a cute little ass. She has a scar on the inside of her palm, that’s as long as a needle. When I first saw it she informed me it was from an incident of her falling from her bike. When the truth came out, she revealed she’d gotten the scar from getting injured playing with knives as a kid.

That’s how our entire relationship was. For most of it, she lied to me with her every breath. By the end of it I was too in love with her to even imagine letting her go, despite it all. But she left anyway. In all the time I’ve been alive, I don’t think I’ve ever met any woman as beautiful as her.

I’ve also never hated anyone as much as I hate her.

Slowly, I rise to my feet and she finally walks towards me. She’s wearing a cream two piece outfit, a shirt and a flared skirt. Her hips swings as she approaches, brown eyes never wavering, not a hint of emotion behind them.

She stops at the table in front of me and there’s a tense moment as we both stare at each other. Finally I clear my throat.

“Hello, Mrs. Mincetti. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, stretching my hand for a shake.

Her eyes narrow, she doesn’t make the same move on her part. I retract my hand and smirk.

“Yeah, it was hard to get the words out too,” I mutter, lowering myself into the chair. “Sit down, Katerina. We need to talk.”

There are no need for pleasantries. Not between us. She cocks an eyebrow, probably debating between obediently sitting or standing just to prove a point. The point being that she takes no orders from anyone.

Damn strong willed, stubborn ass woman. I used to love that about her. Now all it fills me with is irritation. Finally, she takes a seat across from me. The area is empty, with only the worker manning the bar in sight. I can always call for a waiter to bring us anything but we’re not here for refreshments, we’re here to speak.

“Why did you call me, Xander?” she asks, getting straight down to business.

I raise her finger for her to pause, shaking my head.

“Xander’s reserved for my close family and friends. You can call me Alexander or Mr. Steele.”

Her jaw clenches. “Alright, Alexander,” she states. “How may I help you?”

“I’d just like to start by saying that if there was any chance in the whole world that I could do what I wanted without going through you, I would do it. Neither of us wants to be here. Me much less than you. But I’m in a critical situation. Also, I’m not here to ask for your help, I’m here to make a deal.”

She shifts in her seat, slight intrigue in her eyes.

“What deal?”

“First things first, it seems like you’re getting a little power hungry, princess. You’ve been going after some people, particularly a few senators in D.C. Senators who are close to my family. I need you to back off.”

Katerina smiles. It’s a smile devoid of any warmth. It doesn’t even reach her eyes. I suddenly remember the sound of her laugh, the way her eyes would crinkle. I spent a long time thinking about that, missing the sight of it. Longer than I’ll ever admit.

“That’s not happening,” she says simply. “Next.”

Instead of arguing or trying to sway her, I move swiftly until the next topic. There’ll be time for that when all the terms have been laid out.

“My company’s launching a new branch here in New York. At the same time it’s also launching a product meant to change the face of technological security. I can’t go into the details but it’s good stuff, expected to make us millions.”

“And this concerns me how?” she questions, appearing bored.

“You’re familiar with Colton industries?” I questions.

“Perhaps.”

“Well they’re my family’s biggest competitor and word on the street is that they’re planning to launch that same product about a week before we do.”

“So? May the best man win,” she says on a shrug.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah that would work. Except they stole the plans for the project and are going to mooch off our hard work and marketing it as their own. We can’t let them do that.”

“Aren’t you guys a tech company? How do you get your plans stolen from right under your nose?” she asks frowning.

“Excellent question, princess. The simple answer is that the Colton’s are rats. They have something I own and I want it back.”

She stares at me for a second. “And what does all that have to do with me?”

“Your family’s one of the biggest investors in Colton’s industries. Your father owns about twenty percent of the shares.”

“Yes, and?”

“And seeing as you’re so chummy with those assholes, I need you to get me in so I can destroy their plans to launch the project,” I say, laying it all out plainly.

She doesn’t even look fazed.

“No,” she says evenly. “No to stopping my plans with politicians. No to helping you betray one of my family’s allies. No to all of it. If that’s all, I’ll be going now.”

“Stay seated, Katerina,” I say lightly.

Her eyes narrow into a glare. “You do not tell me what to do.”

“No, I don’t. But you’re going to sit down and listen to me because you owe me this much. After everything you’ve done to me, you fucking owe me.”

“So what? You’re going to guilt me into agreeing to your stupid suggestions?”

“I would, if I even thought you were capable of guilt. You aren’t capable of basic human emotion, Katerina. I would know.”

