Belle’s POV
I am going to kill him!
I swear I will strangle him to death! That man knows no limit to his wickedness. This is him, I am sure of that. We were seconds from take-off but we were not given the clearance at the very last moment.
Apparently, the air traffic office received information that there’s a bomb in one of the planes leaving New York at the exact same time that we were to take off. Can you believe that? He jeopardized other people’s time and safety just because he wants to stop our plane from leaving. He caused a major disruption to the whole of New York for his own selfish reason.
“B, calm yourself. You look so flushed.”
“Nikolai did this! Now we can’t leave indefinitely because of his doing! I thought that the man is passed out in the hospital or something, apparently, even in his unconscious state he still can do such awful thing like this!”
“Stop pacing back and forth Arabella, you’re just stressing yourself.” Said my mother. And if I don’t know any better I would think that she favors our canceled flight back home. She’s just literally sipping her wine with such relief and calmness coupled with a smirk and a crimson face. Geez Ma. Pace yourself. How drunk are you?
I removed the glass of wine from her hand and requested the server in the lounge to remove the bottle from our table but she grabbed the wine instead and signaled the server to leave.
“I am mad Mama! You know what I want to do right now? I want to find him and give him one good punch in the throat!”
“Oh! Like what you did to him in that meeting -when Nikolai sent you to the safe house but you still came looking for him stubbornly? You had that Papa’s girl attitude with you since you were a little girl Ara. Don’t tell your Father but your Pa was so proud of you for standing up for yourself against the Russian Mafia Boss and all the Bosses’ wives in that meeting.” She said under her breath as she finishes her sentence and eventually realizing she’s saying things she should not have known.
“Mama, how did you know of that?”
She looks like she’s been caught stealing from the cookie jar with that unapologetic yet cheeky look on her face. My mother is an angel and she rarely drinks alcohol, however this time she looks like she’s genuinely having fun and my father- who is her best friend and number one promoter of her happiness doesn’t look like he’s going to burst my mama’s bubble.
“Uhm, okay. So Nikolai and Alexei- those two handsome men of yours- they keep in touch with us almost everyday Arabella. Why do you think we don’t worry about you even if you barely call or update us about your situation here? Your Pa and I know almost everything that’s happening with you. Well, at least your men’s version of events I suppose.”
I honestly don’t know what to think let alone feel about this. I don’t know if I am going to be glad because they reach out to my parents or mad because I did not have a single idea about it.
“Ara, listen to me okay? Nikolai and Alexei have been regularly sending money to Palawi. They have been funding projects to build schools, hospitals and facilities to bring electricity and clean water to far-flung communities. This week we are to inaugurate a building for an organization that rescues abandoned children. Nikolai specifically requested that project because he knows how important this is to you. He once told us that he severed your job at St. Mary’s School because he’s sure that you will have your plate full when he puts up your own charitable organization consolidating every project he has funded in Palawi and that includes St. Mary’s school. He took over majority control of that school because oF you. All of these were supposed to be Nikolai and Alexei’s surprise birthday gift for you. They were preparing for it months ago. I just don’t understand what happened why they forgot about it on the day itself. It did not make sense to me and still does not until now.”
I know why. In the middle of a mob war, the conglomerate meeting, my severe allergic reaction which was an attack against the Russian Mafia, my pregnancy, and Yelena’s death anniversary-was my birthday. Still, this does not erase the fact that they did not remember. Instead, they were mourning their sister slash lover’s death on my own birthday. We were fighting and they accused me of eloping with Artan right before my very special day.
Them forgetting my birthday was only the tip of the iceberg. Truth is, it was just the confirmation of my doubts as to the extent of the lies hidden from me by Nikolai and Alexei, particularly of their relationship with her.
“Now let’s not forget that they have their shortcomings-and we all do. I am not in any way condoning whatever behavior they had that made you decide to turn your back from your marriage Arabella. I respect that, that’s why me and your Pa support your decision. All I am saying is, in every relationship, especially in marriage, problems like this arise. And the best way to put things into perspective is to communicate. Talk about the problem with your partner-or partners for that matter.”
“But auntie, what if there’s nothing left to talk about? What if all the things that you need to come up with the wisest decision are all laid down in front of you and there’s nothing left but to just leave?”
“Well, Amylinda, in that case, you still try. Relationships work because two -or three-people in the relationship choose to work things out. Arabella’s father and I have been through the worst possible situations but we came out stronger every time. Circumstances will test your relationship and it’s on you if you raise your white flag or continue pushing through. Right now, it’s Nikolai and Alexei who want the relationship to work and I don’t see them stopping anytime sooner.”
My mother might be right but in our case, Nikolai and Alexei had all the time to tell me and to communicate with me the truth about Yelena but they chose not to. They lied to me and no amount of explanation can change that fact.
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