CHAPTER NINETY

CHAPTER NINETY
ELENA

"Your IV drip seems crooked," said Alexander as he was adjusting Marco's hospital gown as carefully as he would an important business arrangement.

"I'm fine," said Marco.

"No, you're not okay. You fell outside my penthouse." Alexander was upset and slightly irritable, which was to be expected. "People who are okay don't fall."

I observed the brothers conversing with one another, neither of them willing to admit to being afraid. They were being overly dramatic with each other and I actually thought they had made up after I had given them space earlier but Alexander had told me that they just had more arguments, and that he had vented out based on his pent-up grudges over the years. But he had promised me that he would make up with his brother and forgive him.

"You know," I said, breaking the silence that had stretched too long, "Most people use phones to arrange meetings. But I guess fainting dramatically outside penthouses is more your family's style."

The two brothers gazed at me, with a faint smile on Marco's face.

Alexander ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. "Elena is right," he said. "We need to sit and communicate. We can't keep up with this drama."

Marco shifted in his bed, "I'm listening."

Alexander drew in a breath, and I knew he was preparing himself as he did for tough business negotiations. "I have been unfair to you for years."

The words hung there like a pleasant scent--unexpected and difficult to ignore.

“I had been so afraid of what I believed to be loyalty that I did not appreciate how yours manifested differently. You were acting to keep danger away from our family," Alexander said, his tone softening. "I was acting to safeguard the family reputation. Similar goal, different methods."

Marco's eyes widened slightly. This was likely the first time in years that Alexander had ever told him that he was wrong about something.

"Your method was also courageous," Alexander said. "To speak against folks you've known since your childhood—that took courage. I couldn't see it then because I was too angry about being left behind to clean up the mess."

My heart was racing as it did whenever Alexander acted emotionally. The same man who could command meetings and intimidate CEOs was admitting fault to his brother, and it was incredible to watch.

Marco sat silent for a little while, staring at his hands.
When he did start to speak, his voice trembled with emotion.

"You had it harder, Alex. I walked away, but you remained and worked with the issues day after day. I could easily walk away and begin again, but you had to rebuild it all from scratch."

Alexander's tensed shoulders relaxed slightly, I hadn’t realized how much tension he had been carrying until now.

"I've regretted that for years," Marco said. "I left you to deal with the issues. I backed off and watched you turn everything into something tangible while I did my best to play detective. You did all of the real work, the hard things."

"We both did what we thought was right," Alexander said. This time, there was no anger in his voice. "Maybe that's enough."

I restrained my own tears. These two stubborn, proud men were actually hearing each other, and it was more moving than any romance novel I'd ever read.

"What do we do now?" Marco said. "Do we shake hands and pretend the past five years didn't exist?"

"No," Alexander replied firmly. "We acknowledge that those things occurred, and we will move past them. We will begin by disseminating information regarding Vincent and Margaret."

Marco slowly nodded. "I've got documents. I've done my own investigation. If we combine what we know—"

"We can make good progress," replied Alexander. "Instead of fighting each other."

"Look at you two, speaking like normal human beings," I exclaimed. "It's like a Christmas miracle, but with better attire and family issues."

The brothers laughed, and it was friendly and genuine laughter.

"We should meet once you're discharged," Alexander suggested. "Compare notes, make a plan. Together this time."

"I'd like that," said Marco, and he was smiling. "I've been missing a brother."

"I have also missed having one," replied Alexander.

It had not been a complete cure--anger doesn’t disappear after years right away--but it had been a beginning. I could observe how they regarded each other now, with that slight shift from enemies to friends.

As we prepared to leave, Alexander halted in the doorway and glanced back at Marco.

"Thanks," he said bluntly. "For returning. For attempting to assist with Margaret in Italy, even when I wasn't exactly pleasant about it."

"Thanks for allowing me to return," replied Marco.

Alexander pulled me to him as we walked down the hospital hallway, his palms gentle against my shoulders.

"Thank you," he replied, his tone one of thankfulness.

"Why? I did not do anything except sit there and make sarcastic remarks."

"You taught me how to look beyond my stubbornness. You attempt to see who people are, and not who you want them to be." His thumb brushed my cheek. "You reminded me that family isn't about getting what you want—it’s about loving, even when it hurts."

I leaned in on my tiptoes to offer a soft kiss. "Your family is messy, but you are worth it."

"Elena," he told me, and the manner in which he said it made me glance at him more intently.

His eyes reflected a power I had never witnessed before, as if he were deciding something that would alter everything.

"After all of that—the hospital trips, family issues, the drama—I think we could use something extraordinary. Something that's just for us." He stopped and turned to look at me.

"Alexander, what do you mean?" I asked, unsure why he was being so formal.

"Not like this," he whispered, and something on his face brought out the racing excitement in my heart. "Elena, I have to ask you something. It's very important."

I was struck by the way he talked and the cautious selection of his words.

"What sort of thing?" I whispered, although I was already high on suspense, and just considering it caused my hands to tremble.

Alexander grinned, but his eyes were full of promises and secrets that set my heart pounding. “It's the type that transforms everything.”