Chapter 50

Chapter 50
Alan sat on the edge of the bed and put on his underwear. He looked at the naked back of the woman lying on his bed in the small apartment he used for his encounters. He got up and went to the window, needing a cigarette. Alan smoked the cigarette, seeming nervous or frustrated. He glanced again at the woman in his bed and couldn't understand why he was feeling this way. He couldn't concentrate and couldn't perform as he always did.
The girl was beautiful and attractive, like most of the girls he hooked up with,but Alan felt something bothering him. Several times while having sex with her, Alan found himself thinking about Viktor's mocking smile and even how he felt when he fell onto Viktor. He looked away from the girl towards the box on the bedside table, remembering when Viktor gave him the box with the knife he liked so much. He mentally cursed when he realized his lips were curved in a small smile. " What the hell did you do to me , you idiot?"
While Alan was having an internal crisis, Freya had already drunk her milk and returned to her room. Hendrik seemed to be sleeping normally, so maybe he wasn't the one who heard the conversation between her and Sasha. Freya closed the door carefully to not wake Hendrik. She heard Hendrik's phone vibrating and saw the brightness of the screen. Freya walked towards the phone with a racing heart. Before the screen turned off, she managed to see the message. It was Rico again, and the message said, " I'm eagerly looking forward to our meeting."
Freya lay down again, being careful. And after that, she knew she couldn't just drink a liter of warm milk and sleep properly that night. Freya looked towards Hendrik, wondering how this could be happening to her again. She turned to the other side, feeling a lump in her throat, allowing a tear to roll down.
Freya thought about Hendrik's many words, everything that had happened between them until now. She couldn't understand. She allowed herself to fall in love again, opened her heart to another person, and wanted to trust in what Hendrik said he felt for her. But for Freya, it was becoming harder and harder.
Freya could only doze off a little with the day almost dawning. Hendrik, on the other hand, couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well. When he woke up, Freya wasn't near him. She was facing the other way and further away. Normally, she slept very close. Hendrik found it strange but didn't pay much attention to it. He sat on the bed and picked up his phone. The first thing he saw was Rico's message. He clenched his jaw and replied to the message.
Hendrik got up and looked at Freya there on the bed. He observed her for a few seconds before going to take a shower. A lot of things were going through Hendrik's mind, and one of them was that he didn't want to hurt Freya. As soon as she heard the bathroom door closing, Freya opened her eyes. She had woken up as soon as Hendrik got up but pretended to still be asleep. She didn't know how to pretend that everything was fine if Hendrik tried to kiss her and say good morning.
Freya waited for Hendrik to leave before getting up. She took her shower and then went downstairs. Freya glanced at the dining room and only Rosamund was having breakfast. She greeted her and asked about the others 
" They're already holed up in that office so early in the morning, not even eating first and already talking about Mafia problems Freya smiled at her and joined her, starting to eat. Rosamund and Freya casually talked about fashion, and other trivial things. Soon, the others entered the room and took their seats.
Freya even thought for a moment that she was lucky to be surrounded by so many handsome men. Her thoughts soon turned to Anika, who would go crazy if she were at that table. " They didn't wait for us, did they?" Hendrik gave his sister a kiss on the head and say at the head of the table, his usual seat. He looked at Freya and greeted her with a smile, saying good morning.
Freya responded, but couldn't sustain her gaze on Hendrik. If she continued looking at Hendrik, he would realize that something was wrong. This strategy didn't work very well; Hendrik noticed that Freya quickly averted his gaze. He was observant of her little gestures.
" How are your cuts?" Rosamund interrupted his thoughts, and he now focused his attention on his sister. " I'm fine. Freya took good care of me," Freya only gave a shy smile and looked down at her plate again.
Breakfast continued as usual. Freya and Sasha exchanged glances a few times. Everyone seemed to behave as if nothing had changed. They were unaware of who had really overheard the conversation. 
They finished and went to the living room. The four of them were going out to take care of some organization matters, Hendrik said to her and Rosamund. The three of them went ahead, and Hendrik called Freya over to the door. " I'll be back in time for lunch with you."  He said this and kissed Freya. He preferred to that in private, to show his affection to Freya, as that intimacy was only for the two of them.
Hendrik left and Freya watched him until he got into the car. Freya closed the door and also closed her eyes. It seemed like Hendrik really liked her, so why did he start talking to Rico again? And why was he doing this to her? These questions wouldn't leave his mind until he had a clear and convincing answer.
Hendrik and Emil got into the same car, while Alan and Sasha got into another. Hendrik appeared very pensive, and his brother asked what was going on. " I noticed that Freya is acting a bit strange. She barely touched her food this morning, and her gaze is peculiar."
" I didn't notice anything different about her, but did something happen between you two? She seemed very concerned when you were caught. It seems like she really loves you."
" I love her too, Emil. I've never liked anyone as much as I like her. My biggest fear is that she won't get used to our world and give up on me, or that I'll end up doing something stupid and hurt her. I love her enough to let her go and be happy, rather than keeping her close and unhappy."
Emil had never seen his brother like this before. He knew that relationships in the world they lived in were challenging, especially when he started dating men and got a frown from the other gang members. But he was willing to offer his support in any way needed. He just wanted his bro to be happy with the woman he found now and loved.