Chapter Twenty

Royal couldn’t wait any longer. After putting Anya down for her nap, she went into her office and closed the door quietly behind her. Sitting down behind her desk, she pulled the file from her top drawer and sat it in front of her on the table beside the fresh bouquet of roses and picture of her family.

The silence of the room only made the act more reverent. The birds chirping in the background, the panoramic view of a beautiful day outside and the vacuum humming down the hall reminded her that there was peace all around.

Trying to meld into the moment, she talked herself through the process. Even though it all seemed surreal to know what she was about to do, she knew that it had to be done. There was a chance to change her entire life right in front of her, right in her hands. All she had to do was have the courage to follow through.

Opening the bent file slowly, she pulled out the single page with her mother’s number and picked up the phone. A million thoughts crossed her mind. And for once, she did not know if she should be happy or sad. Should she scream at the woman or cry out for her? What? What should she do? What should she say?

Sitting back in her chair, she wiped the tears and tried to still her shaking hands. A picture of her dead sister, Chloe, flashed through her mind. Chloe would have loved to be here now, to make the call with her, to hear their mother’s voice. And here she was afraid, after all that she had been through in her life, to dial a number.

An abrupt knock on the door, caused her to sit up in the chair.

“Come in,” she said, voice shaky.

Ducking into her office, Dmitry emerged with a bright smile.

Royal was glad to see him. She assumed with his meetings that he would be too busy today to deal with this. However, he had not forgotten and somehow God had sent him to her.

“Hey, love. What are you doing?” he asked, sitting down in the chair in front of her desk. The sun beaming in from the window behind her made his blonde locks glow like strands of spawn gold. His beauty calmed her. Her knight in shining armor had arrived.

“I’m calling my mother for the first time,” she answered.

Dmitry bit his lip. “Are you nervous?”

“Do I look nervous?” she laughed. “Yeah, I’m shaking in my boots here.” She wiped the sweat from her brow and rubbed it on her jeans.

“Well, considering that you’re supposed to be dead,” he said, squirming in the seat. “You may not want to disclose who you are over the phone. Just in case. I know it is very bad timing to bring this up right now, in the middle of something so historic.”

Royal cut him off. “I thought about that,” she said in a huff. “But I just want to hear her voice, you know. It’s torture to wait.” She searched his eyes for answers. “What...what would you suggest?” She shuffled the papers around on the table. Her wedding ring sparkled in the sunlight.

“Umm.” He was lost for word. “I did this once, actually.” He laughed.

“What?”

“Da, da. I did this once, when I had the opportunity, if you can call it that, to talk to my father. It was many, many years ago.” He would have preferred to never bring up that horrid event, but he knew that sharing would help ease her anxiety.

“I never knew that you actually got a chance to talk to him. You’ve never talked about it.” Her intrigue sked.

He sighed. “Well, it was unremarkable.” He nodded at her, unable to mask his pain. “But that doesn’t mean that yours will be the same.” It was best to keep the focus on her current situation instead of strolling down memory lane. He edged up to the end of his chair and placed his large elbows on her desk. His blue eyes focused on her. “Why don’t you just make a general inquiry about what she does, and pose as a person looking for someone to care for their grandmother or something. She’s a nurse, right?”

“That’s what the file says.” She opened the file back up again and looked at her photo. “What if this is a mistake, baby?” Doubt began to slip in and steal her courage.

“It’s not,” he assured. “Just relax and take a deep breath. I’m right here with you.”

He reached his hand out. Grateful, she slipped her hand in his and smiled. “Thank you for being here.” Her voice was trembling.

Dmitry nodded. “That’s what I’m here for...the hard...stuff.”

“Stuff? You never use that word.”

“Well, the kids are rubbing off on me. I have young men all around me, and they never use proper English. It’s their fault really.”

She laughed. “Okay.” Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone. “Let’s do this.”

Dmitry paused. “It’s midnight there.”

She stopped. “Oh, shit. Well, maybe I should wait until later.” She put the phone back down.

