Chapter 1

Aftermath

Valentina

Nobody has left the house in the past three weeks since Romeo got shot at my father's birthday. The first few days after felt like nothing had really changed, but the atmosphere in the house has been different. Everyone tries to act like nothing really happened, like we're fine and it was just a normal birthday.

No one ever mentions the security guys outside our house, nor the security kiosk that has been set up in front of our gate two days after the incident.

I had to go to a party at some point with Raisa and Isaac, but my mother said no. I wasn't sure why I even felt like asking for permission the second time around, because I never had to do so before, but she still said no. The reason given to me were the Covid restrictions, even though people had been allowed to go outside for months now.

I knew that wasn't the reason, but I never put up much of a fight anyway, so I ended up going along with it.

Staying inside for weeks has left me with nothing better to do than to think, and most of my thoughts ended up leading to what happened with Romeo. I keep asking myself why he was targeted and who had wanted to kill him in the first place.

Sometimes I would think about the way he clung onto me as the life drained out of his eyes, or how his limp body felt as it weighed down mine.

My mother had insisted that both Adrik and I visit a therapist as soon as we arrived back home from Italy. I went one time, but the session was mostly spent looking at each other without saying anything.

"Why are you here?" she had asked me after I sat down without saying anything.

"Because my mother told me to."

"You seem bothered by that."

"Maybe I am, I don't know."

"Do you often feel like you don't want to do what your parents tell you to?"

It had felt like a very intrusive and personal question coming from a stranger. "How is that relevant?"

"Isn't that what you said? That's the reason why you're here, isn't it?"

She seemed like she already knew what I was there but was playing dumb.

"Yes, but she didn't make me come here to talk about my feelings about my parents."

"Why did she make you come then?"

"Did she not tell you?"

"I want to hear it from you."

I proceeded to tell her what had happened.

"And how do you feel about it?" had been her conclusion.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just curious."

She didn't look like she had expected me to say that. "Are you experiencing any symptoms?"

"Like what?"

"Recurrent fear? Nightmares? Any signs of PTSD?"

"PTSD just because- I mean, nothing happened to me. I'm just wondering what he did to get himself shot."

"Did you know him personally?"

"I've known him for more than half of my life I guess. He was the housekeeper at our house in Italy."

"And you're not sad?"

"I was sad, but I've had time to grieve."

"It's been a week since then."

"Should I still be sad then?"

"No, I was just checking the facts. Do you feel nervous, tense?"

"Because of the event? No."

"Have you been back in public since it happened?"

"No, but I'd like to."

"Could you go back to a theatre or a public place?"

"I guess so. I haven't tried it. I wanted to go to a party yesterday but my mother said no, like I'm a child that needs to ask for permission."

"Does the idea scare you?"

"Asking for permission to go outside? Yes."

"I meant going to a theatre or a public place."

"Why would it?"

"Because you might get shot again, maybe."

"Why would I get shot again? I wasn't shot the first time. He was the target and I was just happening to be standing next to him."

"Why do you refer to him as your target?"

"It definitely wasn't a terrorist attack or something like that. Whoever it was, they wanted to kill him and no one else."

"Alright. Are you reliving the event?"

"I mean, I think about it sometimes."

"What do you think about?"

"Who was trying to kill him, what did he do...why it had to happen."

"You're curious because you feel like there's no closure?"

"Exactly."

"Does this need for closure make you scared?"

"No."

"But are you reliving the terror? The fear? The feelings you felt when it happened?" When she had seen that I was confused, she elaborated. "What were you feeling when it happened?"

"I felt shocked." My brain had been completely paralyzed for a second and I felt like I was watching myself from somewhere else (but I didn't tell her that, because it wasn't relevant to her question).

At the end of the session she told me that I was fine and that I didn't require therapy for PTSD.

My mother was so surprised when she heard that she had called the therapist to make sure. Then she called a family meeting to talk about it, and it turned out that Adrik was the only one out of the four of us who wanted to continue therapy.

