I stop. Slowly examine the girl and feel the adrenaline bubbling in my body. Suddenly, will I be able to learn more?
— An exchange, — I say. — Information, — I add. — I want to know what the Wild did to you.
Milan raises an eyebrow, studies me for a few seconds, then nods and says:
— I think we will have to postpone our plans for today and empty my brother's bar. Agreed?
— Agreed! — I reply quickly.
Milan smiles. She enters the apartment and locks the door behind her. I take off my shoes and follow her into the living room. I grab drinks from the bar and bring glasses from the kitchen.
— Let's go to the bedroom. The bed is more comfortable there, — she requests.
I shrug. It doesn’t matter where I can hear everything and learn the full story. It’s probably wrong. If the brothers wanted to, they would have told me. But to use me and not let me know for what reason — it's not fair.
We settle on the bed. Milan skillfully uncorks the bottle and pours the red drink into the glasses. I have no desire to drink in the morning, but this is a chance, so I prepare to take advantage of it.
— To new acquaintances? — the girl smiles, her eyes sparkling.
— To new acquaintances, — I say calmly.
The first sips burn my throat. The next ones warm it. I glance sideways at the window; the weather outside isn’t great. A gray banality, like every autumn, bursts into life with rain, clouds, heavy skies, and gloomy people.
— So, — the girl starts first, — that guy — is he your father?
I stare at Milan for a long time. Pleasant features, even doll-like. A nice figure. She knows how to present herself.
“And she lost her mother,” — I remind myself.
— Yes.
— Concise, — she smirks. — I would like details. The brothers are silent.
— Do you also have to wring information out of them and guess about the rest? — I ask suspiciously.
Could it be that I'm not the only one suffering because of this?
— Yes. Vlad sometimes throws out a little interesting tidbit for thought, while Timur… — Milan rolls her eyes.
— Timur? — I’m surprised. He told me about their past, shared what Vlad had kept silent about.
— Exactly. Did he seem honest and straightforward to you? — I nod and savor the wine. — Believe me, he carries his father's surname just like that. He plans to change it.
— You mean to say that kindness to Good has no relation?
— And do you consider him good? — she raises an eyebrow. — My brothers are the best. For me. But not for the rest. Timur, he… — she starts to scan the room with her eyes, then looks straight at me, — owns the “Royal Hotel” hospitality complex, is aiming for parliament. He will defend his own, but if he gets a chance to swallow someone, he will do it right away. However, he doesn't always know how to correctly calculate all the steps for the future, and that's where your husband comes in!
— Vlad…
— Yes. He doesn’t like publicity. Doesn’t like to show everyone who the daddy is at home. He prefers to observe people, their behavior, like a spectator in a zoo, throw wood into the fire. Do you understand what I mean?
Uncertainly, I nod. Because in some sense, I agree with her. What else can I call my relationship with the Saint? He says something, and then really watches how I will behave…
— I thought you had a somewhat different relationship, — I say.
— Pff, I’m a small, foolish child to them.
I immediately recall what Timur said. “Milan, realizing that we now provide for her, plunged into the whirlpool of life.”
— You went to “Paradise” as far as I know.
— Where did you get that information? Did Vladik share?
— No. I overheard.
— Wow! So you’re not as much of a rag as you thought. Interesting. So how, — she touches her glass to mine, — did you become my brother’s wife? — she ignores the question about the club, so I decide not to ask again. It’s not that important, after all.
— It’s connected to that guy, — I smile.
The girl narrows her gaze. The blue, like Saint’s, swiftly darkens. I see — she’s angry.
— Your dad.
— Him. I don’t call him that anymore. He never deserved that name.
— I’ll agree here and even drink to that! — she toasts to me and finishes her glass.
— All my life, Volodymyr Dykіy hated me. Just like that. At least, if there was a reason, I don’t know it. He hit and mocked. Not only me, but also my mother and already my brother — Timur. — Milan listens intently, barely blinking. — I had no rights to anything. Just… a soulless daughter he wanted to sell off for a better price. And then we were invited to Vlad's art exhibition. I didn’t know about it. I just wandered through the gallery, looking at the canvases. Vlad approached and directly asked if I wanted to gain my freedom. At first, I couldn’t respond, I was in shock. And then, it was probably the brothers who set things in motion, especially since Timur was a shareholder with Dykіy in AMB, they sent me on a date with Timur. Dykіy ordered me to do everything so that he fell in love and fulfilled what was needed for him.
— What did he want from Timur?
— Shares. So that your brother would hand everything over to Dykіy. At that time, I still didn’t know that I also had my own stake in the company.
— And then?
— I arrived, as I now know, at Timur’s restaurant. And unexpectedly found myself on a date with both men. They promised freedom for me and my mother from tyranny. I agreed, fully understanding that they had concocted something, but I cared little about what exactly. I lived here, although for my father — with Timur. Your brother visited AMB, as I understood, and told them how in love he was with me. Everything was heading towards a wedding. We went to see my father, they signed an agreement, where, as I now know, my father promised not to touch you, and Timur’s shares passed to me. Then we were supposed to become Dykіy’s. However, beforehand, I signed an agreement with Vlad, where I transferred everything to him. Thus, it turned out that Dykіy lost the controlling stake of shares and the main one became the Saint.
— Wait, but who are you married to?
I smile bitterly.
— To Timur in front of everyone. On the documents — my husband is Vlad.
— Oh… your life has even surpassed serials. So, my brothers staged a game where they took everything from that goat! Wonderful! And you will also gain freedom. They are geniuses!
— Yes. I kept thinking, why do they need this, since it’s not about money here. As it turned out — revenge. Only, what happened? What did Dykіy do to you?