Nonetheless, with all that's happened, I had high hopes that she'd stick with me, through thick and thin. If she could speak to the press with such composure when I had her as hostage, I knew she'd do better even now. She made me happy, genuinely. Although sometimes I felt as though she had her own issues with trust. Only God knows how guilty I feel for all the bullshit I put her through. But things weren't getting any easier. These were trying times, and Liza didn't just showcase how strong she was; she proved she was a survivor, and last night made me believe even more that she'd stick with me through this.
I kissed Liza again, but this time, on her cheek, before I walked out of the bedroom. My car smelled like detergent. I believe Stepan must have told one of the boys to clean all of the cars that were in the garage.
“It's going to be fine,” I said, but I didn't feel calm. My mind was a rush of urgency, and my delay made me think of how much time I didn't have to set things right. I had to protect my name and restore the Lobanovs' honor by first ensuring the safety of all my foundations and charities.
“It's going to be fine, Roman,” I said again, and then I turned on the ignition of the car. I looked at the rear-view mirrors. The guard was ready to push open the gate, yet I had this sudden feeling of unrest. My mind began thinking ofwhat would be possible for me to do to ensure that Arkady lost everything. How do I get to the Middle Eastern buyer and persuade him not to work with Arkady? It's a good thing that Konstantin was the right man for tracking. Sometimes he could be full of surprises. My only hope was to arrive at their place and get all my questions answered.
The car moved in reverse, and the gates opened. The guard threw a friendly salute, which I didn't respond to. I didn't mean to be rude; it's just that it's hard to focus on such things when you're dealing with a lunatic.
I texted Konstantin.
“Hey, I'm on my way in 5.”
It didn't take long for him to respond.
“Come over. Viktor's here too.”
I set my phone aside, ran my hands through my hair, and looked at the rear-view mirror. And that was when I spotted some around the bushes. I looked closely and waited for a little while to observe if I'd see a strange motion, but I didn't see anything.
At some point, I felt the need to walk down from the car and check myself, but I wasn't prepared for that. I was unarmed. Any risky move might in turn be an act of carelessness in place of courage. So I dismissed the thought. Today was going to be a long day, but I was determined to put an end to Arkady and all of his bullshit.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liza’s POV
The rays of the sunlight shined in my eyes, and I felt the heat. The room was calm and silent, and in the stillness, I thought of Roman. I tapped on the bed a few times, hoping that maybe I would touch a part of his body, but nothing. The restroom was empty, as was the closest. Roman's towels were wet, and the foot patterns that were etched on the tiles were proof that Roman had left the bedroom not so long ago. Yet I had to be sure. I heard the sound of my heartbeat in my ears, my eyes opened wide while I wore my pink satin robe, which covered my naked body. I walked over to the Balcony, thinking that hopefully, I would catch a glimpse of him from the ground floor, but all to no avail.
Almost immediately, when I turned around, the door to the bedroom opened, and Alina walked in without knocking.
“Oh, hey! I see you're awake,” she said in a jolly tone with a smile stretching her lips from one end of her face to the other. “I hope you had a good night's rest?”
“Have you seen Roman anywhere?”
Alina nodded in response and walked towards me. “He went out.”
“Went out?” I asked. He didn't even leave a note. “What time did he leave?”
“Before dawn. He looked like he was in a hurry,” she said.
“Did he mention where he was going?”
“Yes, he said something about a meeting.” Oh dear. Roman is the typical workaholic. He always had something to do, even in his leisure.
“Okay.” I sighed as I tried to keep calm. “Do you know who the meetings are with?”
She shook her head and said “No,” in a plain tone. “I have no clue.”
I turned around and started pacing in the room. What the hell? Why would he leave like it was some sort of emergency? Was something wrong? Did he see something? My mind ran with questions to the point where I began to bite the tip of my finger. The whole news confused me. I couldn't keep calm because my spirit was filled with unrest, and I disliked being uncertain about anything. Curiosity had the best of me to the extent that my breath increased like I'd run a marathon.
“Hey, Liza,” Alina said, and I almost didn't pay attention. I kept pacing, and then she touched me on the shoulder. “You should calm down.”
How on earth was I meant to calm down?
“I'm worried.”
“I know…that's why you need to relax. Things like this happen often, so don't worry about it. He's in safe hands, and you should know that. Panicking about his whereabouts won't get you anywhere.”
“I hate being in the middle of all this,” I turned and sat down on the bed. Alina did the same, and she rubbed my back with a careful touch.