He saw the tear forming in the slits of her eyes and immediately wished he hadn’t said anything. “No...go on. Call. There is no better time than the present. Just...act oblivious to the hour.”

***

Royal had to take a nap after her conversation. On cloud nine, she crawled up into bed, and Dmitry tucked her in, kissing her on the forehead, then on the stomach. He was happy that she had a chance to hear her mother’s voice, although the conversation had been short. The point was that she had spoken with her.

Because of the hour, Royal had ended the conversation reluctantly, acting as a niece traveling and looking for someone in the Dallas area to help her with her dying aunt.

The woman, even though oblivious to the real intent of the call, had been kind. It was a perfect beginning to a new beginning for his wife. However, he knew that it was up to him to iron out the kinks of how and when Royal would meet her. But he didn’t mind. It was an honor really, considering how much he had taken from her in order to make her his wife.

Now, she was asleep in a state of euphoric bliss and dreaming of a reunion that would be surely coming.

With her content, he could focus on the young man upstairs.

After checking in on Anya, who was still napping, he headed up to Gabriel’s room. They really had not had a chance to speak privately, and Dmitry could see no better time than now to face his own past.

Gabriel was watching television when he came into his room. He quickly grabbed the remote and turned it off. Standing by the chair, he waited like a child for the instruction from his father.

Dmitry smirked at himself. He seemed to be everyone’s father figure these days.

“Mr. Medlov. I mean Uncle...” Gabriel stammered over his words.

Dmitry raised his hands. “Please call me Dmitry. Titles don’t mean much here.” He closed the door behind him and motioned for the chair in the corner. “Do you mind if I sit? My back aches a lot these days. I’m getting old.”

“No, sir,” he said, trying to maintain his character while still containing his wonderment of his uncle.

“And do me a favor, and don’t call me sir,” Dmitry said, noting his acknowledgement of authority. That was odd. “I wanted to speak with you very briefly before your dinner date.”

Gabriel sat down as well. He clasped his large hands together and sat at the edge of his seat.

“Briggy is a family member. Though she is not blood, she is very dear to us,” Dmitry said smiling.

“So I have gathered,” Gabriel said nervously. “I assure you that I’d never hurt her. I know everyone is worried for me to be around anyone including the dog, but I’m not a deviant.”

Dmitry smirked. “Well, that’s good to know. I just want you to be mindful that everyone in this house has a history. Briggy, for example, had a short relationship with Anatoly. And I’m sure that I should leave this for her to discuss with you, but she doesn’t have a father, and I want to make sure that you understand that because she does not, I feel the need to step into that capacity.”

Gabriel was impressed. He cared not only for his son and daughter, for his wife and his code but also for his maid. Again, his perception of the man was altered.

Dmitry nodded. “So I have made myself clear.”

“Treat her with respect,” Gabriel answered.

“Exactly,” Dmitry said, pointing at him. “Now, I’m not old fashioned in every way. I understand that young people have needs, but I would ask that if you two find yourselves fulfilling them under my roof that you keep it discrete and that you not at any point embarrass her, because after you’ve gone on, she still has to work and live here.”

“Yes, I completely understand,” Gabriel said seriously.

“Good. Now that we have that out of the way, I want to talk to you about something more important.” Dmitry sighed. “I want you to know that you can talk to me. If you have questions, you can come to me. You see, I am acutely aware of who you are.”

Gabriel’s breath caught again. He felt himself shaking.

Dmitry raised his brow. “The Hutton’s were a very powerful family in London during the time that I was there, and I’m sure that your mother discussed with you, before her passing, the very sensitive nature of my relationship with both her and your grandmother.”

Gabriel exhaled. “Yes, she did.”

Dmitry shook his head. “And I’m sure that there may even be some resentment or questions that at some point you’ll need answered, some reasoning validated.”

“Yes.” Gabriel was at a complete loss for words.

