CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
"I just don't get it, why Nikolai keeps her around," Evelyn grumbled, swirling the wine in her glass,
"She's just so in the way, always acting innocent, and the way he goes on, defending her…" She trailed off, her voice full of envy.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she set the glass down on the marble coffee table. "Lana, you mean? The nanny?
Evelyn nodded, "Yes, she is nothing special, just a pathetic girl seeking Nikolai's sympathy. I can see right through her. And the kids like her. That infuriates me."
Cassandra leaned toward her and said with a sly smile, "Then why not get rid of her?
Evelyn's eyes flickered, but then she faltered. "It's not that simple. Nikolai would never forgive me if he thought I had anything to do with her leaving.
"That's where you're wrong," Cassandra said confidently. "You don't have to make it blatant. Just… set her up. Make it seem like she's betrayed his trust. Nikolai is a proud man. If he thinks she's disloyal, he'll cut her off without a second thought."
Evelyn's lips parted slightly, the idea was already taking root in her mind. "Set her up? How?
Cassandra sat back, crossing her legs and sipping her wine. "You leave that to me. I have handled worse. Just be ready to play your part."
"You are a bloody genius, Cassandra. Absolutely bloody brilliant.
“That's why you keep me around," Cassandra replied with a wink. Glassy clinking and bursts of laughter spilled out of the two women as they touched base on the finer details of their plan.
\---
Meanwhile, Nikolai sat at his huge desk with papers and folders everywhere. In his glass office downtown, the city lights sparkled out of the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, but his attention was riveted to the ringing phone in his hand.
"This better be good," he said, his tone clipped as he answered.
"Sir," a gruff voice replied, "we found the one who tampered with Lana's car."
Nikolai leaned forward in his chair, his jaw clenching. "Who?"
"A man named Adrian," the agent enlightened him. "We did a little digging; he seems to have quite the history with Miss Lana."
Nikolai's brow furrowed. "What kind of history?"
We are not quite sure yet, but we suspect he may be an ex-boyfriend. He seemed angry when he was caught on surveillance near her car."
Nikolai blew out an exasperated breath; the frustration was written in his eyes. "Where is he now?"
"We've located him, but we haven't made a move yet. Awaiting your orders.
Nikolai drummed his pen on the desk. His mind had already raced ahead. He didn't appreciate that someone from Lana's past was going to show up and cause trouble, possibly hurting her or the kids.
"Bring him in," Nikolai ordered coldly. "Take him to the warehouse and hold him there for 24 hours. I want him securely tied up and monitored until I am ready to deal with him personally. Understood?
"Yes, sir," the agent replied before the line went dead.
Nikolai leaned back in his chair, he had no idea who this Adrian was, but nobody was going to disturb the hard-won peace of his home.
\---
At the mansion, Lana sat carefree as plans and decisions were made around her. She was on the floor of the playroom with Max and Lily, working out a huge jigsaw puzzle.
"Almost done!" exclaimed Max,
Lana smiled warmly and said, "Good job, Max. You're a pro at this."
Lily then giggled, placing her own piece into the puzzle. "It's a picture of a castle! Just like a fairy tale."
Their excitement softened Lana's heart. "Is it gorgeous?"
The door suddenly burst open, and Evelyn appeared in all her cold glory. Lana tensed but kept her attention on the kids.
Dinner is ready," Evelyn said briefly, narrowing her eyes at Lana just a little.
"Thank you, Evelyn," Lana said with politeness, rising up and pulling the kids to their feet.
As they went into the dining room, Evelyn's eyes again caught Lana, and this time, there was suspicious.
Afterwards, Lana put Max and Lily to bed, reading them stories until their eyelids started to drop. She gave them each a kiss goodnight and flicked the light off, the feeling of calmness washing over her as she shut the door behind her.
But all the way to her room, she could not shake off the feeling of unease that stole over her.
Lana sat on the edge of her bed in her room, hands clasped tightly in her lap. She was really thinking but Adrian was in her mind.
“Maybe, we could give it another try.”
There was a quiet knock on her door and she was cut off. "Come in," she called.
The door opened and Nikolai stepped inside, his expression unreadable.
Lana," he said, his voice low but firm. "We need to talk."
She rose, her heart racing. "What's wrong?"
"I found out who tampered with your car," he said, his eyes locking onto hers.
Lana's breath caught. "Who?"
"Adrian," Nikolai said simply.
Her stomach dropped. She hadn't expected Adrian to stoop so low. "I—I don't know what to say," she stammered.
"You don't have to say anything," Nikolai said in a voice considerably softer. "I have already dealt with it, but I need to know-who is he to you?"
Lana was wary; she was trembling a bit in her hands. "He's my ex-boyfriend. We broke up a long time ago."
Nikolai's expression hardened, and he nodded. "That explains a lot."
"I'm sorry," Lana said quietly. "I didn't know he would do something like this."
"It's not your fault," Nikolai said. "But if he causes any more trouble, you let me handle it. Understand?"
Lana nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and apprehension. "Thank you."
Nikolai studied her for a moment longer before turning to leave. "Goodnight, Lana," he said, his voice softer now.
"Goodnight," she echoed, as he closed the door behind him.
She sat back down on the bed and couldn't get rid of the feeling that why won't Adrian just let her be.
“He's such a bastard”.