Nathan:“Daddy!” Ilya said, smiling when he saw me entering his studying room.I knew that he had homework to finish since it was the weekend, and the fact that we went out every evening only meant that he had to have his work done before doing so. Katerina’s rules.He got up from his chair and ran to me, jumping in my arms as I smiled at him, kissing his cheek. He laughed before I put him down, watching as he walked back to his desk. I nodded at his tutor, motioning for her to leave the two of us alone before sitting beside him. It has been a while since I’ve spent enough time with the kids, but with everything that has been happening before the gala, I hated to admit it, but I barely had time to see my wife before bed at night. “How are you doing, Ilya?” I asked, calling him by his Russian name.“I am fine” he said, finishing his assignment.“You didn’t ask me how I am” I noted, knowing that he only did that when he was upset with me.“You love Calista more than you love me, so, I
Katerina: “What do you mean that we’re having sudden competition?” I asked my manager “this is a hotel and a trusted one, not some restaurant that just opened” “Mr. Domenico Mancini opened his line a few blocks away, ma’am, and almost all the big shots are going there now. I am not sure what he has in mind, but he is the owner of the building that has been under construction for the past year” he said, and I nodded, letting out a quiet laugh. I knew that Domenico wouldn’t just come here for peace. The man had to have his share of something somehow, and it seemed like this was just the beginning of his dirty games. “Is there anything else that I need to know?” I asked, looking at the manager who I could tell was more scared than he was letting out. His shaking hands gave him out easily; however, I was sure not to show him that I could read his expression easily as he extended a file to give me, wanting me to read it. “These are the financial records for the past month” he said, and
Nathan:“Is everything alright?” Domenico asked, pretending to care. I gave the man the best smile that I could muster, and nodding at the man, I took a seat on my chair. I looked at Carter before nodding at him, assuring him that things were alright at home. His phone was on silent, and I usually never took calls when at a meeting, but when it was Katerina calling, I knew not to ignore it, especially since I knew that she was not at home.“My apologies, my wife was not aware of me being in a meeting” I told the men. They nodded, knowing well that Katerina was our partner. Domenico, who was the only new member on our table, frowned when he saw that the men were not really concerned about the topic, but he was sure not to comment on the topic as he looked at his lawyer who was setting new clauses, wanting new changes.The other men did not bother with setting new ones as they knew the ones that we worked with often did their best; but I knew that the case was not the same with Domenico
Katerina:My heart raced against my ribcage as the woman stood in front of me. Her eyes studied my expression for a few seconds, practically reading my body language, making my heart race under the tension of her intense gaze.“What the fuck is going on here?” I asked, looking at mum whose eyes dropped to the ground, avoiding my eyes. I knew that she could read my anger in my eyes, and seeing as she didn’t respond, I could tell that this was something that she has been setting up for a while.“I believe that the two of us need to talk. That is why I came here, and I am well aware that me coming here without an invitation would not really help…”“Who the bloody hell are you?” I asked the woman who sighed. The woman’s eyes and stance were more confident than I would ever be, and despite knowing that I looked exactly like her, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat weak compared to her. Maybe because I actually was…“She does have my attitude; therefore, I cannot say much about it” she said,
Nathan:I froze, listening to what the woman said for a second before Katerina shook her head. It wasn’t like I was against Donatello being the next heir of elders, it was the exact contrary. The fact that the man was now at risk was what worried me. “How could my brother be the next heir? Hell, if anything, Domenico wants nothing other than to…”“He seemed to be the chosen one. Elders are chosen due to different criteria, and your brother has met them all. One of them was peace with the wolves, he does not mind humans being around him, it is something that Domenico does. He is humble, and does not take advantage of his position as Alpha. Needless to say, he is everything that an elder should be, something that Domenico seemed to forget over the years. And that is something that he would be paying for greatly” Caterina said, looking at me, shaking her head in question as she waited for what I had to say.“Does he know? Or is there any way that he would know?” “He does not, not yet
Katerina:“You have been too quiet lately, and it is starting to annoy me” Nathan said, wrapping his arm around my waist as he pulled me to his chest. My heart raced against my chest, and looking out the window, I watched as the pack members trained down in the arena. The full moon was coming soon, and knowing that we would be shifting, I couldn’t help but feel excited. But I was also worried, and I didn’t even know why at this point.“You know that feeling when you find yourself under so much pressure, only you don’t even understand why you are?” I asked, turning around to face him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him, as I pulled him down to kiss me. Our lips connected in a quick and gentle kiss that held so much meaning, and yet, was enough to make my heart skip a beat. “Well, do you want to talk about it?” Nathan asked, his voice softening. In truth, I didn’t even know what I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to lay in his arms for a while, let everything that has be
Nathan:“How are you feeling, malyshka?” I asked, running my finger over my beauty’s stomach. Having gotten her period, she confirmed to me that she was not pregnant, and now, I was more concerned about her wellbeing as I knew that her emotions would be jumbled up, especially after what she found out from Caterina.“Exhausted is the right word for it” Katerina said, turning to look at me. She lay her head on my chest, and running my fingers through her hair, I knew that she would mostly want to cuddle, especially on her first day which was usually what she called the ‘lazy’ day. However, I knew that she wasn’t being lazy, she was genuinely in pain, and that would result in her NEEDING to rest despite her constant arguing that she didn’t need it.“Well, I am guessing that you could have the day in bed. Carter and I would be taking the kids to school, and…”“The driver is not picking them up, Nathan” she said, stopping me. I chuckled, shaking my head at my beauty who shook her head at
Katerina: I watched as Calista and Ilya entered the car before going back inside to the living room. I knew that Dimitri would be waiting for me. The two of us still had a lot to do, and that fact alone was both exhausting and exciting. Knowing that Caterina wanted me to speak to Alexander, I didn’t know how to react, and the fact that Elijah, his father, my great grandfather, and son had the same name was something that I couldn’t let go of. And though I was aware that it wasn’t his real name, I was still weary. Then there was the fact that Caterina and I shared the same name, even the last name, and that was something that surprised me. First, I looked EXACTLY like her, and second, we had the same name. I knew that I might have been acting delusional, but if life taught me one thing, nothing happened out of coincidence. There must have been a relation to why we were practically the same, and why she appeared in my life now in specific. However, what it was, I was yet to find o