Chapter 26 26

Chapter 26 26

Ivan sat in his study, staring at the photo of Slavik and Katerina. Ever since he’d seen the two of them together at Felix’s funeral, he knew it was only a matter of time before he confronted her.

He rose slowly, walked over to the wine cabinet, and poured himself a drink. He took a slow sip, then dragged a chair to the center of the study,  the legs scratching harshly against the floor. He positioned it directly across from another.
That would be her seat.
Moments later, the door creaked open.

Katerina stepped in hesitantly, her eyes moving between his and the empty chair. Ivan gave a slight nod, signaling her to sit.
“Are we really back to this?” Katerina asked.

“ I ask the questions,” Ivan said coldly. “I have a few questions to ask, and I want honest answers”

He handed over a file to her. 
Katerina’s eyes widened as she stared at the photos.

“Why were you in Mexico?” Ivan asked.

“ I don’t know”

“Don’t make this more difficult than it already is… Now let’s try this again, why were you in Mexico?”

“Look, I already told you, I don’t know.”

“But you do remember going to Mexico, right?”

“ I don't,” Katerina replied.

Ivan got up, irritated, he poured himself another drink, and sat down.

“ Why Mexico?”

Ivan hated the fact that Katerina hid some facts from him and that complicated the whole matter, making it harder for him to actually believe that there was ever being honest.

He knew the interrogation may not do much, but that was the only thing keeping him from completely losing control. Especially after finding the evidence of her and Slavik together in Mexico.

“Katerina, when are you going to start talking? When are you going to stop pretending and actually start talking?”

Katerina chuckled.

“Funny, because I have a very similar question. Ivan, when are you going to start listening to me?”

“Like I said, I ask the questions here. What did you go to Mexico to do? And why did you go with Slavik?” He pointed at the photos. “Look at those pictures. Maybe they’ll trigger something… a memory, anything that’ll make you remember that you actually went to Mexico.”

Katerina’s eyes became fixed on the pictures, staring at them as though looking for clues. Then she looked up and shook her head slowly.

“Nothing.”
Ivan ran out of patience. He got up from his chair, before she could react, his hand was around her neck, squeezing.

“You'd better start talking you cheap slut” he hissed.

Katerina gasped, pulling at his wrist, but his grip only tightened.
“Let me go!” she screamed, her voice breaking but Ivan wasn’t himself anymore.

Flashes ran through his mind, Slavik’s hands on her, her back pressed against a wall, the look in her eyes haunted him.

“Answer me!” he screamed. “Tell me why you were with Slavik!”
“Fine!” she whispered, barely able to breathe. “I’ll tell you…”
Slowly, his hands loosened, and he stepped back.
“Start talking” he ordered.

Slowly Katerina was able to catch a breath.

“It was a harmless meeting…” Katerina began “ I told him to come along with me to go to Mexico, because I was trying to get to the root of why all of Don’s shipments were being sabotaged. That’s all.”

“Who made our shipments your business?” Ivan said..

“I was your wife, Ivan. What was I supposed to do? Watch you and your father’s business go down the drain because someone on the inside was sabotaging everything?”
Ivan laughed. He didn’t believe a single word.
Lies. All lies.

“You should’ve stayed out of what wasn’t yours,” he said coldly. “You had no business interfering.”

“Wow,” Katerina muttered, her voice shaking. “I guess you never really wanted a woman who cared. You never wanted a wife who actually gave a damn. From where I’m standing, Ivan, it’s clear,  you never truly knew Sasha.”
“I knew her!” he shot back, his voice rising. “I knew her well enough to know she was a pretender.”

“It baffles me,” Katerina said, “that all you can see in the woman you once called your wife… is a lie.”
“It’s the truth,” he shouted. “She was, and so are you.”
“What kind of pretender,” she said softly, “would choose to live like a prisoner  locked away by a man she hates?”

The word hate hit Ivan like a slap. For the first time, he froze. He hadn’t expected her to say that, nnot with that conviction.

