<b>Chapter </b><b>126 </b>
Niki’s POV:
My intense dislike of my brother, Dmitri, had never stemmed solely from his tant over–reliance on our father’s power and wealth. It wasn’t just his utterly spoiled nature that grated on my nerves. If that were the sole reason, I would have harbored simr disdain for a significant portion of the upper echelons of our society.
The truth was, a good many of them were precisely the same – entitled, arrogant, andpletely detached from the struggles of the real world
But not all of them werepletely devoid of empathy, not all of them were utter cowards at their core. There was a line, a fundamental difference in character, that separated Dmitri from even the most privileged circles, and that line had been crossed long
<b>ago </b>
I had desperately hoped that the incident eight years ago had been a one–time, horrificpse in judgment. It disgusted even myself now<i>, </i>sitting here, remembering the details, to think that he had seemingly repeated such a vile act. I had made damn sure to keep a discreet eye on him for a long time after that, ensuring he understood the gravity of his actions and hopefully preventing any simr
urrences.
However, it seemed my vignce had faltered, my attention diverted, perhaps inevitably, after Elena’s arrival into my life. Her presence had be my focus, my obsession, and in that distraction, Dmitri had apparently reverted to his true, reprehensible nature.
“What are you… talking about, Niki?” Elena asked, her voice filled with confusion.
I took a deep breath, and turned my gaze towards Mielle.
Then I looked back at the road ahead. “Let’s go somewhere private to talk about this properly,” I said, my voice low and strained. Elena pursed her lips, a hint of impatience shing in her eyes.
“Let’s just go to the penthouse then. We can talk there,” she said, and I frowned, my concern for her well–being overriding my own desire to keep her close. “Does your mother know you’re here?” She shook her head, her gaze resolute. “No. No time for that. I need to get back to Maxcester City before morning. It’s better if I don’t tell her.”
I frowned, but nodded slowly in understanding. Right. She couldn’t afford to take time off from her internship at Legacy, not with her career hanging in the bnce.
Though I could easily arrange something for her, pull some strings with Seraphina to give her a few days leave, but <b>I </b>knew, with certainty, that she wouldn’t like it. No, in fact, relying on me for her career, even in this small way, was bound to make her upset.
“Alright then,” I said, pulling the car back onto the road, merging smoothly with thete–night traffic. “Have you had dinner?” I asked, ncing at her profile. She looked at Mielle, a silentmunication passing between them, and then shook her head
I pulled out my phone and quickly typed out a message to Benjamin, asking him to have a substantial dinner delivered to the penthouse as soon as possible.
The drive back to the city center passed in a heavy silence. Finally, we arrived at the penthouse. Elena walked in behind me, her steps hesitant. It was clear that she noticed the pillow and nket I had left haphazardly on the living room couch. A clear, unspoken question hung in her eyes, but I deliberately didn’t acknowledge it.
I had spent each night since she had left sleeping fitfully on that very couch, unable to bring myself to sleep in our bed without her presence beside me. I couldn’t believe I was even admitting that to myself. But the truth was. I would <b>have </b>preferred her own rickety, ufortable bed at her mother’s small house, as long as she was there beside me, to the vast emptiness of this luxurious penthouse without her.
I quickly cleared the couch, tossing the pillow and nket to the side, and arranged the delivered parcel boxes with the steaming fried rice, curry, and various side dishes on the coffee table. Then, I filled the electric kettle and set it on the stove beforeing to sit <b>on </b>the edge of the sofa, leaving a respectful distance between Elena and myself
“Let’s eat first,” I said softly, gesturing towards the food Mielle excused herself to use the bathroom, while Elena silently began setting out the tes. The unspoken tension in the room was palpable.
No one spoke while we ate, the only sounds the clinking of cutlery and the soft chewing. Then, Mielle, looking slightly less pale and shaken, was the first to break the silence<b>. </b>“Sir-”
“Just call me Niki, please<b>,</b>” I said.
She nodded. “Niki, can you please exin what you were talking about earlier? About Dmitri… and that girl?” She asked, her voice calmer nowpared to before. I didn’t know her well, but I had vaguely recognized her from Benjamin’s brief research she was the ssmate Elena had spent time with on herst day at university.
I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts, and began. “Eight years ago, Dmitri met a girl in a bar he frequented. Her name was Liberty Romano, and she <b>was </b>sort of a… ‘free<b>–</b>spirited‘ girl. I remember <b>her </b>very little, to be honest<b>, </b>since I was barely in contact with my father and Dmitri at that time.<b>” </b>
<b>A </b>strange, unsettling impulse to fidget overtook me. All I could do was mindlessly move my thumb back and forth against the fabric of my trousers.
“<b>Was </b>she his girlfriend?” Elena asked, her voice soft h
probing, and I shook my head.
“<b>As </b><b>far </b><b>as </b>I know, they only had <b>a</b>… physical rtionship. Neither of them wanted to be in an actual rtionship. Especially due to the nature of Liberty’s job. She worked at the bar… <b>as </b>an escort.” I paused, letting the information sink in, and then added, “She became pregnant back then and had asked Dmitri to take responsibility.” Both Elena and Mielle frowned, a shared look of disapproval passing between them.
“She didn’t want a rtionship, though? If she worked as an escort, then…” Mielle trailed off, her eyes wide with a dawning understanding, and I nodded in grim confirmation.
yes. Dmitri had told her, in no uncertain terms, to get an abortion. There wasn’t any concrete proof that he was the father, and like I said, Liberty <b>was </b>an escort, so unfortunately, no one in our social circles really thought highly of her or her ims. Her parents suddenly showed up at the Vetrov house, demanding a substantial financial settlement to pay to Liberty because she’d supposedly lost her job due to the pregnancy and no other establishment was willing to hire her in her condition.”
They listened in silence, their expressions growing increasingly troubled, as I continued, “As you would probably expect, my father didn’t agree to their demands. He threatened them with legal action, using them of attempted extortion.”
“Well… no offense to Liberty, considering the circumstances, but it does sound like she was trying to get money out of him,” Elena said, her brow furrowed, and I pursed my lips. As harsh as it sounded to speak ill of the deceased, I couldn’t help but agree with her
assessment.
“She wasn’t a saint, no. Like I said, this whole thing happened when Dmitri was still in high school. He’d been young and foolish, and he signed some papers Liberty had given him, thinking they were rted to her getting an abortion. He barely skimmed through them before signing, not realizing they were actually a trap, a legal acknowledgment of paternity. She went quiet for a while after that, and the next time she showed up at our door, it was with the police<b>. </b>She imed she had been raped by Dmitri. She’d had a rape kit done, and apparently, there was enough evidence, however questionable, for the authorities to take it seriously. He was taken to juvenile detention since he was still underage…” Elena cut me off, her eyes shing with anger.
“That’s why he’s reacting this way now?! If he was that unsure about the papers Liberty gave him eight years ago, he should have just asked for awyer to <i>look </i>them over before signing. Wha