Chapter 66

CZAR

“Come on, Czar, it’s been almost a month. And your marriage was a sham anyway. No need to be celibate.”

I smirked sardonically. “I’m not being celibate. I just have better things to do than being led by my dick.”

Before I could antagonize him more, my phone rang.

“What?!” I snapped. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, according to my brothers. They’re bluffing. They’re just irritating, and it’s not my fault that I always get annoyed.

“This morning, my men declared Monteval territory completely wiped out. I have you to thank, Czar.”

La Archante and De Greco have come to a temporary truce. We have been conducting this operation for almost a month now. After Monteval’s fall, both territories wanted to ensure that nothing remains of the Monteval organization. The underbosses, captains, and soldiers were eliminated. If we spared their lives, those people might get ideas and plot revenge to honor their leader.

“Did you miss me right away, De Greco? We just saw each other yesterday. It would have been nice if you said that to my face.”

But I know why he didn’t. Thanking me in front of his soldiers would be admitting that he is crippled without La Archante’s help. It would discredit him as a capo.

“As payment, I can give you updates on my daughter.”

My eye twitched. This is not a subject I’d like to discuss in front of an audience. I muted the call and turned to Alaric.

“Do not pull that stunt again, Alaric. Stop assuming what I want and don’t want. I can handle myself.”

I left his room and unmuted the call.

“What makes you think I want that?”

“Do you think I don’t know about Sibley Esquilin circling around my daughter?”

I stopped walking. Sibley chose to be part of La Archante after she got out of the hospital. Why was she in Yekaterinburg without my orders?

“That’s not my doing.”

“Alright,” he replied, sounding resigned. “I understand that capos are sometimes cowards.”

My jaw clenched and nearly growled at him. He would’ve wanted that reaction, so I suppressed it. He was purposely baiting me. What is this? To assure himself that we both have weaknesses so he’d feel better about asking for my help?

“Are you looking for another enemy, De Greco?” I asked calmly. “De Greco doesn’t matter to me; I don’t mind getting bloody again.”

“You’d shoot Avaline dead?” he challenged me. “After all, she is now one of my soldiers.”

My blood went cold. This was news to me.

His words echoed in my mind. I tried to think of Avaline, her body bloody and cold, a result of my bullets. Then I shook my head bitterly. I doubt that would ever happen. My gun would be a slave to her. It would turn and target me instead.

“La Archante would come before anything else,” I said before hanging up the call.

I glared at my bed, blaming it for needing a certain someone to make it warm to sleep in. Why can’t it make me comfortable on my own?

The clock says it’s two AM. I could have fallen asleep earlier if Alaric hadn’t let those women in. Now I have to suffer another hour forcing myself to sleep. I lie down on the bed. If there’s a threat from Monteval, I’d have an excuse for being awake at this hour. But now that things have calmed down, I don’t.

Each night without her, I get startled at how light my chest feels. Most would prefer lightness so they could breathe easy. But I feel restless without the weight of her head on my chest. My mouth hitched up at how everything backfired. I took her, yet I’m the one who got left with nothing.

I can’t even get used to the taste of meals in five-star restaurants anymore. I search for her cooking even if sometimes it lacks salt and seasoning or is almost burnt.

When my restlessness became insufferable, I got up. My eyes caught sight of the nook. Damn! No matter where I look, I'll remember her.

Placed on the nook was my gray shirt that she wore in my office when she pleasured herself on my thighs, moaned my name, begged, threw her head back, and first came.

I groaned when my balls tightened. One minute, I'm being dramatic about losing her presence; then I'm horny the next. I'm not a teenage boy.

Muttering curses, I stood up to get some liquor. I opened the balcony and sat on the rattan chair. This is where I sat when my ex-wife asked me to train her and declared herself as mine.

How dare I drink myself to oblivion when I only have myself to blame for her absence?

I pushed my wife away, both when she was young and as a woman because I didn’t want to make the same mistake again: foolishly believing that something could ever be mine and would never slip away.

My mother loved me. She was mine. But her love for my father took her away from me. A declaration of love was never a guarantee that they will stay.

A seventeen-year-old Avaline came to the surface of my thoughts—the girl who fussed over me just by seeing a small cut; who sought my closeness and company; who permanently regarded me with hopeful eyes. I got high and addicted every time.

I was so into it that I almost forgot. She made me so damn happy; I almost got tempted to break the walls between us. I almost agreed to Avaline’s desire for us to be friends. I would be her friend and keep an eye on her until she was old enough to be mine.

In the short time that she and I were married, she told me how hurt she was that I stood her up on her prom night. She didn't know how much harder it was for me.

I fixed my tie for the third time. My brothers and I had never been to formal events. We only ever spent time training and learning about La Archante so we could steal it from our father and take over.

Our father never brought us into public view. We were a product of his rebellion—a reminder of his impulsiveness and regret. But a small part of him must have still loved our mother because he never got rid of us after her death. He’s still a bastard, though.

So now I'm learning how to wear a necktie for the first time. Even the tux felt foreign against my skin.

I grinned mockingly at myself in the mirror. Really, Czar? You're watching tutorials on wearing a tie for a girl?

I could just go there in a t-shirt and pants anyway. I'll just dance with her outside regardless, and I don't care if many see me in my usual attire.

But she waited for this day so much. Each time we practiced, it was evident. She could've chosen that Eldridge to spend her night with, but she didn't. The least I could do is show up decent. To dress up for her and be a prince charming for the night. The word makes me nauseous, and I can't believe I just said that.

It was unannounced, but I'm aware of a certain someone standing by the door of my room with flowers on his right arm.

"Eiran," I called.

He only watched what I was doing quietly.

"The bouquet has arrived," he announced blankly.

I turned my head to my nightstand. He placed it there. His gaze remained on me, curiosity etched on his face.

"You want the De Greco princess." It was not a question.

Do I? I'm possessive and protective of her. That doesn't mean I want her. She was just different from others. And I do not want the most different to be owned by another.

Wariness and concern took center stage on Eiran's expression. He rarely shows intense emotions.

"Czar, she's not here to stay. She's only here because this is the safest place for her. La Archante and De Greco are not at war, so we won't touch his daughter. And the enemies of De Greco wouldn't try to attack here in Saint Petersburg just to capture Avaline. They wouldn't want another enemy in the middle of a war."

I picked up the bouquet and walked away. I had no time for this. She's waiting.

"She will leave, Czar. After the war between De Greco and their enemies is over, she will leave and won't look back. She will choose her father over you."

My chest constricted, but I did not let the impact of his words show on my face.

On the drive to the venue of their prom, I drove fast. I didn't mind being pulled over by a police officer. I may have no license because I'm just seventeen, but I am a Levesque. That was my license.