Natalia’s POV

‘Where and when are you meeting him?’ I asked Dominika who was sitting on my couch, her phone in her grasp and her eyes trained on the screen. She had arrived at my small apartment a few hours ago, but she seemed more interested in her phone than soothing my not-so-quiet worries.

‘Twelve-thirty at our apartment, he’s picking me up and we are having lunch,’ I let out a sigh, I had two hours until I was meeting with my father and knowing that they were meeting at Dominika’s apartment, well it was supposed to be ours but I hadn't slept there in weeks, meant that I would have even more time, the apartment being a fair distance from the office.

The brunette seemed to be unaware, or just unfazed by my nervous pacing in front of her. I flopped next to her on the couch, bringing my knees up and stared at my best friend.

‘Why are you watching me?’ she asked, her eyes not lifting from the phone.

‘Because I am freaking out a little here.’

She finally looked at me, ‘Your father has refused you pretty much nothing in your life, I have no doubt that he will accept your proposal.’

‘What if he doesn’t? What if he makes me kill him? What if he completely loses trust in me for aski-’ my rant was stopped when Dominika cut in.

‘You are overthinking this Natalia, just go in there, tell him what we talked about, and then it will all be ok.’

I took a deep breath and got up, walking to the bathroom. I observed myself in the mirror, my eyes were dark and puffy, no sleep tended to do that to a person. My skin looked sickly pale, causing my pink lips to look a deeper shade than usual. I put some concealer under my eyes and fixed my make up.

My hair was straight today, the blonde stands falling harshly around my face. I curled one strand around my finger nervously as I prepared to stare at a clock for the next few hours until I had to leave.

I was momentarily saved from that boredom as my phone buzzed in the other room and I rushed to pick it up. Dexter’s name was displayed, so I made sure that my voice held no Russian accent as I answered.

‘Hey Dex,’ I said as happily as I could.

‘Hi Natalie,’ his voice was unemotional and held none of the usual cheeriness and love I knew it to harbour.

‘What’s up?’

‘I was wondering, could we meet before dinner?’ This looked promising, maybe I had been overreacting.

‘Yeah sure, is there a reason?’

‘Uh, I- I think we need to talk.’

Yeah, I wasn’t overreacting. We need to talk? I was about to save his life and he was about to break up with me?

I blinked back the tears in my eyes and tried to throw as much confidence as possible into my voice, ‘Ok, when do you want to meet?’

‘How about at 1:30pm, there’s an Italian place on San Lorenzo Ave, we could have lunch?’

‘That sounds great Dex,’ I said, pressing end and dropping the phone into my bag.

How is this supposed to work? I am about to tell my father that I want to tell Dexter everything, and he was on the verge of breaking up with me?

I pushed the thoughts away, well, as much as I could, yet the tears still formed in my eyes and the dread pooled in the pit of my stomach.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Dominika’s POV  - (YAY)

My best friend was in the bathroom, and I was about 50% sure that she was a crying mess. The other 50% was a mess that was fiercely trying to stop herself from crying. I knew that girl.

She had never loved someone so fiercely and whole-heartedly in her life and the thought of him hurting her or her hurting herself was why I wanted to protect her, to steer her away from that kind of pain. The girl, however, wasn’t so for that idea, and let herself get completely taken by love.

I had been in love, it seemed like forever ago that I had met him, and like yesterday that I had lost him. It was a quick death, but the pain never left my heart. I thought that I could get back into it, that I had enough time sitting out, but attempting to get into that prostitution ring just brought back memories of a mission gone terribly wrong, and of the man that I had lost. He never knew who I really was, and I constantly regrated that. He didn’t know my real name, but he knew my heart, and that hurt even more.

I knew in that restaurant that no matter how much I advise against it, that she was going to do whatever she could to save him. I would have done the same, had I been given an opportunity to save him. I believed, for those few moments, that she could make it with this guy, that someone who had that much passion and love for another would do anything to make it work. That was until I saw Molly and Dexter and the betrayed look in my best friend’s eyes.

She was my sister, well, as close to a sister as I was going to get, and she was hurting.

I knew that she would just push it to the back of her mind and try to ignore the hurt without reacting, but I knew it was tearing her up inside. She would believe it, of course, she was used to being used, but I saw past it. I saw that maybe the situation wasn’t as black and white as she had assumed it to be.

I didn’t even know Dexter, but I knew what Natalia had told me about him, and he wasn’t the sort of person to do something like this, making me think that maybe this Molly woman isn’t as clean as Natalia thinks.

Knowing she wouldn’t do what I was prepared to do, I dialled Leo’s number.

‘Dominika darling, what could I possibly have done to deserve your attention?’ he said in a mock posh tone and I stifled a laugh.

‘I need you to find out info for me,’ I stated, refusing to beat around the bush with playful banter.

‘On who?’ he asked, his voice returning to normal.

‘Cop, names Molly something, she is dating Oleg.’

‘Oleg’s dating someone?’

‘Yeah, Natalia told me after she found out a few days ago. Keep it of the record, but find out what she is up to, something seems fishy about her.’

‘I don’t really know how to do all that stuff, why can’t you ask Oleg? I’m sure he wouldn’t be dating her anyway before checking her out online and in the police records.’

‘He’s blinded by love Leo.’ 

‘He’s not the kind of guy who would overlook things.’

‘Can you help me Leo or not?’

‘I can’t, but I know someone who can.’

He gave me the number of someone known as Brianna, who I called immediately. The girl told me she would get right on it, then call me if she found anything. I hoped that if we didn’t find anything sneaky, that she would at least find something I could use to blackmail her out of the picture. 