A shadow passes over her eyes at that, but I don’t even try to decode it. Instead I’m grabbing my phone and opening a file to show her.

“Your family has about 3 million dollars in an offshore account under your father’s name. There’s a paper company in your name used for laundering money as well, right?”

Katerina stiffens.

“I got all that within the five minutes I sat here waiting for you, princess. Imagine what I could get if I actually worked on digging up your family’s dirty secrets.”

“You’re blackmailing me,” she says tone hard.

“I prefer the term, ‘incentivizing’,” I correct.

“Whatever bullshit name you call it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to work. I can’t be blackmailed, do you have any idea who I am?”

“No,” I answer honestly. “I dated you for months and I have no clue who you are. But who you are doesn’t matter to me. It’s what I want that matters, and you’re going to give me what I want.”

I place my phone in my jacket pocket and look at her.

“I came to New York, intent on finishing my tasks so I can get the hell out. There’s no part of me that wants to inhabit the same city as you. So give me what I want and then I’ll leave. It’s as simple as that.”

“Nothing is ever so simple,” she says vehemently.

I shrug before getting to my feet.

“You like diplomatic negotiation right, Katerina? You’re great at making plans that end up being beneficial for you. I’m going to give you twenty four hours to come up with one and then tomorrow you can plead your case and then I’ll see what I can do. Last I heard, you did pass the bar exams, right? Although I’m not sure what use someone like you has for a law degree.”

“Making sure assholes can’t take advantage of me,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Really? Well there aren’t any assholes here. Just a businessman, looking to cut a deal,” I state. “I’ll see you, tomorrow.”

I start to walk away without a backwards glance. I’m more than proud of myself for keeping composure throughout that meeting, despite the thudding in my chest.

I thought it would be easy to see her again. I was wrong. Standing before her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The last time I saw Katerina, she was crying and begging me to leave. She was breaking up with me. And then she disappeared for months.

The next I heard from her, there was a baby on my doorstep and after, nothing. Radio silence. It kills me that she’s been living all this time without a care. Because from the looks of it, she wasn’t affected at all by me or the mention of our past.

Everyone told me she was a cold hearted bitch. I guess I just had a hard time believing it until I saw it.

Later that night,Nate and I are in the living room of the penthouse we’ll be staying in for the duration of our stay in New York. We only just arrived in the city a couple of days ago. We’ve never lived together, just the two of us and I think he’s excited by the prospect. He didn’t put up too much of a fuss when I suggested moving here.

I think Nathaniel’s happy as long as we’re together and I completely share the sentiment. He’s curled up on my side, watching some kind of cartoon where the characters are shooting laser beams at each other. He lets out a soft giggle at a part but I’m barely paying any attention, my mind on Katerina and our meeting today.

A couple of minutes later, Nate’s poking my stomach.

“You okay, dad?” he questions, green eyes staring at me inquisitively.

I look down at him and nod once. “Sure I am.”

He makes a face. “I feel like even if I asked you when you were absolutely not fine, you would have still said you are.”

“That’s because I always have to be fine for you,” I say on a chuckle.

“You don’t have to be though. I’m not fine all the time, and you shouldn’t either.”

I think about his words for a minute, digesting it. I’m about to ask him specifically when he’s not fine but he quickly brings up something else before I can.

“I like the new school,” he says. “A lot of cool kids. One of them is an inventor.”

“So, you’re making friends?”

He shakes his head. “Just observing from afar.”

“You should try to talk to kids your age, sport. You might have something in common with them, which is how you build relationships.”

“Dad, the only friends you have are me and Aunt Kayla,” he points out with a small smile.

“Not true,” I lie, although it’s hitting me that my son might be emulating my hermit tendencies. “When I was in school, I had a ton of friends. I was a literal belle of the ball.”

He laughs. “You can’t be a belle, dad. You’re a man.”

“It’s an expression and that’s not the point. The point is that you’re only young once and you have one chance to make meaningful relationships and connect with people.”

He’s quiet for a couple of seconds, taking in my words.

“Fine. I guess I’ll try to talk to the inventor kid,” he finally says.

“What’s his name?”

“Daniel. He’s also really good at art. He draws really well.”

“He sounds cool.”

“He is and he has a lot of friends too. I guess you could say he’s a belle of the ball. Like you were,” he smiles.

“Yeah and you can be too. Take baby steps and get to know Daniel. Alright?”

