Page 106 of Koroleva

"On that corkboard was a photo of me with your brother and the words 'friends forever,' written in my own handwriting. It might seem silly to you, but when Yuri died, I was so frustrated that I ripped up the corkboard and everything on it."

"I can understand that; I also destroyed things that day," I empathized, "but that doesn't explain why my photo is in this box."

"Sorry, I digressed. Well. One weekend when Yuri stayed over at the flat because we ended up with a couple of girls, he put that picture on my board. I don't know where he got it from or how he did it. All I know is that on Monday, when I woke up across from him with my bowl of cereal, you were there, staring at me, with those big green eyes that made me drop my spoon into the bowl loaded with cereal and milk." I smiled because that image was a close-up where only my face was visible, it was one of my brother's favorites, when he saw it, he asked me to give it to him, saying I looked beautiful and he would always keep it. "I let out a bunch of expletives. It might seem silly, but I swear it felt like you were about to pop out of there any moment and laugh at me."

"I would have."

"I don't doubt it. When I managed to clean up the mess, I turned my eyes back to the center of the corkboard. You were there, suspended among my greatest desires. I figured it was a joke on his part, because he always thought of you and it was common for him to say that I would end up marrying you. You know, guy stuff."

"And he put my photo there? Just like that?"

Romeo rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not exactly. Every image he hung, he usually associated it with a phrase, so Yuri took care of writing the one that accompanied your image."

Romeo rummaged in the box, pulled out a small folder, opened it and there it was, the note written. I recognized my brother's handwriting. I read it aloud.

"Screw around now, because as soon as you meet her, you won't be able to think of anyone else. My sister will be your doom." I turned my face toward him, who sat down next to me. "Are you kidding me?"

"That was Yuri, and look, his prediction wasn’t so off, I'm already doomed." His reflection pressed into my chest and his index finger lazily caressed the skin of my thigh. "Do you still think I'm the person who wants to screw up your life, Nikita Koroleva?"

I looked from his finger to the box, there was a parallel reality, an alternative I hadn't even considered. My heart and mind were spinning, both had their own opinion, because until very recently all the blame had fallen on the man who now rested his hand on my bare thigh.

"I need to digest all this," I told him overwhelmed.

"We have plenty of time ahead, it's logical that you need it, although there lies all the truth."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Romeo yawned.

"You look tired."

"I am; I need some rest."

"Lay down, I'm going to stay here a while longer. Do you mind?"

"No, you can look through all the material as many times as you want if it helps us to start afresh. I told you before and I repeat it now. I'd like us to really get to know each other, without subterfuges, without lies. I don't want to have secrets from you, Nikita, not anymore." His hand stroked my cheek. "Good night."

"Good night."

Romeo got up and left me suspended between what I believed was true and what seemed to be.

41

I wanna be your slave

Andrey

We followed my boss and Capulet to his house and then went to talk to the men guarding the area.

Everything seemed in order. There was no trace of the black car that had threatened Koroleva.

As I had my suspicions, I asked one of the guys to contact Massimo's assistant who was at the wedding helping with the preparations. They got tangled up during the ceremony, and that gave us an extra pair of eyes inside the Capulet villa.

According to my man, Massimo went straight from the residence to the golf course, so it was impossible for him to reach the housing estate, camouflage himself, and chase Nikita with a gun.

That didn't exonerate him, because the car could have been driven by one of his thugs. The only thing I knew was that my boss's father-in-law didn’t wield that gun.

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