Chapter 23 - Dahlia

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I looked at the bland brown walls. The room was lovely and neat. It was comfortable, but it wasn't home. I didn't get a good night's rest. I felt tired, and not having Konstantin around didn't feel right.

My heart was longing for him. Everywhere I turned, my mind was searching for him. I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. Feeling the sadness crawling through me, I decided to look for Aleksandr. I had to take my mind off the loneliness I was experiencing. I wanted to learn more about the family.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the guards. I have to admit, Aleksandr had a beautiful home. But I didn't know how anyone could find their way around it. It had to have been double the size of the Smirnov mansion. I kept on getting lost every time I left my room. If not for the guards, I would never find my way back.

They weren't very friendly or helpful, though. But they hadn't prevented me from going anywhere in the mansion. After strolling through another section I had not been in, I finally found my way down to the first-floor breakfast room.

Walking in, I found Aleksandr seated by the window, reading the newspaper. There were two tables in the room. One large table in the middle with ten chairs and a smaller one by the window with only two chairs.

The bigger one was only used when the family came together. Aleksandr looked up as I walked in. "Good morning," he said. "Come join me." He got up as I approached and pulled out the other chair for me to sit.

In the corner was a door leading to the elaborate kitchen. Two maids stood there awaiting orders. Aleksandr glanced at them, making them scurry towards us. He ordered another pot of tea and an extra cup for me.

"That's not needed," I said, rising. "I can get it myself if someone can just show me around the kitchen."

"Please sit down," Aleksandr replied. "Dahlia, you will not need to make anything yourself in my house. I pay them to do these things."

Sitting back down, I felt out of place. Silence filled the room as he returned to reading his paper. Turning to the window, I studied the garden outside. It was peaceful here, I thought.

The maid brought the pot of tea and poured me a cup. I thanked her and watched as she resumed her place by the door. After a couple of sips, I cleared my throat before speaking. "Aleksandr," I said and waited for him to look up. "May I ask you something?"

"Yes, dear, ask anything you want," he replied, placing the paper down.

Looking at him, I had to know. There were so many unanswered questions. "Can you tell me why you never introduced yourself as my half-brother when we first met?"

Aleksandr sat back in his chair, staring at me for a couple of seconds. He picked up his cup, took a sip, and placed it back down. "I didn't know about you growing up," he started. "And our other sibling doesn't truly know who you are yet."

He took a deep breath and stared out the window. For a brief moment, it seemed like he had vanished into the garden. When he spoke again, he sounded distant, as if he was talking to me over a broken radio. I only learned about you after my father passed, and I took over."

Snapping back to reality, he looked at me as he continued. "Sorry, our father. Once I reviewed the finances and the monthly bills, I picked up on the regular payments. I didn't know the name or the account. Fitzer!" As he pronounced my last name, it seemed that he disappeared again.

Shaking his head, he smiled at me. "Well, as I dug around some more, I found your mother's name. I couldn't find any mention of her in our history, though. But I kept searching through my father's things. It wasn't like him to give strangers money."

He took another sip of tea before he went on. "I found that the woman had given birth, and that is how I knew about you. But I still couldn't put it together. I was about to cancel the monthly payments when I came across a stack of letters."

Aleksandr looked at me. "It was letters your mother sent my father. The first was to inform him of the pregnancy. She said he was the father, and she was keeping the baby. But she would understand if he didn't want to be part of your life. My father wasn't that kind of man, you know."

I nodded not that I knew but didn't want to interrupt him. He sighed, closed his eyes, and spoke further. "At first, I was angry at my father. How could he have cheated on my mother? I was so upset that I called our financial manager and stopped all payments. How could he?"

Opening his eyes, I could see the pain in them. "The next day, I read some of the other letters. There was one a year. Each was sent on your birthday with photos of you as you grew. Then I came to the last letter." Aleksandr blinked, giving me a wary smile. "It was the last one. The one where she told him about her illness."

He looked down and then back at me. "This is when I decided to meet you. I was too late to meet your mother, and I felt bad. Then I was angry that he had kept you from us. I felt so bad; I wasn't sure what to tell you. So, telling you I was a cousin seemed more humane. I didn't want to hurt you."

I wasn't sure how to react. I was stunned and confused. My feelings were a whirlwind of conflict. As I sat without words, he continued. "As I grew to know you, I realized you were innocent and pure. I didn't want to get you mixed up in this dangerous life. I felt it would be best to keep you as far away from Bratva as possible."

As he breathed out the last word, I noticed his mood, his attitude, and his whole manner change. He seemed to go from cuddly, caring brother to monster brother in seconds as rage shot through him.

Getting up, he slammed his fist on the table. "If it wasn't for that…, that horrible family! You would still be safe and innocent!" Aleksandr was practically screaming out of anger.

He started pacing back and forth while I sat watching. I didn't know what to say or do. Glancing at the two maids, they stood frozen like statues. I wondered if he had regular anger tantrums like these.

After a minute or two, he appeared to calm down. He sat back down and stared at me. "Dahlia, I'm so sorry you got pulled into this life. I wish I did a better job protecting you. Of keeping you clear from the Bratva life." He took my hands and squeezed them lightly. "But now that you know everything, you can come live with me. I will teach you all I know. We would make a great team. That way, I can keep you safe, and no one will ever harm you. What do you say?"