“I just want you to know that while I am a man with a sordid past, I am still a man, and being that, I am willing as your uncle and as your step-grand father to talk to you frankly about the things that led up to and happened after your birth.” Dmitry smirked. “I understand what you did. You gave Royal this opportunity to find her mother as a way of telling me that you were in search of your own identity’s truth. And I respect you for it. And you deserve it. No one should ever be denied their history, especially by their family.”

Dmitry had all but deflated Gabriel with his words. He was never sure how much his uncle knew about him, but evidently, he knew a great deal. And the fact that he had come to him and was open to the possibility of a discussion about the things that had left him scarred for his entire life made him even more torn about his dual identity.

“I appreciate that, Dmitry.” Gabriel searched for the right words. “But to be honest, I didn’t do what I did for Royal to get to my own identity.”

“Maybe not consciously, but subconsciously I believe we arrived at this moment because of your own search. Don’t be ashamed. Now that you’ve finally arrived here with your family, you never have to worry about being misunderstood or denied again. We are very accepting here, because we are all that we have in this world.”

Dmitry’s words caused a strain in Gabriel’s chest. He held down the pain as far in his gut as he could. Suddenly, he wished that he was not here as an undercover agent, but just as a man, as a Medlov.

“When the time is right, I will take you up on that,” Gabriel said finally. His voice was low and solemn, matching his dimming soul.

“You look changed. Have I offended you?” Dmitry asked outright.

“No,” Gabriel answered quickly. “It’s just overwhelming.”

“h is the theme of the day, it seems,” Dmitry said, running his hands over his jeans. “Well look, I just wanted to put that out there in the open. We may be a secretive family, but it’s only with the outside world. Within the confines of this world, we are open and honest. Never hide anything from me.”

Gabriel hesitated. His eyes could barely meet his uncle’s.

Dmitry titled his head, processing the boy’s sudden discomfort.

“Are you hiding something now?” Dmitry asked.

“No...no.” Gabriel looked down. “I just wasn’t prepared for this.”

Although Dmitry did not know the man well, he didn’t buy it. He cleared his throat. “I try to be a forgiving person, because of what I’ve done in the world and where I come from. But once I’ve made a decision, I never go back on it. You’ve been accepted as long as you are honest. But if you’re hiding something, if there is something that we need to know, I would ask that before you leave my home to go back to the states, you tell me. If you do, whatever it is can be forgiven and taken care of. However,” he said with a grim tone. “If you are hiding something, and you do not disclose to me this thing before you leave, you realize that you will have forever set yourself on a path that will pit you against this family.”

Gabriel understood what his uncle was saying, but he also knew that if he actually told him that he was a special agent undercover in an investigation to put both he and his son in jail on drug trafficking charges, he would kill him. He reminded himself of that fact before he spilled his confession at his uncle’s feet.

“I’m not hiding anything. It’s just that I’ve never had anyone to acknowledge me in such high regard or treat me like I was special just because of what runs through my veins. If anything, I’ve been treated as a leper my entire life.” He looked at his uncle and tried to tell him the truth even though it was also a lie.

Dmitry nodded. He completely understood. “I am a billionaire, a business owner, a business man, a leader, and yet I know exactly what it means to not fit.” He smiled and stood up. “I won’t take up anymore of your time. However, my offer still stands.”

Gabriel stood as well. “Thank you...for everything.”

“You are a Medlov. This is your home. We are your family. The rest is now forgiven. I only hope that the same applies for both myself and my son. It can’t be easy to carry around the knowledge of what we both are guilty for in your own life, regardless of how it came about.”

Gabriel thought of his father. “No, it is not easy, but trust me, when I look at Royal and your beautiful child, I feel the same.”

Dmitry reached out for the boy. Gabriel came to him and hugged him. In his arms for the first time, he felt as vulnerable as a small child. He had spent his entire adult life hating and studying this man only to find that he was nothing like he had been painted. It was a painful reality checkusinp>

Releasing Gabriel, Dmitry placed a set of keys in his hands. “It’s to the Bentley. Take her out, spend as much time and money as you like, enjoy yourselves.”

“Spasiba,” Gabriel said, humbled and ashamed.