Once they started talking about the schedule he would follow, I zoned out.

***

Moscow, Russia - September 17th 2020

By the time September is halfway through, I've had enough. I've had enough of feeling like there's nothing going on in my life, like every day is the same and I can't do anything I want to do.

A part of me knows that I'm being ungrateful; living in a big house with a pool and a cinema room wasn't a bad place to be locked up in. When I was younger, I used to dream of giant mansions with pools and tennis courts. Now I live in one of those and they seem average to me.

Now it feels like I have nothing to look forward to.

My parents are in the living room when I go on a quest to find them; my dad is at the desk on his laptop and my mom is on the couch, watching TV.

"I'm going to the movies tonight with Raisa."

"You can't."

This makes me angry. "Why can't I even go outside?!"

"Because there's a pandemic-"

"That's not it. You didn't have a problem to go anywhere until dad's birthday! You can't honestly tell me that you respect the governments advice or expected me to genuinely believe you. We were travelling against 'restrictions' when we went to Italy for dad's birthday. You didn't have a problem with the pandemic then."

They look at each other.

"So that's not the reason." I add, not sure whether I'm angrier because they won't let me go anywhere or because they are lying to me. "Are you scared something will happen to me if I leave the house?"

"No." my dad says.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Until we find out what happened with Romeo, you're not allowed to leave the house."

"Why?"

"Because we're not sure if Romeo was the target."

The possibility of the shots being intended for someone in our family scares the life out of me. It places fear inside every fiber of my being, and I am uncomfortable when I feel scared.

"Who else? I'm sure whoever shot him was aiming for him. He was shot twice."

"How can you talk about it like it's nothing?" my mom asks.

"Because you also act about it like it's nothing! But you're scared, and you want me to be scared as well."

"Nobody's scared." My dad says in a serious tone. "We're just precautious."

"Then let me go."

"You can't go yet, and it's final."

"We didn't even go to the funeral, and he was part of our family since I was a child."

"We're not going anywhere, especially not Italy until we figure out what happened, so you can drop the subject Valentina."

I feel like a child again, when they wouldn't let me have fun. I feel like screaming and crying and making a scene, but I just go back upstairs instead.

***

Moscow, Russia - September 22nd, 2020

My mom calls me into her room a few days later, interrupting me from my show.

"We'll go to a Russian charity event in New York next week." Is what she says when I enter the bedroom. Dad is on the bed watching TV, and she's taking her makeup off at the vanity table.

"This sounds like the last thing I would like to do."

She throws me a look.

"Why do I even have to go? Like what's the point of going to these things?" I whine.

"We were invited and your father is a stakehold-"

"But why do I have to be there?"

"You were just complaining about not going outside a few days ago and now you don't want to go?"

I groan. "That's not what I meant. I meant going out into the city, by myself or with someone. Not going out because I'm forced to by my parents."

"Nobody is forcing you to do anything." My dad interjects.

"Can I stay home then and go out in Moscow instead?"

"No."

"Why?!"

"Because the fundraiser is organized by one of your father's friends, and they invited us."

Rolling my eyes is the only answer I can come up with.

"We're leaving in a week."

"Can I stay home?" I try again.

"No."

"Have you figured out who was supposed to be killed?"

My father looks at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?"

"You can't just talk about things like this."

"Isn't that what you said though?"

"Valentina." My mother tries to reason with me as she throws a worried look towards my dad.

"Fine. I can't wait until school starts next month so I can finally be away from you."

With that said, I make my dramatic exit out of their room.

***

New York, United States – September 30th, 2020

We are set to arrive at the hotel the day of the event. It's only my parents and I since Adrik got to stay home because he 'wasn't really ready to deal with a crowded space'. The smirk at the end of his sentence had let me know that he was long over it but was smart enough to use it as an excuse.

This meant that I had to get up at four so we could be on the plane at 6am. By the time we touched down in New York it's 9am local time, even though it's late afternoon in my head.

