“We have a lead on him. Soon enough, he’ll be inside our pit, and the crazy thing is, he wouldn’t even know. But until then, no matter what happens, keep Liza away from this, Roman. Let her recover well.”
I didn’t know what to think or do about their instructions. Their shift in perspective towards Liza was massively concerning, although I liked the fact that they sought her safety the same way I did. I also liked that they no longer saw her as a hostage, and all the positive care and attention they gave to Liza started during the wedding. Now, they seemed to want to be overprotective of her, which I thought complicated everything. Or perhaps, their shift in perspective towards Liza was a good thing after all. She had more than enough backing and was able to receive all the support she needed with Alina now living in the mansion.
I felt there was more to be done. I love Liza, but I was still uncertain about how she saw me, or the entire Bratva. The previous night, she cried, saying she didn’t know who to trust anymore. It made me think for a while. If she didn’t trust me enough to open up, who then does she trust? Who does she open up to? I needed to know. I had to know how much she’d let me in; I had to know how much she was willing to be sincere with me. So while she got better, I made a decision to test it all.
I sat on the chair beside her and ran my hands through her hair. She seemed to be in a good mood. She lay on the bed as though she was tired of being awake. I knew she didn’t want to sleep either, so she was typically bored. And while I watched the way she turned to look at me, her eyes penetrating my gaze, she smiled and bit her bottom lip.
“What’s on your mind?” She asked.
“You,” I answered.
“What about me?” I looked at her for a while in silence.
“Get ready. We’ll be going somewhere, soon.” The flesh on her forehead creased, and I could tell she was confused.
“Where are we going?” She asked.
“A gala. I want you to accompany me to a charity gala. This will take place in two nights from today. But I have to warnyou, it’s a high society event, and there’ll be paparazzi flooding the place. Pictures will be taken of us, and we’ll be seen as a power couple.”
“Okay…but what does all this have to do with me?” She asked, tucking the parts of her hair behind her ears right after she bit gently on her lips.
“It’s a strategy, Liza.”
“For what?” She still looked confused, and to be honest, I didn’t blame her for not understanding. She’s been through a lot, so I knew I had to explain the details for her to gain clarity into my plan.
“It’s a strategy to test Arkady and his allies. Take it this way,” I arranged myself properly on the chair. My hands were placed atop the table.
“If the world should see us together, it’s going to be hard for Arkady to strike again. His allies would be defenseless against us.”
“So you think they’re going to strike again?” I shook my head. It was a no-brainer for them to strike again. They did it before, and they would be willing to do it again. But this…this was different. It’s not our way of surrender, it’s our way of getting answers. So I looked at her, trying to get the right words together in order to reply simply. It was moments like this that I craved a drink.
“All you need to know for now is that lots of people will be in attendance, dignitaries of all sorts. Both the good and the bad, the innocent and the guilty. But also, you should know that in the gala, whoever your father promised to sell you off to will be in attendance, and when he arrives, he’s going to look for what was promised to him.”
Liza reclined on the chair and seemed to think about it for a while. Her attention wasn’t stable. It moved from me to the lamp, and then darted away to the walls, right before her headraised high to the ceiling, and then finally, her eyes settled on me. She didn’t have to tell me that it seemed like a herculean task for her. But I understood it all. This was going to be her first public appearance since the wedding. That was enough trauma on its own, and it was definitely running through her mind.
I didn’t want to talk too much about ensuring her safety, though, because it was already settled. Of course, it was a harmless gala, but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be prepared. I’d set out a high security system to watch over her and protect her at all costs. Nonetheless, Liza looked at me, and she seemed to chew on the inside of her cheek. Her hands folded across her chest, and I sat down there, hopeful for whatever it was that she had to say.
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll both go to the gala. I’m not a novice to the system and how it works, and this is something that I think I’m naturally good at.” Her response filled me with so much pride.
“That’s great. The gala is just two nights away, so I think we have plenty of time to prepare.” She smiled, revealing her perfect teeth. Lots of things came to mind. One of them was Alina, who preached daily about Liza maintaining her stress level. I wondered if this would be too much stress for her. And though I wanted her to accompany me, I didn’t want to complicate things with her current health condition. This was a clandestine issue; I would bring Alina along. She’d stay in the car, and if something happened, say Liza goes into a panic, she’d be around to give her instant aid.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked. She smiled and laughed.
“I would’ve refused if I weren’t. So yes, I’m okay with this. It’s something I know that I can handle.”
And that was all I needed to hear. Liza didn’t only open up to me, she proved herself worthy to support me, and she wasalso worthy of my support. I could never describe the way I felt, but I knew that if we were going anywhere together, my vow for her safety and that of the baby still stood. I could see it all now. The glamour and attention. I hope she pictured it too because indeed, Liza was no novice to things like this. Like me, she knew how to bask in the presence of attention. Of course, I trusted that she’d stick with me and bring along her charm. In return, I’d give her my undivided attention. And I’d take a bullet for her if I had to, though I was certain that everything would work out just fine.
Chapter Nineteen
Liza’s POV
The car halted at the start of the red carpet. A large number of people stood behind the barricades, and I saw a guard walk towards us through the tinted glass window.
“How do you feel?” Roman asked me, holding onto my hand.
“Grand,” I answered, and the sudden look of concern he had on his face transformed into joy and hope. I knew that he wanted this to happen, and it meant so much to him that I should come. I straightened out the shoulders of his blazer and even the black bowtie at the front of his neck.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said and smiled right before he sighed and walked out of the car. I closed my eyes and inhaled a large amount of air.
