Anastasia by A. Marie
Valentino
We had a huge shipment coming in and I needed all of my best men to handle it. Checking my clock, I remembered how I was supposed to have a meeting with a Russian alliance of mine.
The doors opened and Adrik Zolotov walked into my office. His hair was tied back, and he was wearing his usual suit before sitting down in the chair that was waiting for him in front of my desk.
“The shipment should be there once the sun goes down. You get your weapons, I get my money,” he stated before leaning back in my chair with an unbothered look on his face.
“The money is ready for you. All I need is your part of the deal,” I informed him.
“Why don’t you do narcotics? We can make more money that way,” he wondered. His light Russian accent sometimes made it challenging to understand what he said, but after years of dealing with him—I managed to comprehend. A smirk fell on my face as I tsked.
“Drugs are messy. Weapons are easy,” I explained before getting up from my seat and walking around the desk as I buttoned the last button to my suit jacket. He stood up and nodded his head before shaking my hand.
“See you around, Valentino,” Adrik stated before sliding on a pair of sunglasses. I watched him exit the office with his men following him out the door.
“One more question; what do you know about Dmitri Ivanov?” I asked, hoping he could give me more information than what I had. Adrik worked closely under Dimitri for years, it wasn’t until Dimitri cut him off that Adrik began to build his own empire.
Adrik turned around and thought about it for a while, his eyebrows furrowed.
“About as much as I know about you,” he stated before walking away. He snapped his fingers as he walked, signaling one of his hired men to stay put as he looked at me.
Adrik was never much of a talker. He never spoke to anyone. It took him a while to open up to me.
“Dmitri Ivanov once requested to do an alliance with our Don, Zolotov, but Zolotov immediately declined the offer. He didn’t like the way Dmitri ran his business. He was too personal, and he spoke of wanting to go to war… with you,” the man informed me with a curt nod.
“Thank your boss for me.” I grinned.
He nodded once more, turning on his heel, and walking toward the exit.
He was desperate for more soldiers, it was obvious. The last person anyone would go to for help was Adrik Zolotov. He was an independent man, and the whole world knew it. If it weren’t for the fact that my stepfather, Roberto, hadn’t introduced us as kids—we wouldn’t even bother speaking to one another.
Walking out of my office, I made my way to my room. The moment I was there, I opened my door and saw Anastasia sitting on the couch by the window. She looked like an angel as the sun caressed her delicate skin.
Walking over to her, I let my hand roam up her arm. It finally drew her attention, prompting her to look at me. I noticed the tears in her eyes for the first time just before she threw herself into my embrace. I instinctively wrapped around my arms her waist as she cried into the crook of my neck.
“I’m so tired of this!” she sobbed, pulling away and wiping her tears. My gaze was slightly narrowed in concern as I took her in.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hoping she was okay.
She sat down on the bed before sniffling up her tears. I reached out to move some of her hair from her face as I stood in front of her.
“I got a call from my mother’s rehab facility and they told me she tried to kill herself,” she whispered. I pulled her into my lap and held her to me. My hand rubbed up and down her back as she wrapped her arms around me once again.
“I know Alex didn’t have a choice, but I can’t shake the feeling that all anyone ever wants to do is leave. My mum has been selfish my entire life.” Suddenly she stopped as realization came across her face. “I’m sorry, I tend to forget that you don’t care.”
She was preparing to get up, but I held onto her.
“Talk to me,” I muttered.