The ball is taking place at The Plaza, but we apparently know the owner and got two rooms reserved just for our family.

I know that there's a security guard right outside my door, but I am grateful to finally be I out of the house and have a little bit of privacy.

The dress I packed for the event is black and simple, with feathers at the bottom. My mother insisted I wear heels, and I chose the YSL ones with the logo as the heel.

We have a table as usual, together with Raisa and Valerya. Lunch is served half an hour in, and by the time I'm done eating I already feel bored.

All my mother and Valerya seem to be able to talk about it whose daughter is dancing with whose son, and I can't even pretend that I'm remotely interesting in the topic.

Raisa is only able to talk about her boyfriend from Moscow who studies Law at NYU, and even when the conversation isn't about him, she finds a way to bring him up.

My eyes drift off around the room in a desperate way to entertain myself by watching other people. There's a family a few tables away, who seems to be just as bored as I am. The two children, a girl and a boy, look like they would rather be anywhere but here as they lean on their elbows and watch the dance floor with disinterest.

"You could also dance, you know." My mother pipes up after I sighed for the tenth time in twenty minutes.

"No thank you."

My father has disappeared after lunch was served, probably off somewhere with his business partners/friends/whatever they are.

I inevitably look around the room again, this time sipping from a freshly poured champagne glass.

The family from earlier is missing the dad and the daughter, and the mother looks like she is telling the boy off for something he shouldn't have done. It reminds me of my family's first 'formal event', when Adrik and I definitely did not want to be there and mom would have to tell us to behave every minutes in a hushed tone.

I look over at the bar where two queues have started to form, mostly filled with men who want something stronger than bad champagne. There are two guys at the end of the bar, and the already looking at me reminds me of Matteo.

It is Matteo.

I do a double take and we look at each other confused at first; confused as to what the other is doing here. Then he raises his brows and nods in acknowledgement, his signature smirk appearing at the corners of his mouth.

The guy next to him looks at me before turning his head and asking Matteo something.

"I'll be right back." I tell no one in particular as I stand up.

My heels are a nightmare to walk in, and the thought of tripping on my way to the bar flashes through my mind.

"Where are you going?"

I roll my eyes. "To the bar."

Before she can ask me anymore questions, I start walking towards the bar, making sure to place one foot in front of the other.

I watch Matteo's face as he looks in the direction of my table again and realizing I'm not there anymore. He looks around the crowd then, and by the time we make eye contact I'm close enough to hear him.

Both of them watch me take a few more steps until I'm right in front of them.

"Hi." I say, my checking him out for a split second. He's wearing a suit without a tie, and there's an earpiece with a chord in his right ear. His hair is gelled back, which reveals more of his face and makes him look pretty.

He looks at me for a moment, taking me in, then looks down, shyly smiling. He's embarrassed about looking so dressed-up, which makes him look cute, in a youthful, boyish sort of way. He looks...ugh.

"You look handsome." I say and walk closer to him, shamelessly checking him out.

I know he's trying not to do the same, which gives me pleasure in a sadistic sort of way.

"You look good too." he sees my face and adds "and I'm not saying it just because you said it."

I smirk. "I know."

The guy he's with says something in Italian before he leaves the two of us alone.

"Who is that?"

He turns his head to look in the guy's direction. The fact that he smells incredible makes me wonder whether I'm already tipsy from three glasses of champagne.

"It's my partner. Luca." He looks back to me, then down at my full glass. "Looks like you're struggling."

"I don't even like champagne. It doesn't taste so good and it takes liters to get drunk."

Matteo smiles. "You're drinking it though."

"What am I supposed to do? Not drink at these events? It's the only way I get through them."

"Do you go to these types of events often?"

"My parents make me go."

It makes me sound like a child, but it's the bitter truth. I'm not as independent as I would like to be.

He makes himself comfortable in the highchair he is sitting on, leaning his right elbow on the bar to look up at me. "So what are you doing here?"

