Chapter 107 Surrender, Don
❄︎ Viktor ❄︎
I watched her walk up the winding stairs, the hem of her sundress teasing me with every dainty step.
I leaned back almost unconsciously and let my eyes follow the long length of her pretty legs until she disappeared.
My lips curved.
If I didn’t know what she was sneaking off to do, I’d have followed her and dragged her into the nearest wall to remind her who she belonged to.
But I knew.
My lovely wife was going upstairs to oversee the auction of her hotel, blissfully unaware that I was one of the players waiting to claim it.
I moved to the minibar and poured two drinks. One for me, one for Adrian. The man was sunk deep into his laptop, the glow of the auction site reflected in his glasses.
I dropped onto the sofa beside him. The ache behind my eyes pulsed harder, so I shut them, trying to swallow it down with a long sip of whiskey.
“Does she know?” Adrian asked.
“No.” I responded. “I’m interested in seeing how she acts, thinking I’m still stumbling around with memory loss.”
He chuckled. “She won’t like being kept in the dark.”
My eyes snapped open, my patience short. “And isn’t that what she’s doing? Keeping me in the dark?”
He didn’t answer right away.
I stretched my arms over the back of the sofa, trying to shake off the constant pressure building in my skull.
“You should go to the hospital,” he said finally.
“Later,” I muttered, finishing the drink in one swig. “After the hotel’s secured.”
He only nodded, but I caught the look. He knew as well as I did that I wasn’t going anywhere near a doctor. I had my memories back, and my medicine when I needed it. I didn’t need anyone poking holes in me.
“What do you think her plan is?” he murmured, scrolling lazily on the laptop.
“She’s planning to run,” I said without hesitation. “She won’t stick around after she sells off the only reason this marriage exists.”
The silence that followed grated on my nerves.
“You don’t believe that?” I pressed.
Adrian sighed, leaning back. “I think you’ve got love for her. And the fact that she’s still here, after everything? That must mean something. She loves you too. Maybe you two should try talking instead of…” he waved his hand lazily at the laptop, “…manipulating each other.”
My temper flared. “Don’t make me laugh. I’ve been open with her from the start. I’ve bared all my cards. She’s the one playing games and clinging to her father’s legacy like it’s worth burning everything else for.”
Everything, including me.
Adrian tilted his head, studying me calmly.
“Or maybe it just proves that once she’s loyal to someone, she’s loyal for life. And you…”, he lowered his voice, “…are you sure you’ve really bared all your cards, Viktor? Isn't there something you’ve left off the table?”
I scowled. “You’re letting Juliana get into your head.”
Adrian only chuckled.
“She is in my head. Always. I used to think I was secretive until I met her. Juliana doesn’t back down until she knows exactly what my intentions are about anything that concerns us. At this point, she’d count the hairs on my scalp if it meant getting that information.”
I scoffed, lifting my glass again.
“Women need reassurance, Viktor. And not just with words… but with trust.” His gaze pinned me. “If you don’t clear the air, she'll come to her own conclusions. And when she does, it won’t be in your favor.”
I set the glass down harder than I meant to, wincing at the clink that probably meant it cracked.
“The one thing she keeps asking for is something I can’t give her.”
“You can’t protect her forever. She’s not a child. She deserves to know the truth… especially if you want to keep her.”
I clenched my jaw, leaning back. If Adrian of all people was defending Rosa, then the world had truly tilted on its axis.
I refused to look at him, hoping it would put a pin on his sudden unsolicited therapy session.
“You’re doing more harm than good by hiding it,” he went on, unfortunately. “Even if your intentions are noble.”
I groaned, fed up. “Fine. I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her her father’s fucking secret.”
His brow lifted. “Do you still have the proof? Otherwise, she’ll doubt you. Twist it in her head until you’re the liar.”
“Yes,” I muttered. “I have it.”
The memory gathered like smoke wisps.
Marcus Devries, sitting across from my father with that smug smirk when he’d handed over the file. He thought aligning with Darko to betray George Marlow would set him up for life. He thought he’d finally claw his way higher than consigliere.
But he’d underestimated my father. Thinking that Darko would share any conquest had been his first mistake.
Darko had taken the information, used it to bleed Marlow dry in blackmail, and cut Marcus clean out.
I smiled without humor, imagining Marcus’s fury. No wonder the bastard ended up murdering both my father and Marlow. He’d wanted payback.
A loud beep cut through my thoughts. I turned to see Adrian’s laptop flashing an alert.
Thirty minutes until bidding.
The countdown had begun.