BRANDONI invite Cassius privately to the hotel’s executive suite. I had John, Oliver’s chauffer, prepare a computer, and he is standing right next to it waiting for my arrival.
“Master Lucien,” he says politely.
“John. Are they ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“John?” Cassius hesitates a little.
“Good evening, Mr. Katrakis,” John says and turns on the computer.
I pull the chair in front of the computer and invite Cassius to have a seat beside me. “Come, sit.”
His eyebrow rises. “What’s going on?”
“Just come.”
He sighs deeply and takes the seat. “How is this supposed to find Oliver?” he asks again but doesn’t demand an answer as the video conference starts at last.
“Good evening there, Brandon, Cassius.” My cousin Constantine’s cozy, accented voice reverberates from the speaker.
Next to him is his twin brother, Carmelo. “You have not been careful again, Brandon,” he says, his tone accusing. “First Aunt Grethe and your sister Elga, Now, it’s Oliver. Who’s going to be their next target? How disgusting.”
Only a few can tell the difference between the twins going by their outside appearance, but it’s never hard to distinguish who is who by their behavior. Constantine and Carmelo are Uncle Estevan’s twins. Estevan Katrakis is my grandfather’s nephew, the child of his brother Euricius. Cary always has a cool stance, but he is high-spirited and doesn’t sugarcoat anything, while Stan is composed and attentive. They get along well, but they are opposites to each other. There are only a few people we can trust in the family, and they’re certainly two of them.
The path they took isn’t that different from mine. The twins didn’t rely on the Katrakis’ wealth but started their own venture. Cary and Stan are partners of their law firm, as they are men of principle. Stan is a chief legal officer, and Cary is a private prosecutor specializing in political cybercrime.
They’ve isolated themselves from all the family disputes and pointless rules, just as their mother raised them to do. Aunt Aretha was a Dragoumis but never had a happy marriage after being sent to a man she didn’t choose. Uncle Estevan is not a very compassionate husband and a father either, but he honors the family traditions, opposing his wife’s beliefs. So even after their mother’s demise, the twins live as their mother willed, defying their father.
In exchange, the twins cannot inherit or hold any part of the Katrakis fortune, while their sisters, Dorothy, Eleanor, and Iris, all benefit from it. Their older sisters are married to the Stavros family.
They don’t easily trust anyone but themselves, so I had a hard time convincing them to join me. But I promised them something they couldn’t refuse, something we all wanted. I agreed to help them cut the covenant among the three families.
“Cary and Stan are working for Aunt Grethe and Elga’s case. They’ve been helping me since Athens,” I explain to Cassius. “Most information I have now came from them.”
“Does Oliver know?”
“Yes, he knows. The twins didn’t want anyone to know other than Oliver and me. I’m telling you now since Oliver isn’t here. We have to protect the identities of anyone who’s helping us, Cassius.”
“All right.” Cassius nods. “And they’re going to help with Oliver’s case?”
“Yes,” Stan answers. “I’m sorry for what happened to Oliver. But of course, we’ll help. This is Oliver we are talking about. Anyway, Cary and I still believe we are after the same suspect. Alfio.”
“Tell me your lead,” I ask. Even if the twins’ investigations are always precise, we need more concrete proof that can point Alfio’s way. And if it’s true that he is behind my family’s demise, I will bring him down with my own hands.
“Our boys can’t track the location of Oliver’s phone anymore. We lost the connection. They have an expert with them, so it’s like finding a golden pinecone in the middle of a forest,” Cary says.
Cassius grunts then slams his fist on the desk. “Then what’s the point of this?”
“We have something more urgent to tell you,” Cary adds.
“Silvanus took a private flight to New York this morning. We ought to have told you, but I guess we’re a little late,” Stan says.
The blood drains from my face. “What?”
“This is why I said you’re not careful enough, Brandon. You know his relationship with Pauline, and you’ve just declared war,” Cary says. “Oliver is now paying for your mistake.”
I understand Cary’s point. His words are always sharp, but he’s not wrong. I wasn’t careful. I’ve let my fear of losing Alayna engulf me.
“They first targeted Alayna, but I managed to save her, though I didn’t look at the bigger picture.” I curse under my breath.
“I wish for Alayna’s safety too, and you know why, Brandon,” Cassius concludes. “But I have to agree with Cary.”
“You’re right. This is my fault,” I murmur. “I’ll add more security for all of us. You can stay in the house too, Cassius.”
“How can we even be sure if it’s Silvanus?” Cassius questions. “What happened in Portland last year wasn’t his doing, but Alayna was targeted then anyway.”
“It is not,” Stan states. “But it doesn’t mean he has nothing to do with it.”
“What do you think, Stan?” I ask.
“Hmm.” He scratches his chin. “Are you really sure that they are after your girlfriend just to scare you? Do you still think this is the same as what happened to your family? I don’t think so.”
Cary states what I’m thinking. “They are after something else.”
I suddenly feel impatient. I have involved Alayna more and more in my problems. What would it be? What else do they want from her?
“Then I guess that’s what we’re going to find out. But with your permission, Brandon, we need to know more about your girlfriend,” Stan concludes.
“Wait.” Cassius catches my arm. “Are you sure about this? This is Alayna’s privacy.”
