Chapter 110 Chapter 110
Chapter One Hundred and Ten
Dimitri
"He is here," Irina whispered. "Oh God. He is actually here."
"How?" I demanded, my mind racing. I was now powerless against my brother. "He was in the hospital. How did he…"
"It does not matter," Mikhail said sharply. "What matters is that he is here. And we need to decide what to do. Now."
My blood was boiling. Every muscle in my body tensed.
"I will go talk to him," Irina said, her voice surprisingly steady.
"Absolutely not!" I grabbed her arm. "You are not going anywhere near that monster."
"He is not going to leave," Irina said, looking at me with those beautiful, tear-filled eyes. "You know that. He will not leave without me and Nikolai."
"Then I will make him leave," I growled, reaching for the gun on my desk.
"And start a bloodbath in your own home?" Mikhail asked. "With your wife and child upstairs?"
I hesitated. My hand froze on the gun.
He was right. Damn it.
"I will handle this," I said finally.
"Both of you stay here."
"Dimitri…" Irina started.
"Please," I interrupted. "Just... stay here. Let me deal with my brother."
I walked out of the study before either of them could argue.
The guard was standing nervously at the front entrance.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"In the foyer, sir," the guard replied. "We tried to stop him, but he said he…"
"It is fine," I said coldly. "Leave us."
The guard nodded and quickly disappeared.
I walked into the foyer.
And there he was.
Alexei stood in the center of the room like he owned it. He was wearing an expensive suit, looking perfectly healthy. No bandages. No injuries. No sign of the man who was supposedly suffering from amnesia.
"Brother," Alexei greeted me with that cold smile. "Nice place you have here. Did you redecorate while I was away?"
"Get out of my house," I said. My voice was deadly quiet.
Alexei waved his hand. "We are brothers. What is yours is mine, right?"
"You have no right to be here," I said, my fists clenching.
"I have every right," Alexei countered. "I came to collect what belongs to me."
"Nothing here belongs to you," I replied.
"Oh, but you are wrong," Alexei smiled wider. "My son is here. And his mother. Both belong to me."
Rage exploded in my chest. "They are not yours."
"The boy has my blood," Alexei said calmly. "That makes him mine. And Irina... well, she was mine first, was she not?"
I lunged forward. But I stopped myself just in time.
"She thought you were me," I said through clenched teeth.
"That doesn't matter," Alexei replied. "I claimed her first."
"You are sick," I spat.
"I am practical," Alexei corrected. "Now, where is my son? I came to meet him."
"Over my dead body," I said.
"Again, that can be arranged." Alexei said, his smile unwavering.
We stared at each other for a while.
"You cannot have them," I said firmly. "Irina is my wife. Nikolai is my son. They stay with me."
"Your son?" Alexei laughed. "You really believe that, don't you?"
"He is mine in every way that matters," I replied.
"But not in the way that actually matters," Alexei countered. "Not by blood. He is mine, Dimitri. Mine. And I am taking him home."
"This is his home," I said.
"No," Alexei shook his head. "This is your home. My son belongs with me."
"He stays here," I insisted.
"Then I will take him by force," Alexei said simply.
He snapped his fingers.
The front door opened and six armed men walked in. All of them looked dangerous. All of them had guns.
My own guards started to move forward, but Alexei's men were faster. They had weapons pointed before anyone could react.
"Tell your men to stand down," Alexei ordered. "Unless you want this to turn into a bloodbath."
I looked at my guards. They were outnumbered and outgunned.
"Stand down," I said reluctantly.
They lowered their weapons but did not leave.
"Good," Alexei said. "See? We can be civilized about this."
"There is nothing civilized about threatening people in their own home," I said.
"I am not threatening anyone," Alexei replied innocently. "I am simply here to collect my family."
"They are not your family," I growled.
"We will see about that," Alexei said. "Now. Where is Irina?"
"I am here."
We both turned.
Irina was standing at the top of the stairs. She had changed clothes and she was holding Nikolai in her arms.
My heart broke seeing her trying to be brave. But I could see the fear in her eyes.
"Irina, go back upstairs," I ordered.
"No," she said, walking down the stairs slowly. "I need to do this."
"There she is," Alexei said warmly. "And my beautiful son. Look how big he has gotten."
Irina reached the bottom of the stairs. She held Nikolai tighter.
"What do you want, Alexei?" She asked. Her voice was steady but I could hear the tremor underneath.
"Come with me," Alexei said. "You and the boy. Come home where you belong."
"I will never go with you," Irina said firmly.
"Then I will take the boy anyway," Alexei shrugged. "Your choice."
Irina's face went pale. "You would not."
"Try me," Alexei said coldly.
"He is a baby!" Irina cried. "He needs his mother!"
"Then come with him," Alexei said simply. "Problem solved."
"She is not going anywhere with you," I said, stepping between them.
"Move aside, brother," Alexei warned. "This does not concern you."
"Everything about my wife concerns me," I replied.
"Your wife who I took first," Alexei said mockingly. "Your wife who carries my son. Face it, Dimitri. You were always second choice."
The words cut deep. But I did not let it show.
"Irina chose me," I said. "She married me. Not you."
"Only because I was unconscious," Alexei countered. "If I had been awake, things would have been very different."
"But you were not awake," I said. "And she made her choice."
"A choice I am giving her the opportunity to change," Alexei said. He looked at Irina again.
"What will it be?" He asked. "Come with me willingly and raise our son together? Or I take him by force and you never see him again?"
Irina broke. She could not pretend anymore. Tears streamed down her face.
"Please," she whispered. "Please do not do this."
"I am giving you a choice," Alexei said. "That is more than most people get."
"You are a monster." I spat.
"I am a father who wants his son." Alexei corrected.
Irina looked at me. Her eyes were begging me to help her.
But what could I do? If I fought, people would die. Maybe even Irina or Nikolai.
"Dimitri," Irina said softly. "I have to go with him."
I wanted to argue. But what choice do I have?
"She turned to Alexei.
"I will go with you," she said. "But I have conditions."
Alexei raised an eyebrow. "You are in no position to make demands."
"Then you get nothing," Irina said firmly.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
"Fine," Alexei said finally. "What are your conditions?"
"I get to see Dimitri once a month." Irina said.
"No," Alexei said immediately.
"Then I refuse to go," Irina replied.
Alexei's jaw tightened. "Once every three months for thirty minutes."
"Once every two months. For one hour," Irina negotiated.
"Fine," Alexei agreed reluctantly. "What else?"
"Nikolai gets the best of everything," Irina said. "Education. Healthcare. Everything."
"Of course," Alexei agreed. "He is my son. My heir."
"And you will not hurt me," Irina added.
"I have no intention of hurting you," Alexei said. "You are the mother of my child."
Irina nodded slowly. Then she turned to me.
"I am sorry," she whispered.
"Do not apologize," I said. My voice was breaking. "This is not your fault."
She walked over to me, stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.
"I love you," she said against my lips.
"I love you too." I replied.
Then she pulled away and walked towards Alexei.
Every step she took felt like a knife in my heart.
"Ready?" Alexei asked.
Irina nodded.
"Good," Alexei said. He gestured to his men. "Let us go."
I watched them walk away and I couldn't
do anything.
Mikhail appeared beside me. He put a hand on my shoulder.
At the door, Irina stopped to look back at me one last time.
Our eyes met.
She smiled sadly. Then she walked out.
Alexei followed her with his men.
And just like that, they were gone.
I stood there in my empty foyer. My house suddenly felt like a tomb.
"How do I fix this?" I asked Mikhail.
"I do not know," Mikhail admitted. "But we will figure it out."