Chapter 14
Ariel
I woke up grumpy, more tired even, and slightly bitter and irritated by the way Dmitri had been moving us around without any explanation.
Not like I cared about his business, but it shouldn’t affect mine, right?
In less than forty-eight hours, I’ve slept in three different places; Freud’s house, the hotel in Texas and this house in Seattle. No sane person would be happy about that and the annoying part was that he wasn’t around so I could vent my anger.
Seattle was a good place and though the penthouse we were in currently was quite smaller than his mansion in Texas, I didn’t mind because of location.
I liked that my room which had a floor-to-ceiling window overlooked a good mass of land that was covered with tall grasses and trees. The sparrows and parrots were already chirping and flying around, and truly it was a sight to behold.
At least it distracted me from my present reality.
My stomach grumbled loudly and pangs of hunger gnawed in my stomach. Due to the drop in my mood, I lost my appetite, but it had returned and I wanted to make the best of my situation so I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth and trotted to the kitchen, hoping to make breakfast for everyone.
Fedor, my bodyguard whom I didn’t really like sat on the couch in the living room, fiddling with his gun and I forced my snort back. Did he have to remind me that he was here for unwanted protection?
He seemed to notice my presence as he lifted his face and forced a smile. “Good morning,”
I nodded in acknowledgment since I wasn’t in the mood to respond and veered off to the kitchen. The only thing that mattered to me was getting some food into my stomach.
My soul sank with a wave of nostalgia flooding into my mind. My morning routine used to be getting to the kitchen before or together with my mom and debating with her on what to prepare for breakfast.
I remembered how eager I used to be when it came to serving my father a cup of coffee and lounging in his office for a greater part of the morning.
My eyes stung and my breathing became labored. It was still hard to accept that my wonderful routine had been interfered with. Deep down, I wanted to be on good terms with my father, but he owed me an apology. Sadly, he wasn’t ready to give one.
The aroma of fried eggs and pancakes wafted into my nose, showing that someone else had beat me to preparing breakfast and I didn’t mind.
I wasn’t even sure I had the energy to make anything.
Irina sat by the counter, watching the cook waddle around and I joined her. If I were to settle here as Dmitri’s wife, then I might as well familiarize myself with the people he thought important.
They noticed my presence and bowed, muttering greetings while focused on what they had been doing.
“Good morning, Irina. Did you sleep well?” I chirped, warding off the grogginess.
“Yes, ma’am,” Her voice sounded cheerful and encouraging. She was nothing like the quiet and withdrawn woman I saw in the safe room with Liora the other day. “What about you?”
“I think I did, and I’d rather be on the bed right now but my stomach isn’t in agreement,” I chuckled.
“But you’re supposed to be in your room right now. I’m not sure the boss will be happy to find you here,” She lowered her lashes, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
The cook turned around and they exchanged coded glances.
I observed them quietly with my arms folded. “The both of you shouldn’t be doing that when I’m still here,” I warned them, my tone coming out harsher than I wanted.
Irina bowed and drew in a shaky breath while the cook focused on the food in front of her. I pressed my lips and wondered why they were so uptight around me.
“Now tell me, why can’t I be here? Is that one of Dmitri’s unspoken rules?” I questioned with distaste.
She bit her lower lip and answered reluctantly. “The thing is, the boss warned us before he left that we shouldn’t put you under any form of duress which includes coming here to be with us or doing anything you shouldn’t do,”
I clenched my jaw and pinched my forehead angrily. Not only had he taken away my freedom, but now he wanted me to act like a robot.
“Being here with you isn’t stressful,” I corrected. “Besides, I like to be in the kitchen. I love to bake and I’d have learnt it professionally if…” I trailed off.
It would be wrong to air my dirty linen in front of them. They weren’t the people I should be ranting to.
I scrutinized her expression and noted her discomfort, but I didn’t care. One thing I wouldn’t allow is being a slave here.
“If you say so, ma’am,” She replied with a low voice.
Some minutes later, the cook plated the food and served it on the table. She put Irina’s meal on a tray and walked away.
Irina stood up with the tray and that spiked my curiosity.
“Where are you going to? Aren’t you supposed to eat here?”
“I will but Liora has to be fed first,” She replied curtly and left the kitchen.
Instantly, the hunger disappeared and I covered the plates, making a mental note to come back to it. Though Dmitri had warned me to avoid anything that involved his daughter, I wasn’t going to listen to him.
Knowing that he might have asked Irina to be discreet with whatever she did with Liora, I kept a low profile while trailing her to her room.
She took the stairs and turned to a wing that was different from mine. I hoped that I wouldn’t get lost in the number of rooms that were there.
I shouldn’t have underestimated the size of this penthouse.
Finally, she stopped at a room; tucked a key into the keyhole and went in. After ensuring that I wasn’t followed or noticed, I trotted to the door and peeped through the keyhole.
I watched her tap the sleeping Liora lightly on her arm so that she’d wake up. After patting her continuously, she stirred and sat up, pulling up a pouty expression.
Irina placed the tray on the bed, mashed the fried eggs and brought it to her lips but she refused to open her mouth. She made another attempt and Liora burst into tears, flailing her arms in the air and throwing a tantrum.
Sympathy for the little girl surged through my chest and I was almost forced to open the door. I got a grip on my emotions and stowed away seeing that Irina might be coming out soon.
I hid behind the stairs and a few minutes later she went away. My heart was already in my mouth as I didn’t want to be caught by anyone, not until I was able to become friends with Liora.
Though I didn’t have any idea of what I’d do to make her feel better, I was still intent on knowing her.
After taking a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves, I moved away from my hiding spot and tiptoed to her room, making sure that my steps were noiseless.
Fortunately, I was able to make it into her room without getting caught. I shut the door after me and my lips stretched into a smile while I stared at her.
Her face was scrunched up with fear and her eyes had dilated. I knew what was coming next and if I allowed it, Dmitri would have my head so I did the only thing that came to my mind.
“Hi, Liora. I’m Ariel, I want to be your friend,”