"I told you, my family."

He smirks. "I meant, why did you come over?"

I roll my eyes at him, not able to hide my smile. I can't deny the fact that mood has shifted since I came over.

"I want to get a proper drink, and to say hello."

He whistles to one of the guys working at the bar, then waves him over. I notice a new tattoo on his hand as he does so.

"What does the tattoo mean?" I ask.

He replies with a question. "What do you want to drink?"

"Gin Tonic, obviously."

Matteo motions to the guy to make two of them, then turns back to me. The way he's looking at me makes me feel naked, like he's trying to read my mind.

"What?" I impatiently ask.

"How are you?"

The question seems weird to me. "I'm good, why?"

He shrugs. "I haven't seen you since-" he stops. "Since your birthday."

I squint at him in a joking way, to let him know that I can tell something's off.

"What?" he smirks, mimicking my accent and my words from a few seconds ago.

"How are you?" I ask then, trying my best to do an Italian accent.

"Also good. A little bored."

"What are you even doing here? I thought this is a Russian event."

"My dad's security company was hired for the event a while back."

"So, you're supposed to be from security?"

He nods.

"Do you have a gun?"

His face changes. "I do."

"Have you ever shot someone?"

"No."

I can tell he's lying. "Why are you lying?"

"Because it's not something I like to talk about."

"I think it's interesting."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's just interesting. The circumstances, the story behind it."

"Why do you think there's a story?"

"There's always a story."

"I'm not going to talk about it though."

"That's alright." I say, although now he's made me curious. It's the most interesting that's happened to me in the past month.

I realize that he's looking at me weird.

"Anything interesting happen to you?" he asks me.

"Not really. We had to stay inside for the past month."

"Why?"

Shit, now I have to come up with something.

"Covid."

I don't care if he can tell I'm lying, I just can't talk about what happened right now.

The guy, Luca, comes back. He's tall (not as tall as Matteo but taller than me in heels), has light brown hair and blue eyes.

He talks in Italian once again, completely ignoring me. Something he says makes Matteo's face change.

I busy myself with the drinks placed by the bartender as Matteo says something to Luca I don't understand.

My eyes drift towards my table, where my mother and Raisa are watching, obviously talking about me. I see Raisa say something to my mom before standing up and walking in our direction.

Great.

She greets Matteo by kissing both of his cheeks, then introduces herself to Luca. By the way she's standing, I can immediately tell that her boyfriend doesn't compare to Matteo in her head.

"What are you doing after this?" Luca asks both of us, even though he's looking at me.

Before I can answer, Raisa answers for the both of us. "Nothing yet. Why?"

"Maybe we can get some drinks after?" Luca suggests.

Matteo and I exchange looks. I kind of want to, but at the same time, I don't.

"Maybe." Raisa teases, then turns to me. "Your father is looking for you."

I look towards our table. My dad is back, talking to mom about something.

"I'll go." I look at Matteo. "Have fun."

He nods. "You too."

He seems weird ever since Luca came back, but I need to worry about what my dad wants instead of interpreting Matteo's moods.

"I'm here." I tell him once I'm withing earshot. "What is this about?"

"There is a poker game with some of my partners and I was wondering whether you'd like to join us."

The sentence makes me feel delighted. Finally, something that would actually be fun.

When I was younger we used to play card games, and my favorite one has always been poker. He used to let me win until I was around thirteen and he realized that I could win without any help because I was getting good at it.

We haven't played in over two years, and I'm happy to participate. Maybe him asking me to join him and his business partners is his way of telling me that he doesn't see me as a child anymore, and that the past month's tension needs to be put to rest.

As I follow him through the sea of tables, I spare one last glance in the direction of the bar, but Matteo and Luca are both gone.

The room is in the basement, and I can already smell the cigarette smoke in the hallway.