He nods in agreement, but there’s an expression on his face that tells me he still has more to say.

“Go on, sport,” I prompt.

“You met my mom in school too, right? When you were the belle of the ball?” he questions curiously.

Like always, when he mentions his mother, my heart clenches and then falls. Outwardly though, I’m able to manage a small smile, my expression pleasant.

“Yeah, I met your mom when I was in college. You want to hear about her?”

He nods. “Yes, you can tell it to me in bed.” He grabs the remote to switch off the tv. “My bedtime’s passed anyway.”

You’d think I’d be the one enforcing the time he has to go to sleep. But Nate’s always been a stickler for rules. My perfect, obedient boy. He leads me into his bedroom that’s been decorated just the way he likes it. Painted a dark blue color with posters of his favorite shows, on the walls. There’s a giant robot from a show he likes in the room, which we had transported from D.C. I made sure he had everything he needed to be comfortable.

I wait on his bed, while he goes in to brush his teeth and change into his pjs. When he returns he climbs in, getting comfy under the blankets. I seat above them right beside his little body. His eyes are wide awake and curious. He always gets excited when I tell him about his mother.

“Your mom was the prettiest girl I had ever met,” I begin, like I always do. “She was really smart too, assertive, she never let anyone walk over her. The first time we met, she was in the middle of scaring another girl off.”

“So mom was scary?” my son questions.

“She could be sometimes. But she was also kind. She was only 18 but she had already established several charities to help people in need. That’s one thing she was passionate about, charity. She also like to skate and read. Her nose was almost always in a book.”

He smiles, “Like me.”

I’ve probably told him all this at least two dozen times. And yet each time, he acts like he’s hearing it all for the first time.

“Dad, why did you fall in love with mom?” Nate asks.

I think about that question for a second before replying. “It was impossible not to fall in love with your mom, honey. She could be a little rough on the edges at times, and she never really let anyone in. But once she did and you got to know the real her, you couldn’t help but fall in love with her.”

“She sounds amazing. I wish I had met her,” he says softly.

“Yeah, sport, me too.”

He gets another story about his mom out of me, before his eyelids start to fall closed. Soon enough, he’s fast asleep. I place a kiss on his forehead, before exiting the room. I head for the bar in the house, grabbing a bottle of wine.

On nights like this, after talking about his mom I find myself needing it in order to help the aching in my chest.

Katerina arrivesat the meeting point at exactly five pm the next day, donning her usual cold expression. She barely even looks at me as she sits down. As she does, my eyes are drawn to her fingernails, particularly her pinkie finger.

She used to have a bad habit of biting her fingernails when she was nervous. She also hated it and tried hard not to stop. If she’s doing it now, it means she’s nervous which makes me extremely curious about what she has to say.

“Hello, Katerina,” I greet in a show of politeness.

She inclines her head in reply.

“I’m assuming you’ve thought about my offer,” I prompt.

“What you’re asking for is completely unreasonable and under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be considering it, blackmail or not.”

“But...”

“But owing to our unique relationship, I have some terms that need to be fulfilled before I can help you.”

I arch an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“First off, you said the project you’re planning to launch is meant to change the face of technological security. I want my family to have access to it,” she starts.

I’m not surprised by that so I don’t react to it. Simply nodding and gesturing for her to continue.

“And I’ll stay away from the D.C Senator your family has ties to. Only him, I’m not stopping all my plans for your benefit.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I agree. “What else?”

“I’ll help you with the Colton’s but you have to figure out a plan that ensures that it’s not traced back to me. I’m not losing an alliance with their family because of this.”

“I’ll work on an airtight plan,” I assure her. “Is that all?”

She looks her lips, her eyes growing a little shifty. A smirk involuntarily reaches my lips as I wonder what else she has to say. Her terms so far haven’t been more than I expected. Katerina inhales softly, giving me an inclination that what she wants is something big.

“I-” she hesitates. “I want to see him.”

For the longest moment I just stare at her, uncomprehending. Then I’m taking in the look on her face and the implication of her words. I’m unable to stop a burst of laughter from escaping. Of all the things I thought she would ask, I wasn’t expecting that.

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask, uncaring that I sound cruel.

Katerina’s jaw is clenched as she repeats herself.

“My son, Alexander. I want to see my son.”

I scoff, my hand going to my hair as I run it through once.

“Unfortunately that might be a little impossible, princess. Especially considering the fact that he thinks you’re dead.”

Her eyes widen and her face immediately grows paler.

“What?”