Page 48 of Twins for the Bratva

Trying to push past him, I felt Mila taking my hand. Glancing down, I saw the tears in her eyes as she spoke. “I’m so sorry. I tried, but there were too many. I had nothing I could leverage either. They took her away from here, I don’t know where.”

Bending down, I hugged her. “No, don’t do that. You did what you could. You are not to blame.” I whispered. My heart felt like it was breaking in two as she sobbed on my shoulder.

Before I got up, I heard Leon speaking behind me. “For now, we know she’s safe; she’s with family. I don’t think they’ll hurt her bro. We need to find out where she is, regroup, and make a plan.”

Looking up at him, I nodded. There was a large ball of clay stuck in my throat, which I had to swallow before I could speak. “Okay, but if we don’t come up with a solution soon, I’m busting in.”

Leon and Piotr grinned at each other. “Then we’re coming with,” they added in unison. We headed home so Mila could get some rest.

After I felt a little calmer, I went back to the office. There was work to be done. Still feeling restless, I couldn’t even sit down. As soon as I did, my legs would bounce and shake. My every thought kept going back to Dahlia, no matter what I tried. Then it struck me: I loved her. I could not imagine a life without her in it.

Chapter 23 - Dahlia

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I looked at the bland brown walls. The room was lovely and neat. It was comfortable, but it wasn’t home. I didn’t get a good night’s rest. I felt tired, and not having Konstantin around didn’t feel right.

My heart was longing for him. Everywhere I turned, my mind was searching for him. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing. Feeling the sadness crawling through me, I decided to look for Aleksandr. I had to take my mind off the loneliness I was experiencing. I wanted to learn more about the family.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the guards. I have to admit, Aleksandr had a beautiful home. But I didn’t know how anyone could find their way around it. It had to have been double the size of the Smirnov mansion. I kept on getting lost every time I left my room. If not for the guards, I would never find my way back.

They weren’t very friendly or helpful, though. But they hadn’t prevented me from going anywhere in the mansion. After strolling through another section I had not been in, I finally found my way down to the first-floor breakfast room.

Walking in, I found Aleksandr seated by the window, reading the newspaper. There were two tables in the room. One large table in the middle with ten chairs and a smaller one by the window with only two chairs.

The bigger one was only used when the family came together. Aleksandr looked up as I walked in. “Good morning,” he said. “Come join me.” He got up as I approached and pulled out the other chair for me to sit.

In the corner was a door leading to the elaborate kitchen. Two maids stood there awaiting orders. Aleksandr glanced atthem, making them scurry towards us. He ordered another pot of tea and an extra cup for me.

“That’s not needed,” I said, rising. “I can get it myself if someone can just show me around the kitchen.”

“Please sit down,” Aleksandr replied. “Dahlia, you will not need to make anything yourself in my house. I pay them to do these things.”

Sitting back down, I felt out of place. Silence filled the room as he returned to reading his paper. Turning to the window, I studied the garden outside. It was peaceful here, I thought.

The maid brought the pot of tea and poured me a cup. I thanked her and watched as she resumed her place by the door. After a couple of sips, I cleared my throat before speaking. “Aleksandr,” I said and waited for him to look up. “May I ask you something?”

“Yes, dear, ask anything you want,” he replied, placing the paper down.

Looking at him, I had to know. There were so many unanswered questions. “Can you tell me why you never introduced yourself as my half-brother when we first met?”

Aleksandr sat back in his chair, staring at me for a couple of seconds. He picked up his cup, took a sip, and placed it back down. “I didn’t know about you growing up,” he started. “And our other sibling doesn’t truly know who you are yet.”

He took a deep breath and stared out the window. For a brief moment, it seemed like he had vanished into the garden. When he spoke again, he sounded distant, as if he was talking to me over a broken radio. I only learned about you after my father passed, and I took over.”

Snapping back to reality, he looked at me as he continued. “Sorry, our father. Once I reviewed the finances and the monthly bills, I picked up on the regular payments. I didn’t know the name or the account. Fitzer!” As he pronounced my last name, it seemed that he disappeared again.

Shaking his head, he smiled at me. “Well, as I dug around some more, I found your mother’s name. I couldn’t find any mention of her in our history, though. But I kept searching through my father’s things. It wasn’t like him to give strangers money.”

He took another sip of tea before he went on. “I found that the woman had given birth, and that is how I knew about you. But I still couldn’t put it together. I was about to cancel the monthly payments when I came across a stack of letters.”

Aleksandr looked at me. “It was letters your mother sent my father. The first was to inform him of the pregnancy. She said he was the father, and she was keeping the baby. But she would understand if he didn’t want to be part of your life. My father wasn’t that kind of man, you know.”

I nodded not that I knew but didn’t want to interrupt him. He sighed, closed his eyes, and spoke further. “At first, I was angry at my father. How could he have cheated on my mother? I was so upset that I called our financial manager and stopped all payments. How could he?”

Opening his eyes, I could see the pain in them. “The next day, I read some of the other letters. There was one a year. Each was sent on your birthday with photos of you as you grew. Then I came to the last letter.” Aleksandr blinked, giving me a wary smile. “It was the last one. The one where she told him about her illness.”

He looked down and then back at me. “This is when I decided to meet you. I was too late to meet your mother, and I felt bad. Then I was angry that he had kept you from us. I felt so bad; I wasn’t sure what to tell you. So, telling you I was a cousin seemed more humane. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

I wasn’t sure how to react. I was stunned and confused. My feelings were a whirlwind of conflict. As I sat without words, he continued. “As I grew to know you, I realized you were innocent and pure. I didn’t want to get you mixed up in this dangerous life. I felt it would be best to keep you as far away from Bratva as possible.”

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