We enter a dimly lit room with a giant round table that has green upholstery on the top in the middle of the room. A few men whose faces I can vaguely recognize are at the bar, including Luca and Matteo in the corner.

We exchange the same amused but confused looks, just like we did when we saw each other upstairs.

"What is she doing here?" one of the men at the bar asks. I can tell by his accent that he's a Russian that has been living in America for a long time.

Before I have time to be offended, my dad answers in Russian. "She's my daughter."

"Is there a problem?" Matteo asks, stepping closer to the guy.

"No." my dad and the man answer at the same time, looking at each other without acknowledging Matteo.

The bartender comes out of a backroom behind the bar and invites us to sit down at the table. A woman dressed in formal attire carrying a black briefcase follows him, and I figure she must be the dealer.

"Would you like to join?" my father asks Matteo and Luca once we're all seated.

"No, thank you." Luca answers in a very bored tone.

"Sure." Matteo grins and I watch him surprised as he walks over to take a seat at the table, right across from me. The corners of my lips curl up into a smile when we make eye contact. He raises his eyebrows in a way that says 'let the best man win', and I nod. Bring it on. (M POV: 'let's see what you can do'.)

"There's a ten thousand dollar buy in." the man from earlier spits at him, which makes me dislike him even more.

Who even is he?

"That's alright."

I don't even try to hide my smile, just to spite the man even more.

"You're a security guard and you have ten thousand dollars for a poker game?"

"It's worth it if I end up taking more home, isn't it?"

My smile gets even bigger.

"Cash or card?" the dealer asks as she opens the suitcase to take out two decks of cards and the chips.

Everyone takes out their cards except for Matteo and I. He places his phone against the POS when it's his turn, and dad pays for my chips.

Once the cards are dealt and everyone has their chips, the room goes quiet.

I can feel Luca watching me from his place at the bar. I don't know why but him and that man make me uncomfortable.

"Small blind is a hundred, big blind is two." The dealer explains as she shuffles one of the decks before distributing the cards.

Thirty minutes and two rounds of whiskey later, only six out of eight players are left in the game. The two men who pulled out of the game tried the classic 'bluff and throw money at it' strategy, which only ended up blowing up in their places. They pulled out when they had a thousand left, which raised the small blind to $200. Matteo, my dad, and I have the biggest piles at the table, and I'm proud of myself.

By the time another hour goes by, there's only four of us left: my dad, Matteo, the annoying man, and me.

I can tell the guy is stressed because he has a few hundred dollar chips left, while the three of us have at least doubled our investment.

There are two 10s and a 7 on the table, and I know I have a Jack and a 9.

"Yuri, you're the small blind."

That name has always rubbed me the wrong way ever since I was a child because of our creepy neighbor down the hall. I remember feeling uncomfortable every time I would see him in the hallway or at the park behind the building. As it turned out, he got sent to prison a few years later for trying to abduct a child from the playground. We had long moved out by then.

We go around the table to match the $400 my dad placed after Yuri.

A fourth card is placed on the table. It's an 8.

"I raise to $500." Yuri says.

Everyone matches the bid before the last card is laid out. It's the Jack of Spades.

"All in." Yuri decides then, pushing the remainder of his chips into the pile.

"Fold." Matteo and my dad say at the same time, dropping their cards.

"How much is there?" I ask in Russian.

"Eleven hundred." Matteo answers in English when Yuri blatantly ignores me to light up another cigarette.

What the fuck is his problem?

"Alright. I'll match it."

I'm 98% sure he's nervous, because he went in for a sip as soon as he went all in.

Yuri turns to the two guys who pulled out at the beginning and asks them to give him their chips in exchange for cash.

"Is that allowed?"

"Yes." He barks. "Everything is allowed."

Who is this man, honestly?

"Calm down and just take the chips man." Matteo speaks up.

"Who do you think you are kid?" Yuri raises his voice.

"Someone who wants to continue playing."

"Do you think you're smarter than me?"

"Do you think that?"

"Watch your mouth."

