Chapter 30 Episode 30

I glare at her. “It’s not like that.” “Don’t worry, honey,” she croons reassuringly. “It’s our little secret.” “Have the catering staff arrived?” Lev eyes me knowingly. “Is that really your question?” I grimace. He’s on one tonight. “Answer it, motherfucker.” He chuckles. “Yes, Don Stepanov, the catering staff—none of whose identities matter at all in any way to anyone, especially not the sous chef’s and especially not to you—just pulled up outside the staff’s quarters. They’re making their way up to the kitchen on the seventeenth floor as we speak.” Lev and I are sitting in a private drawing room that adjoins the immaculate suite at the Plaza Hotel that I’ve booked for the evening. The dinner will take place in The Gilded Room, which boasts a stunning view of Los Angeles. I like seeing the city from up here. It reminds me how much of it I own. “You want me to bring her in before service starts?” Lev asks. I nod. “I want you to bring in the whole staff before service starts. I want to have a chat with my caterers.” “You’re playing with your food before you eat it. Almost literally, actually.” He holds up his hands in self-defense. “No point. Just good to know you’re still in there, man.” He stands up and makes for the door. “I’ll go get ‘em lined up.” When Lev is gone, I turn back to the view. If I concentrate hard enough, I can almost make out the boundaries of my own property. It’s perched on a hill, overlooking the other mansions sprawled prostrate at its feet. I’d rather be there than here. As nice as the hotels I stay in are, nothing beats being home. But I wouldn’t dare let Rodion into my inner sanctum. And he wouldn’t agree to it, either. Too much for both of us to risk. Him agreeing to this meeting may seem like a positive sign, a gesture of friendship—Lord knows Lev and Yulian are both optimistic in that department—but I know the man too well to be so sure. Rodion likes his agendas. He’s cunning and he never issues a challenge he isn’t sure he can win. He is playing nice with me thus far because he understands he can’t beat me. But if that tide turns in the slightest, this meeting could become a declaration of war. I wander into my personal dressing room and change into dark black suit pants and a crisp white shirt. I add cufflinks with my family crest emblazoned in silver, but ignore the black jacket. When I make my way into the main sitting room, Yulian is standing by the window, staring out at the view. “Yo, bro,” he says, glancing towards me. “Exciting night, huh?” “That remains to be seen.” He rolls his eyes. “Ever the pessimist.” “Realist,” I correct. “I’m not in the habit of claiming premature victories.” “But for what reason?” I ask, joining him by the window. “That’s the question you should be asking.” It’s a sheer drop down to the sidewalk below. Our lives hang on the strength of the thin pane of glass in front of us. It’s the only barrier between being in this room and tumbling to our deaths. No man with a fear of heights would be able to stand here. But Yulian and I don’t fear anything anymore. That kind of thinking was trained out of us. The only fear we were allowed is the fear of looking weak. “He’s only trying to determine if you’re still worthy of bearing the title he wants to pass to you.” “I have the title,” I snarl, “regardless of what he deigns to give me. I don’t need or want his f*****g approval.” Yulian looks at me, dumbstruck. “You can’t be serious about that.” “Because it’s… it’s the Ivanovs!” he says, like I’d forgotten. “They’ve been around longer than us. Roots matter.” “f**k roots. I can build my empire just fine without the Ivanovs’ help.” “Then your empire is going to have an immediate and powerful rival.” He’s looking at me as though he doesn’t know who I am anymore. I shrug. “I’m not one to shy away from a challenge.” “He’s your father-in-law,” Yulian points out quietly. “I’m not so sure the term still applies. Not now that his daughter is six feet under.” Yulian winces. His eyes sweep over me watchfully and then he sighs. “You know, it doesn’t help your case, speaking like that.” “I didn’t realize there was a case that needed to be made, brother.” Yulian shakes his head. “I know you think I’m naïve. But if you’re not aware that every single person coming tonight is going to be watching you, then you’re even more naïve than I am.” “You need to talk about Marina like you cared about her.” I give my brother a disgruntled look. “Jesus, Yulian. That’s your advice?” “If you walk around pretending like her death doesn’t matter, then what do you think they’ll assume? What do you think Rodion will assume?” “Exactly what he’s already thinking, no doubt,” I scoff. “If you provoke him, he’ll rescind his offer to smooth things over.” “I’ve already told you that I don’t want his Bratva. If he hands it over, I’ll take it. If he resists, then it’s no skin off my nose. I’ll take it in that case, too. Eventually.” “This is not what Papa wanted.” “f**k Otets,” I say sharply. Yulian turns to me, mouth agape. Any word against our father is a deep insult to my brother, but it needs to be said. I add, “The old man was a fool to get mixed up with the Ivanovs.” “That’s not why you’re mad at him, though.” “What are you today?” I demand. “A shrink?” He doesn’t back down, even as my anger starts to bubble over. “You resent the fact that he arranged your marriage to Marina.” I grit my teeth. “He should have known better.” “He thought you’d be happy.” “No, he didn’t give a f**k about my happiness. He was only thinking about his legacy. His goddamn empire. I told him early on that it wouldn’t work between us. Marina was beautiful and an Ivanov, but that was the extent of her appeal. It was enough for Otets. Not for me.” Yulian throws up his hands in frustration and pivots angrily towards the door. “You’re storming out now? Still trying to defend our father’s honor?” I taunt. He turns back to face me. “The only reason you’re resisting this union is because it’s what Papa wanted. I think you’re being stubborn just to stick it to him. And you’re going to regret it.” “You missed your calling, little brother,” I say sarcastically. “If the whole Bratva lifestyle is getting too much for you, you’d make an excellent psychologist. Either that or a fortune cookie writer.” His face goes from red to white to blue in rapid succession. He’s never been one for controlling his emotions. “f**k you, Anton,” Yulian says finally. Then he slams the door in my face. Smirking, I turn back to my view. It is more fun than it should be to get under his skin. It happens so rarely. Mostly because Yulian has always adopted a more freewheeling attitude to life. But when it comes to our father, he doesn’t have a sense of humor. “What did you say to Yulian?” Lev asks as soon as he walks through the door a few minutes later. I bark out a laugh. “The truth. It’s not my fault he doesn’t like hearing it.” “I’ve never seen the man so rattled before.” “He’s a daddy’s boy. Daddy being dead doesn’t change that.” “Ah. How empathetic of you.” Lev takes the same spot that Yulian was standing in. He runs his hand through his thick head of hair and turns to me. “They’ll congregate in The Gilded Room in five,” he informs me. The dinner will take place in a suite of rooms designed for parties. The central space is a ballroom with high ceilings and intricate moldings and gold leaf details on the walls and ceiling—hence the name, The Gilded Room. From there, smaller, more private rooms branch out in the shadows. For tonight’s purposes, I’ll only be using the large room. I want to see all of my guests. There will be no sneaking away into darkened corners. “Yulian thinks I’m being stubborn by not kissing Rodion’s ass. He wants me to put on a show for the bastard.” Lev laughs. “That would only come off as disingenuous.” “That, and the fact that your problems with Marina weren’t exactly a secret,” he says. “Only because she ran to her daddy every time we argued.” “She was just trying to get your attention,” Lev says as we approach the massive double doors of The Gilded Room. “Yeah, she did love the f*****g drama.” “Drama?” Lev says, as he pulls open one of the double doors. “Nah, she wanted your attention because she was in love with you.” He walks through the door, leaving me standing there completely floored. Did he just say that she was in love with me? That traitorous b***h didn’t know the meaning of the word. It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t make a lick of sense. And yet it resonates somewhere inside me.