“No, sweetie. I wish I did. I came to sympathise with you.”
Sympathise? What does she mean by sympathise?
“These cases don't usually end well. One minute you hear that someone goes missing, the next minute, they're dead.” Isabella lit the tip of the cigarette she took out of her purse and began to smoke. I didn't like the smell, but I inhaled it regardless.
“Do you think there's a high chance that Viktor might've been the one who did it?”
“No, sweetie. If Viktor did it, Dimitri wouldn't have told him.”
“How did you know Dimitri told him that my father was missing?” I asked, somewhat bewildered.
“We had a meeting with Viktor at midnight. I told him I'd come talk to you, and he wished me luck. That man loves you, Emilia. I've never seen him give his all to protection to a woman before.”
“Oh, please, I'm just his collateral.”
“A collateral he married. Don't you think you ought to be dead by now? The Lobanov Bratva union isn't one to be messed with, and this can't be overemphasized. You're lucky to see the best side of Viktor, sweetheart. Up till this day, I wonder what he saw in you that made him get so soft. I guess love is a science of the stupid.”
“I guess,” I said, and she went back to smoking her cigarette.
Silence ensued for a while, and we sat gazing at the water fountain. The guards kept true to their patrol, and it made me feel unsafe. Something about this didn't feel right, and I wasn't going to hide it.
“I don't belong here.” I turned to see Isabella look at me. Her eyes narrowed, and her head tilted to the right.
“What do you mean by that?”
“All this mafia stuff. I don't want to have any part of it. You know, I had a peaceful life before this. I used to sing while I walked back home from college with my headphones on. Sometimes, I stop at a Waffle House for a quick snack. My house was always empty, although my father wired me money to handle most of the stuff I needed. I never had friends, never fell in love.”
“So you had a boring life?”
“You might call it boring, but to me, that's the greatest experience I've ever had.”
I'd thought Isabella would scold me. “Get your shit together, Emilia. The deed has already been done.”
Yet, she responded in a calm and relaxed tone. Her voice sounded a bit cracked, and I suspected the smoke from the cigar.
“You're right. A girl like you doesn't belong here. But eventually, you will. It's just a matter of time before you come around.”
Her words pierced my ears and caught my attention.
“How do you know I'll come around?”
“Trust me, sweetie, you will. The moment you stop wishing to leave is the moment you realize that you belong.”
“I doubt that day would ever come,” I said almost immediately, and she ignored my words.
“However you take it, darling, it's up to you.” Isabella stood up and kissed the side of my cheek. “I have to leave. Duty calls.”
Isabella strutted down the aisle like a flamingo, yet I couldn't hold back on what she said. It sounded like a meaningless horror fairytale. Once upon a time, I lived happily ever after, only to be kidnapped by a gang and end up marrying a mafia boss.
***********
I could feel the heat rush out of my nostrils as I marched down the hall, the sound of my shoes echoed, and all I could think of was how to present myself to Viktor with this much rage.
Viktor’s study door stood ajar when I shoved it open. I slammed it shut, and the bang almost startled him. He lifted his head from the papers scattered across his desk.
“Emilia.” His voice was calm, but I didn’t give him time to say more.
“What did you do?” The words flew out of my throat. “Where is he?”