“Hate?” he repeated, pointing at her. “That’s not an emotion you deserve to feel toward me.”
“Why not?” she flared. “Because you think you’re the only one capable of hating? Please, Ivan. You’ve done nothing but torture me for days. One moment you pretend to care, the next you’re back to being the villain.”

“Pot calling kettle black,” he said.
“I am not the villain here,” Katerina fired back. “Can’t you see all of this, everything…started because of the accident that ruined everything? For a moment, I thought you actually believed me.”

“No one is innocent,” Ivan said coldly, “until proven otherwise.”
“Then give me the chance to prove myself.”
“You lost that chance, the day you met with Slavik again.”
“What is it with you and Slavik?” she demanded. “Why do you hate him so much?”

Ivan had the perfect answer. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it, just yet. He turned away.
“Back to the picture,” he said. “Why did you go to Mexico with him?”
“I already told you, Ivan,” she replied, her voice rising in frustration. “I went to find out who was sabotaging the shipments. That’s all!”
“So did you find out who it was?”
“Come on, Ivan,” she said softly. “I still don’t have my full memory back. Everything I know comes from fragments… flashbacks that come and go. Nothing solid”

“Then why didn’t you take me?” Ivan demanded. “Why go with another man and not your husband?”
Katerina went silent. She couldn’t answer that. She wondered why she trusted Slavik with details like that, rather than her husband. Maybe disbelief had always existed between them long before everything fell apart.

The door creaked open. Yelena stepped, her eyes scanning the room. She didn’t need to ask what was happening, the tension in the room spoke for itself. 
Yelena’s gaze fell on the photographs on Katerina’s lap. She walked closer, picked one up, the one showing Katerina and Slavik. She smirked.
“Well, well,” she said mockingly, holding up the picture. 
“You slut. You weren’t satisfied with your husband, were you? So what then, you decided to have an affair with Slavik?”

“Oh, just shut up, Yelena,” Katerina snapped, her patience gone. “You think you can just waltz in here and stick your nose into things that don’t concern you? Go on, feed Ivan all your lies. You’re so good at cooking stories. Keep my darling husband entertained while I figure out who the real pretender is.”
“Enough,” he ordered.
He gestured to the guards. “Take her away.”
“ I can lift myself,” Katerina said to the guard who wanted to take her away.
Katerina left, the guard accompanying her, the door closing behind them. 

“Cousin, dear cousin,” Yelena said, walking toward him. “Good to see you.”

They exchanged a brief hug. Ivan exhaled and sat down.
“So,” he said flatly, “what do you have for me?”
Yelena crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. “A lot, actually…Before that, how have you been?”

“Very well. Now can we skip the pleasantries?”
“Oh, Ivan,” she said with a teasing smile. “With you, it’s always serious business. No time to relax, breathe, or live a little.”
“There’s a lot at stake,” he replied. “Serious business only.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “I sent you details about the guy, have you done background checks?”
“I’ve had a lot on my plate,” Ivan said, “Felix is dead.”
“What? Felix? What happened?”
“There was a fire,” Ivan said quietly. “But I don’t think it was an accident. Someone planted it.”

“Have you found out who?” Yelena asked.
“Not yet. But if I had to guess, it’s an inside job. Security’s been tight, too tight. Which means someone on the inside knows exactly how to get around it.”
“Oh my God, you’re saying your security is compromised?”
“Let’s hope not. So about Katerina, what did you find out?” Ivan asked.
“Aside from being a skilled liar, there’s no record of any accident. Which means no memory loss.”
Iva’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me she’s faking it?”
“Exactly.”
“Look, I don’t know why Katerina’s doing this to you, but you have to be careful. Her coming back isn’t a coincidence, it’s a setup. Think about it: the timing of her return, the attacks on your estate doubling, Felix’s death… all of it lines up too perfectly.” Yelena said.

Ivan stayed silent, staring at the floor, her words echoing in his head. The pieces were starting to fit together, but the picture forming was darker than he ever imagined.