I stare back at him. “Do we have a choice?”
Cassius addresses the twins. “But what are we going to do now? This will not change anything. We still don’t know where Oliver is. Where are we going to start?”
“Silvanus is after Pauline. He went to New York to take her back. Now, I expect he just wanted to return the favor. He loves to play and mess with other people—end of the story. There’s nothing more to that. Oliver was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Cary speculates. He has never been defeated as a prosecutor, and his analytical ability is always on point. He doesn’t falter because he is confident.
And his twin brother is even-minded but unruffled and aggressive whenever he is standing in the court.
“What we’re saying is, there’s nothing you can do about this for now, but wait“We will help you with everything we can, but don’t disappoint us again, Brandon,” Cary warns. “Or I’ll regret ever helping you.”
My world suddenly shatters. I have no right to complain or defend myself. I was wrong for letting them abduct Oliver, but I’m not strong enough to take this on all by myself. I need the twins’ skills and expertise in this war, but it doesn’t mean they don’t need mine either.
“Do what you think is right, and I’ll do my part,” I say, and the video conference ends.
ALAYNAI knock at the door next to mine in the hotel the next morning, and Brandon answers it immediately. His expression softens when he sees me. The cut on his lip from Cassius’s assault last night is still swollen and red.
“Alayna.”
“I heard you stayed.”
“Yes, would you like to come in?”
Either way, I came here to talk to him. “Yes, please.”
He steps aside and holds the door open. I move into his suite.
His room is just as spacious as his room in the mansion, but it is sunny inside. I slump on the couch in front of the fireplace, leaving ample distance between us.
I watch Brandon walk to the kitchen, pour coffee in two cups, and stroll back toward me. “I already asked for room service. Have this for now.” He hands me the cup.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He sits at the other side of the couch and takes a sip of his coffee.
“I thought you’d left,” I say.
“I couldn’t.” He looks at me sincerely. “You’re here.”
I smile a little and sip my coffee. The warmth calms my senses. “What happened last night? Have you contacted the kidnapper?”
He shakes his head. “Oliver’s phone is out of range as of this morning. My informant still can’t track him either. I’m waiting, but I hate that I can’t do anything.”
My lips tremble. “Can we talk?”
“We are “How did you know I was being followed? How did you know that this was going to happen?”
“I told you, right? I sent someone to watch over you, and he’s been giving me updates about you. It’s been going like this for a year now, Alayna. I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d be uncomfortable, but Oliver knows.”
It must be because of what happened last year. I can’t complain about that. Yes, it would have made me feel unsettled if I’d known, yet I can’t help but feel flattered. He didn’t ignore me completely after all.
He puts his coffee down and leans on the couch. “I can never forgive myself if something happens to any of you. As usual, Cassius is right. This is all my fault. I involved you in this.”
“You should know that Cassius didn’t really mean to blame you, okay? He’s just upset. Ollie’s his brother.”
He sneers bitterly. “Was that supposed to make me feel better? Oliver is like a brother to me too. But does it have to come out of your mouth? Why don’t you just go there and comfort Cassius since you think he’s so upset?”
I put my cup down on the table and move close to him. “Why do you think I’m here instead of—” I pause and sigh. “Brandon, I’m here because I knew you were going to blame yourself like this. Everyone’s just upset and worried about Oliver.”
He looks down at me, and his expression turns furious again. “I don’t know what else to do, Alayna. I can’t sleep knowing Oliver is out there. I keep thinking of what they might do to him.”
I wrap my arms around him and let his head rest on my shoulder. Finally, he sighs.
“I don’t know what else to do, Alayna,” he repeats.
“I’m worried for Oliver too, but he wouldn’t like it if we’re all so miserable like this, don’t you think?”
He lets me hold him, comfort him. I feel his arms envelop me. “He’s been with me since my tragedy, and he never left my side. He’s in danger because of me.”
I nod. I can’t contain my emotions either. “Brandon, you’re a victim too. None of this is your fault.”
“But I wasn’t careful.” He wipes his tears. “He’s my responsibility too.”
“I know. I get it. I understand, and I’m so sorry.”
He was responsible for their safety, but he came to rescue me instead.
I’m not sure if I will ever understand Brandon. I can’t read his mind. He is inconsistent and too good at concealing his true feelings. I still can’t understand how cutting himself out of my life is protecting me. All I understand now is that while his enemies are around, we can never be safe—I Somehow, he is right. I can’t do this anymore with him. I hate being stuck in a box. We have to do something about this complication between us once and for all.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Alayna,” he says.
“I think you’re right about something.”
“What is it?”
“While I work for you in the mansion, we can’t keep this hot and cold shit between us anymore. Last night was a mistake, so let’s not lean on that. It’s silly to say that I want to be friends with you also, but we can’t find Oliver if we’re like this. Let’s put this feud behind us for now.”
He looks at me and smiles faintly. “You want us to be friends? I thought you didn’t like that.”
“Not exactly friends, but more like acquaintances.” I hold out my hand for a handshake. “For Oliver’s sake.”
He squints at my hand, but he holds me anyway, and the current travels through me. I hate that I’m still affected by this simple touch. “For Oliver.”