‘Shouldn’t you go back to your apartment?’ Natalia appeared next to the couch.

She had tried to fix her make up, but I could still see the tell-tale signs of a sleepless night showing on her pale face.

‘Yes, I am going now,’ I told her, getting up.

I gave her a hug on the way out and hoped that her father would be as understanding as I was.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Natalia’s POV

I made my way through the elegant lobby quickly, making my way to the back of the large room. I stepped into the glass lined elevator and looked at myself.

I thought back to a few months ago, where I was in such a similar position. Looking down at my feet, I saw those same black pumps, sending a boost of confidence surging through me.

I somehow looked noticeably older and more mature since the last time I stood in this elevator, even though I looked to have not slept in weeks and that I feel asleep on a flat iron, my hair was that flat and straight.

I felt a surge of nervousness as the elevator doors opened revealing a busy and crowded space. Walking over to my father’s office, I didn’t see Erik or Leo, and I was thank-full that my plan to deal with Erik must have worked.

I opened the door, revealing my father, who was sitting at his desk, typing harshly on a keyboard, angry lines covering his face.

‘Papa?’ I got his attention and his previous expression morphed into a slight smile as he beckoned me over.

‘Natalia! Kitten! You’re here,’ he exclaimed in that thick accent of his.

I took a seat and sat up straight, willing confidence to fill my veins opposed to the nervousness that seemed to be presiding in my body.

‘So, what have you found?’ My father asked, intertwining his fingers ontop of the desk, ‘How many others is he working with? Any?’

‘About that, I uh...’

‘Natalia? What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing,’ I composed myself, ‘I don’t think that he is working with anyone else, but I do have a solution to getting rid of the problem.’

‘You do? Well, I am always open to suggestions,’ He sat back in his chair.

I smiled at his willingness to hear me out but it was extreemly nerve-wracking to be sitting opposite a man as intimidating as my father while you tried to convince him of something. It was made even harder by the large desk which sat between us, which seemed to have an intimidating presence of its very own. Sitting straight I spoke with as much confindence as I could muster in a situation like this, ‘Well, I know that the plan was to eliminate him all together, but I was thinking that maybe I could, well, I could tell him who I was and explain it all to him, make him get on our side that way.’

‘Kitten, it is much easier to just kill him. He is causing enough problems, we don’t need to be giving him more ammunition to take us down.’

‘Papa,’ I chose my words carefully, ‘I don’t want him to be killed because on this task I have discovered what an asset he could be to us, to all of us.’

His face turned into a scowl, ‘Are you in love with him Kitten?’

His question threw me off, it was unexpected, but now that I think about it, he is a smart man, he must have known that something was off.

‘I, have gotten close to him, yes, but I think that if I told him who I really was, he would be much more susceptible to a bribe, and even just being on our side with no bribe at all-’

‘What you are saying Kitten, is that he is in love with you and you believe that he will chose you and what you stand for over what he believes and what he stands for.’

‘I believe that his perception will change once he knows who I am.’

My father became thoughtful, considering his options. The silence was nerve-wracking and I had to restrain myself from tapping my fingers anxiously or biting my nails.

After what seemed like a lifetime of quiet contemplation, he finally leant forward.

‘If you believe that he will no longer be a threat to us, then go ahead, tell him who you are, but if he poses a threat still, then I will have no choice but to have him killed.’

His words were like music to my ears, I was successful! I had saved him, and I didn’t have to chose between my family and Dexter, I was able to have it all. I just had to tell Dexter the truth, and with some time and some damn good explanations, then he might just be able to forgive me and we could live out the lives we had dreamed of.

I stood from my chair, a smile on my face.

‘Thank-you Papa, I am about to go meet Dexter at this little Italian place on San Lorenzo Ave, I’ll tell him there.’

He smiled, a tense smile, and nodded.

‘Before you go, could you stop by Yury’s restaurant for me, give him some files.’

‘Uh, yeah sure,’ I looked at my watch, aware that Dexter would probably almost be there by now. I would have to make it quick at Olegs parents place, hopefully Yury wouldn't insist that I spend too much time there as I dropped of the files.

‘Thank-you, they are with my assistant.’

He picked up the phone as I left his office and when I made my way to his assistant’s desk she had just put the phone down and gotten up. A few moments later she returned, a sealed folder in her hands.

‘Here you go,’ she said and smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes, and I wondered if she was alright.

‘Are you alright?’

‘I am fine Miss,’ she said and I didn’t push it, taking the file from her and walking towards the elevators, a spring in my step.

Nicolai's POV

I picked up the phone as soon as Natalia had gotten up, pressing the extension for my assistants desk phone.

‘Yes Sir?’ She answered.

‘My daughter is headed your way, put some blank sheets of paper into a sealed envelope and give them to her and say nothing.’

‘Yes Sir.’

I put the phone down.

Natalia had gotten too close and this was for the best.

I picked up the phone again.

‘Yes Papa?’

‘Erik, there’s an Italian place on San Lorenzo Ave. Dexter Wyatt needs to be taken down. Now.’

‘I thought that you were going to let Natalia do the hit?’ he asked confused.

‘Now Erik,’ I told him harshly.

‘Yes Papa.’

I hung up.

My daughter was not as fit for this life as I had hoped, and when this is all over she will thank me for what I have done, for doing what needed to be done.

I hope you guys are enjoing this story, and if you could, I would LOVE it if you could check out my new story. It's called 'My Psychotic Ex-Boyfriend'