Chapter 87 Revelation
AMELIA
Jeremy stood in my doorway. His presence filled the room like a storm about to break.
"Where were you and who were you with?" he asked again. His voice was too calm. Too controlled. His voice exuded a calmness that preceded violence.
I took a breath. No more lies. No more hiding.
"I met with Alex," I finally said.
"Alex," Jeremy repeated. "Alexei Volkov. You met with a Volkov."
"I didn't know he was a Volkov when I first met him. You never told me his last name. You just said to stay away—"
"And yet you didn't stay away. You met him. Multiple times, apparently." He stepped into the room. He shut the door behind him. "How long?" he asked gently.
"What?" I asked.
"How long have you been meeting him? How many times?"
"A few weeks. Maybe—six or seven times total." I turned toward his voice. "But I'm done now. Tonight was the last time. I told him never to contact me again. We're finished."
"Finished with what? What were you doing with him?"
"Training."
"Training." His voice was flat and looked dangerous. "What kind of training?"
"Shooting. He taught me how to shoot. He taught me how to use a gun and how to protect myself. "I wanted to learn. I wanted to be able to defend myself. To not be helpless. To not always need—"
"To not always need me." He finished the sentence. "That's what you were going to say. You wanted to not need me."
"That's not—Jeremy, I just wanted to be capable. To have skills. To be able to protect myself if something happened—"
"So you went to a Volkov. Behind my back. You lied about where you were. You snuck around. You met with my enemy. And you didn't think—" He stopped, then started again. "Why didn't you ask me?"
"Because—" I stuttered.
"Because why, Amelia? I would have taught you. I would have taken you to a range. I would have gotten you a gun if you wanted one. Why go to him?"
"Because you baby me!" The words exploded out. "Because every time I try to do something on my own, you stop me. You protect me. You lock me in the wing. You tell me where I can and can't go. You treat me like I'm fragile. Helpless. "Like, I can't handle anything myself."
"I protect you because you're blind! Because this world is dangerous! Because people like the Volkovs—" He stopped. "Cristo, Amelia. Do you have any idea what you've done? Meeting with Alexei Volkov? He was using you. Manipulating you. Getting close to you to hurt me."
"He was teaching me to shoot—"
"He was using you! That's what Volkovs do! They find weaknesses and exploit them. And you—you gave him access. You trusted him. You let him—" Jeremy's voice cracked slightly. "You let him get close to you while lying to me about it."
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't enough." His footsteps moved away. Toward the door. "You didn't trust me. You went to my enemy instead of coming to me. You lied repeatedly. It seems you might not fully understand why this is an issue.
"Jeremy, please—"
"I need to think. I need to—" The door opened. "I can't talk about this right now."
"Jeremy, don't leave like this."
But he was gone. The door closed. His footsteps retreated down the hallway.
And I stood there, alone, feeling like everything was crumbling.
I'd finally told the truth; I even lost confidence in myself.
And it had still destroyed us.
JEREMY
I made it to my office. Closed the door and locked it.
Leant against my desk and tried to breathe.
Amelia had been meeting Alexei Volkov. For weeks now. She was learning to shoot. Behind my back.
Because she thought I babied her. Because she wanted independence. Because she didn't trust me enough to ask.
My phone buzzed with Vincent's call.
"What?" I answered.
"Boss, I sent you photos. The exchange. Amelia and Alexei Volkov. Whatever was in that bag—she took it back to the estate."
"It's a gun. She bought a gun from him." I told him
"She—what? Boss, that's..."
"I know what it is. It's a disaster. It's proof she doesn't trust me. It's—" I stopped. "Did the other man make contact? The one following her?"
"No. He stayed in shadows. Tracked her movements but didn't approach. "I'm still trying to identify him; he was not one of ours." Not Volkov either, based on his behaviour. Someone else."
"Find out who. Find out who hired him. And Vincent—" I paused. " Find out everything Amelia did with Alexei Volkov. Every meeting. Every location. Every conversation. I need to know how deep this goes."
"You think she's—boss, you think she's working with them?"
"I don't know what to think anymore."
I hung up.
Sat down at my desk.
Amelia. My Amelia. Who I loved. Who I'd protected. Who I'd given everything to.
She had been meeting with Alexei Volkov. She was learning from him. She trusted him more than me. Lying to me all this while.
Because I "babied" her.
Because I cared too much. Protected her too much. Loved her too much.
And now...
Now I didn't know what we were. If we could survive this. If trust, once broken, could be rebuilt.
I put my head in my hands and tried to figure out what the hell to do next.