Life may have jaded me. It may have taught me harsh lessons. But I can still be a decent person.
Breakfast is coming to an end, and the chef comes in to clear the empty plates. I’m eager to excuse myself and get out of here, so when he announces that he also made a sweet treat to accompany our coffee, I groan inwardly and prepare for another hour of this draining situation.
“Misha called,” Joseph says out of nowhere.
My ears spike, and my heart turns ice-cold.
“He called?” I blurt out.
Maria is sitting straight up as though someone has shoved an iron rod into her spine. “My brother called?” she snaps. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because he only called this morning, and I came home after the run to a house full of guests,” he shrugs. “But I guess everyone knows everyone’s business at this point, so yeah…he called. He knows you’re with us and what happened.”
“What else? What did you say? What did he want?” Maria pushes.
“I told him I would call him in a few days and arrange a meeting,” Joseph says.
“You want to meet him? Are you fucking insane?” I snarl.
Joe looks directly at me.
I swallow hard, fighting the string of curses I want to spew at him across the table.
“So, Artur, why does that bother you so much?” Joseph asks, leaning back with a cold look in his eyes.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I snap. He folds his arms across his chest.
“It means whatever you want it to mean. I’m asking you a question,” he huffs.
“If you have something to get off your chest, why don’t you say it like a man instead of stepping around the issue?” I snarl, losing my patience with this whole shitshow and standing up.
“I did say it like a fucking meant it. What the hell have you got against Misha? Why do you hate him so much that you kidnapped his sisterandbrought your personal issues intoa new alliance?” Joseph is furious. He’s suddenly not holding back, either. His civil and polite demeanor is gone. I knew it was fake all along. He was never the nice guy with morals who took everything so seriously. He’s as fucked up as everyone else.
“I don’t have to tell you any of my business,” I snap.
“Yes, you fucking do! When your business becomes my business because you kept it a secret when you joined this alliance and chose her as our wife,” he comes back sharply.
“Maria is as good a wife as anyone would have been. Makes no difference. Her. Another girl. Who the hell cares?”
I glare at Maria, making a point of speaking clearly so she doesn’t miss a damn word of it.
“It makes a difference if you did it for some kind of personal vendetta that’s going to affect all of us!” Joseph is not letting this go.
“It makes a difference to me!” Maria shouts, standing up as well.
“Stay out of it, Maria,” I snap.
“I won’t! This is my life! And you’re talking about me as though I’m some tool to you and easily replaceable. But I’m a human being. I have feelings, emotions, family…”
“Fuck your family!” I shout.
“How dare you speak about my brother like that!”
“Oh, wake up, girl! Stop pretending to be so innocent!”
We shout back and forth, and the rest of the people around the table stare in utter shock as the anger rises and tensions increase. Maria storms around the table to stand face to face with me and show she’s not afraid.
“Guys, come on, we can talk about this calmly,” Benedikt says when he realizes it’s only escalating from here. He stands up, ready to come between us. But I’m not done with this argument. I’m not done with her, and it’s time she learned that I will never fall for her fake bullshit again.
