Chapter 72
Katerina:
Flashback
“I’m sorry, but what good would that do to me?” I asked, shaking my head at Viktor who smiled.
“You are going to play his own game. The man is going to want to taunt you, and you are going to pretend that it doesn’t bother you. You are going to tell him that the two of you will go out to dinner. There, paparazzi will be waiting. The two of you will be seen as the happy couple. You still are a public figure, and if you can answer a few questions.” He said, and I scoffed.
“I don’t answer questions when the press asks. Unless, of course, it is something that come to business deals or he…”
“You are neither going to care about what he says or what the press thinks. You are going to play the role of that happy wife. It will taunt the mistress, you will do it until she chooses to crawl out of that rat hole that she is in. And believe me, he is going to be sure that she stays inside.” He said, and I nodded.
“What if she doesn’t leave? If he doesn’t allow her…”
“Judging by what you told me; the woman is not as smart. She will be crawling out to just prove a point. Jealousy plays a role, and you are going to take advantage of it. You are going to hit her where it hurts her most, and that would be the ‘security‘ that she believes that she got when Nikolay stayed in her house.” He said, and I nodded as a small smile formed on my lips. “He is going to taunt you with your kids. You are not going to give into what he says nor are you going to give him what he wants. If anything, you are going to listen, and you are going to tell him that the two of you will negotiate things with a lawyer. He is not going to have anything on you that would, possibly, be altered if he wants it. And a man like him would do that, Katerina.”
“How am I to handle the situation? Don’t get me wrong, but I am a mother, and I never got my children easily. The pain that I went through is not one that I would wish for my enemy when I
eyes softened. feared losing them day and night as they lay in that incubator.” I said, and his
“You are going to be calm. A warrior that fights with brains is often ten times better than that who fights with strength. You are going to be patient, and you are not going to let him play you. But what you will do is prevent him from putting the kids in this. He might try to involve them to get you to submit. Do not allow it, remind him that they are kids and that this should remain out of this. You should remind him that this would ONLY be discussed with them when the two of you are done with your problems.” He said, and I nodded. “And that includes that you are going to stay calm, even IF he chooses to take the kids for a while to hurt you.”
“I am not going to allow him to take…”
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“Katerina, there would be times when you HAVE to be patient over things. You are going to have to be patient over the most painful things. And you are going to need to deal with it,” he said, and I looked down at my lap as I nodded, knowing that I was going to have to go to this till the very end.
“I’ll do as you say.” I said, avoiding the man’s eyes as I ignored the clench that I felt in my chest. “I hope that it goes our way in the end…”
End of Flashback.
“I am surprised that you chose to tell me that you wanted to go out. It’s been a very long time since the two of us have done so.” Nikolay said, and I smiled. I kept my eyes out the window, fighting the pain that I felt in my chest. It was one that I had to force myself to ignore. One that I had to remind myself to be strong toward.
“Staying at home and discussing how things would go will only lead to arguments. While I know that we are going to need to speak to our lawyers, I figure that we have to talk before then. Maybe the two of us can come to some sort of agreement.” I said, keeping my tone calm.
I was rarely ever the type to be nosy or loud. My words were often always calculated, and I knew what to and what not to say. I knew when to speak and when not to, and that was something that I grew up in. It was something that Nikolay knew well about me. He knew to enjoy it as he lived his life too.
“Well, I think that the two of us agreeing on basic terms is one thing. I doubt that we are going to come to proper agreements before lawyers interfere.” He said, and I nodded in understanding. It was true. I wasn’t going to come to a proper agreement with him. But I knew that the press was going to be waiting for us as a ‘source leaked‘ us going to the De‘ Rose del Gardi for dinner tonight.
“We can still talk as adults would. I doubt that the two of us have had trouble doing so before your mistress entered the picture. We can go back to being adults who have been married for a while.” I said, choosing to be honest and calm. His eyes were fixed on the road, and he nodded.
“It was a mistake that the two of us made a long time ago,” he said, and I scoffed. “But anyhow, we will see how things go.”
He parked the car, not even thinking to look twice or ask whether or not his words hurt me. I smiled as I caught sight of the cameramen and women by the restaurant door. I opened mine and walked out, holding my purse as Nikolay looked at me. The two of us walked side by side, and still knowing to keep our image, he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me to him. And though I wanted to move away, I fought myself not to as I smiled.
“Mr. Nikolay, Mrs. Katerina, do you have any plans for the summer?”
“The two of you have disappeared from the media and public for a long time, is it true that your relationship is on edge?”
“Mrs. Katerina, they said that your kids are going to daycare. Does this mean that you could plan
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Chapter 72
another child?”
“Mr. Nikolay…”
“We have no plans for the summer just yet,” I said, stopping in front of one of the men who extended a microphone to me. Nikolay’s eyes were fixed on me, and though he didn’t say a word, I could tell that this wasn’t something that he liked. “But I want you to know that the two of us aim for our family to grow. I am guessing that you will have to stay tuned to what we plan for our future and our summer, or am I wrong, my love…?”
