Page 76 of Tied to Hope
“No one. I invite people who have been loyal to the Durov family to stay whenever they visit Moscow. I see no reason to let it sit idle.”
“So, no one lives there permanently?”
It disturbed Brie for some reason, even though it was Rytsar’s to do with as he saw fit. But, she’d felt compelled to ask, “How do your brothers feel about that?”
He looked at her and shrugged. “I do not know,radost moya. They never bothered to tell me.”
Despite the dicey reconciliation he’d had with Andrev after the rescue, Brie was aware that they had not gathered as a family since. Each of the brothers had gone back to living his own life apart from the others.
It seemed his father’s plan to break them apart was still playing out long after his death. How sad to think that not even Rytsar’s near-death experience had been enough to bring the five brothers back together.
Now, Rytsar was facing the possibility that one of his brothers had gotten Sasha pregnant and was trying to make him believe it was his.
With such an immense fortune at stake, Brie knew there was no limit to what people were capable of.
When Sir returned with Hope, Brie pointed to all the houses she’d picked out and asked, “Are there any here that caught your eye, Sir?”
He leaned in to give her a kiss. “The only requirement I have for any home is that you are in it.”
Brie laughed softly as she took his face in her hands and returned his kiss with a deeper one. “Just when I think I can’t love you anymore, Sir, you go and say something like that…”
Clash
Three days later, Rytsar, Sir and Brie were waiting in a large doctor’s office in downtown Moscow. The doctor was five minutes late and Brie was struggling to stay still, jittery as she was about the results.
She could feel waves of anxiety rolling off Rytsar as he paced back and forth. Sir chose to stand beside Brie, but he eyed his friend with concern.
Unfortunately, nothing anyone could say at this point would comfort him. At least Rytsar would soon know the truth.
Brie and Sir moved to stand beside Rytsar when the doctor walked in.
He held out his hand to Rytsar and shook it firmly. “I’m Doctor Orlov. Please take a seat, Mr. Durov.”
“Nyet.”
When Rytsar refused, he looked to Brie and Sir. “Please sit.”
The doctor sighed when no one made use of the chairs. Walking over to his desk, he sat down and looked up at the three of them. Adjusting his glasses, he placed five files on the desk.
“My team has been very thorough, as I understand the importance of the results here.”
“Good,” Rytsar stated.
“I had the blood samples sent to several different facilities around the world to compare the results.”
“And…?” Rytsar prodded.
Without answering, he opened each file and turned it around so Rytsar could read the results himself. “In every case, despite the similarities of the genetics between you as brothers, each facility came up with the same result.”
Rytsar folded his arms, preparing himself for the answer. “Tell me, then. Who is the boy’s father?”
Doctor Orlov swallowed hard before answering. “Vlad Durov is clearly the father of this child.”
Rytsar said nothing but he reached out to the chair closest to him and slowly sat down.
“Vlad…” His voice was full of shock and disappointment.
Brie sat down in the chair next to him and lightly placed her hand on his thigh, offering her support.