I sat back, staring at him in disbelief. I was unable to form any words, and even if I could, I didn't know what to say. After a moment, I realized he didn't know I was pregnant. I wasn't really showing even though I was more than halfway and carrying twins.

Aleksandr had not seen me in years. I supposed he thought I had only picked up weight. I was pulled from my thoughts as he spoke again. "I know this is a lot to take in. Think about it, and we can discuss it later, okay?'

I nodded as he got up and headed to the door. Stopping, he turned and smiled back at me. "One last thing," he said. "Our siblings are coming over later to meet you. They are all looking forward to getting to know you.

Breathing out hard, I sat back and watched him exit the room. I felt a little dizzy and sick suddenly. Pushing my hands through my hair, I wondered how I was going to tell him about the pregnancy.

He made it very clear that he had no love for the Smirnov family. How was he going to react when I told him I was having Konstantin Smirnov's baby? This could prove to be a bigger issue than I had thought. Rubbing my tummy, I felt a pain in my chest. I missed Konstantin.

Getting up, I felt weak. I knew the stress wasn't good for me or the pregnancy. Walking over to the maids, I asked them to bring me some plain yogurt to my room. I knew the yogurt usually soothed nausea. Heading to my room, I decided to take a shower as well. I hoped to feel better by the time the others arrived.

After eating and showering, I felt better. I spent the morning exploring the gardens to pass the time. Just before lunch, Aleksandr called for me. I followed the guard back to the house. I saw Aleksandr talking to someone in the entrance room. He saw me and signaled me to come closer.

The man nodded and left through the front door as I got to them. "Alright," Aleksandr said, squeezing my arm. They are all waiting to meet you."

I breathed out heavily. My heart was suddenly racing a hundred miles an hour.

"It'll all be fine; just relax," Aleksandr said as he led me to the meeting room.

This room also had a reasonably large table in the middle with chairs right around. A couple of couches and a bar were on one side of the room. My new family were all huddled around the bar and seated on the couches. They were talking and laughing.

As we neared them, an eerie silence filled the room. They all turned and looked at me. Never in my life had I ever felt so uneasy. "Family," Aleksandr thundered. "This is Dahlia, our half-sister I told you about. Please make her feel at home."

They all smiled lightly and nodded. "Let's sit at the table as lunch is about to be served," Aleksandr added.

Everyone jumped up and took their place at the table. I waited on one side for them to take their places so I could see where I was supposed to sit. But then Aleksandr raised his voice. "Move to the back chair. Dhalia will be sitting here for today."

We had barely taken out places when the maids brought out the food. Aleksandr waited for them to leave the room before he spoke again. "Dahlia, as you know me, I will start. I'm the oldest of us all."

Aleksandr was interrupted as a younger sibling spoke up. "Yes, old man. Time to step down and let one of us take over." Looking in the direction of the deep voice, our eyes met. For a moment, we just stared.

Then Aleksandr continued. "Dahlia, let me introduce you to the others. He got up and moved around the table as he spoke. He stood behind each one as he told me their names. Aleksandr started at the end of the table with the rude one.

"The rude one is called Anton," he said. Anton glanced up and smiled.

"Here we have Abram; next to him is Tasha, and next to you is Akim." He said as he sat back down. Each nodded and greeted me as they were named. "Is there anything you would like to ask?" he added.

Before I could put a stop to my mouth, my words spilled out. "What does each of you do?"

Tasha grinned and was quick to answer me. "I'm the hacker of the gang!" She was proud of what she did, and it showed in her attitude. Smiling, I nodded.

Before anyone else could continue, Anton interrupted again. "Wait, wait, wait a minute." He huffed. "We aren't a gang, and don't tell strangers what we do. What's wrong with you?"

Tasha turned her head to the side and shrugged. "We barely know you," Anton added as he sat back, folding his arms across his chest.

Abram said something I could not make out under his breath, and then Akim. Before I knew what was happening, the whole bunch was arguing.

Aleksandr tapped his fork against his glass, silencing the room. "Can we all please stop this. Dahlia is new and doesn't know our way. Please be patient with her."

Abram cleared his throat before speaking next. "Please understand that we don't know you. Once we do, we'll open up gladly. We prefer to keep our identities a secret from most people. It's safe for business."

I felt Aleksandr touching my shoulder and looked at him. "For many years we have practiced how to act and do things so we can blend in with normal people. So, when we are in public, people won't know we are Bratva. This is important. Tasha also assists with the safety of the business. She has extraordinary computer and hacking skills."

We completed lunch and spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. It was fun having my new family around. Getting to know my siblings and my heritage. But I missed my other family, the family I got to know and love. My mind kept going back to them.

When all my new siblings had left, Aleksandr came to me before I went back to my room. "Dahlia," he said. "Sorry to bother you. I was wondering. We are having a small get-together in a day or two. Would you like to accompany me?"

Smiling at him, I nodded. "I would love to, thank you."

"Yes," he responded. "It would also be a great way to introduce you to our world."

I kissed him on the cheek and returned to my room. After a quick bath, I prepared for bed. As I lay in bed looking out at the night sky, I thought about ways to contact Konstantin.

The party might be my only way. Aleksandr has guards everywhere. They followed me around and watched my every move. I felt almost like a prisoner. But I knew somehow, I had to make contact with Konstantin.