Chapter 140

Elena:

“Good morning, wife.” I heard Konstantin say as I walked out of the bathroom. 

Having taken a shower as I normally did in the morning, this was the last thing that I expected to be dealing with. 

My eyes widened in surprise and I was forced to quickly look down at my feet, avoiding his intense gaze, and he raised an amused eyebrow. 

“I have missed you, I have to admit that much to you.” He said, getting up from the chair that was beside my window. He walked toward me, his steps awfully slow, and I couldn’t help but find myself gulping at that. 

It has been nearly a week since he last visited, and I knew that Vladimir had something to do with it as he chose to keep him outside the house on a daily basis. That, and there was also the fact that he was aware of my cycle. The maids would be reporting to him the second they started seeing the pads out, and he would be keeping count to pay me a visit when I was done. Sometimes, he didn’t even care to wait. But to have him in the room this early in the morning, right before breakfast arrived, was not something that I expected. I was surprised that he was awake in the first place.

His steps, however, told me that he wasn’t sober, not entirely at least. “Bend over the bed, wife.”

I closed my eyes and turned to the bed, knowing to get things done before he was angry. I could hear his zipper as he lowered it only to be surprised when the bedroom door was knocked twice before it was opened. Yelling could be heard downstairs, and I couldn’t help but frown in confusion when I heard Batrov say, “boss, Vladimir got in a fight with two of the men.”

“What?” Konstantin said, clearly surprised.

“The men insulted him, as far as I understood, and they all had their guns out.” He said, and my eyes widened.

What are you doing, Vladimir?

Both men walked out of the room, and my heart raced against my chest as I heard a bullet being fired. I closed my eyes and rose to my feet before looking out the window as I heard glass breaking. It shattered on the floor, and I could see Vladimir walking out of the house, his eyes dark with anger and rage. 

He grabbed the man by his collar, raising him, but just as he was about to land a blow on his face, Konstantin wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling him to rise. Both men looked one another in the eye, and though curious, I forced myself to stand back, knowing that IF Konstantin looked up and saw me looking at them, even the advantage of having a window in my room was going to be taken. 

I clenched my fists as I tried to calm my heavy breathing, and I couldn’t help but find myself recalling his promise to me. How did he know that Konstantin was coming to my room to begin with? And even if he did, did he really do all this for my sake? The man just started a fight with two of Konstantin’s men for my sake?

The sound of two bullets being fired made my heart drop to my stomach. They were loud enough for me to hear, and though scared and worried, it took everything in me to control my feet as not to walk to the window to check who was the one who was shot.

Please do not let it be Vladimir. 

I knew that begging was not going to do me any good, but I did not want to lose the ONE hope and chance that I had. And though I did not understand why, he was the small light that I had. A little glance of hope, and that was something that I didn’t want to lose, not for Konstantin, and not for anyone. 

I took a deep breath as I sat on the edge of the bed, reminding myself to stay still in case he came back. It would be best for him not to see me being curious, and that was something that I learned the hard way. 

But even so, one thought ran through my mind, and his name was the one attached to it.

Please be okay, Vladimir…

********************************** 

It was late night when I heard the bedroom door open, taking me off guard as I sat on the chair looking out the window. 

I couldn’t move to go to my bed, and I was too scared to even think of looking anywhere but outside this window where I knew that two bullets were fired.

I closed my eyes, expecting Konstantin before I got up to face the one man that I was waiting for throughout the whole day. 

His eyes met mine and the smile that I saw on his lips made my heart melt for a moment before I frowned as I caught sight of the cut that he had on his left eyebrow. 

“If I would have known any better, I would have thought that you were worried about me.” He said, and I looked away from him as I tried fighting back the smile that almost formed on my lips. He chuckled, and shook his head, watching in silence as I looked back at him.

I put my finger on my eyebrow, motioning to his, and he shrugged. 

“A little fight that I got into.” He said, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “The men are dead for calling me an illegitimate heir. You know, the last thing that I would want is for Konstantin to try and come and make one, and that is why I had to have them killed.”

My eyes widened in surprise and he smirked. “Did you expect me to allow him inside your bedroom when I promised you against that?”

My legs took charge of my actions here, and I found myself walking toward him before I could stop myself. I wrapped my arms around his neck, inhaling his scent as I silently thanked him for what he had done for me. It was the last thing that I would have expected from anyone, let alone a stranger to me, a man who was barely here for the past month.

He hesitated for a moment before he carefully wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. I was the first to pull away, my cheeks hot as I was sure that I was blushing, and when our eyes met, the man slowly and gently pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. I looked down at my feet for a moment before looking up at him again. I dared myself to extend a hand to his eyebrow, noticing a bruise on his cheek too. 

He smiled, noticing my concern, and for a moment, I couldn’t help but find myself giving in to his embrace, not wanting this to end. 

“I promised you to keep him away from you, Elena.” He whispered, running his finger on my lower back. “And I am a man of my word.”

I looked him in the eye for a moment too long before noticing the notebook in his pocket. He followed my gaze and pulled it out, extending it to me to take with a silver pen that he opened for me. 

I wrote three words, and the smile on his face told me that they were ones that he wanted to hear. But something inside me told me that he was worth it. No matter my fear, pain, and past. I knew to hold onto something, no matter how small it was.

-I trust you…-