I look at my dad silently asking him to get the situation out of control. There's way too much testosterone in the room, and it usually doesn't mix well when paired with alcohol and pride.

"Yuri, are you raising or not?" he finally asks, looking done with his drunk business partner.

Yuri mumbles something under his breath and places two $1000 chips onto the pile. That's less than 10% of my chips, so I happily match his bid.

"Alright." The dealer says, looking as uncomfortable as I am, and maybe a little scared. I try to smile at her reassuringly and she smiles back. "You can reveal your cards now."

Yuri reveals a Jack and a five. "Three of a kind." He smirks at me.

I place my cards down, faced up. "Flush. Actually, it's a Full House even."

Yuri starts swearing and stands up, his right hand reaching for something in his jacket pocket. Before I even have time to process what's going on, Matteo is on his feet, hand going under the back of his black suit jacket to reach for his gun.

"I was just taking out my cigar." He sounds scared, but I know he's lying because there's a half smoked cigarette between his lips that's been leaving ash all over his side of the table.

"Alright." Matteo says and sits back down without taking his eyes off Yuri.

I take the nearly $6000 in chips and start sorting them based on their value while the next round is being dealt.

"Where's your cigar?" Matteo asks, and I frown at him.

"Watch your mouth." Yuri warns as he takes out a cigar from his left chest pocket.

"Three are left, so the small blind will be a thousand, big blind two."

I notice that I have around $40.000 now, my father has approximately $30.000, and the rest belong to Matteo.

Four rounds later, he goes all in against me after my dad folds.

"Four of a kind." I say as I lay out my cards. He has a Full House, so I take all the chips and neatly arrange them into piles once again.

"Two are left, small is five thousand, big is ten."

My dad wins the next two rounds with two of a kind and the highest card.

The cards are dealt again, and I get a King and an Ace of Diamonds. The first three cards are a Jack of Diamonds, a 10 of Hearts, and a 10 of Diamonds.

"Raise you eight thousand." My dad says, daring me to match his bid. He's always been very competitive, but not in a childish way like Yuri; purely because it's fun for him to win.

I push eight chips into the pile, leaving me with $2000.

If I lose this round it's game over because I can't even afford the small blind.

The fourth card laid out is the Queen of Diamonds, and that's when I know I just won.

Everyone at the table is focused on the game, including Luca and the bartender. All the faces in the room look surprised with a hint of impressed, including Yuri's. The only ones who don't look surprised are Matteo and my dad.

Neither of us raises the bid, so the dealer lays the last card on the table. It's the 10 of Spades.

"All in." my dad says, and I know he probably has four of a kind, a Straight Flush, or a Full House. Either way, my Royal Flush trumps all of the options. I watch his face as he looks at the cards, and I can't bring myself to take all of his money and beat him in front of his business partners.

"I fold." I say, throwing my cards faced down on the table.

My father happily grins as he reveals his straight flush of diamonds, going from 8 to the Queen.

"Good match." He tells me and I smile, nodding.

"I'm happy I got two thousand out of it."

The mood shifts when another round of drinks is brought to the table.

"Should we takes this to the conference room and continue our discussion?" one of the men asks my dad.

"Sure, you go ahead, I need to talk to Valentina about something."

Matteo takes this as his que to stand up with the rest of the men, joining Luca at the bar. They talk amongst themselves while the dealer clears the table and the bartender takes the empty glasses to the sink.

"Bring some ashtrays to the conference room." Yuri tells Matteo and Luca.

"We're not part of the service personnel."

Yuri points at him. "One day that smart mouth of yours will get you killed."

My eyes widen, but Matteo looks unimpressed by his threat.

"And today can be the day where too much alcohol will get you kicked out and banned from the hotel."

"Do you know who I am?"

Matteo smirks. "Fortunately, no."

"I'm going to talk to whoever made the bad decision to hire you."

"Do you need the number of my supervisor or can you figure it out?" Matteo grins, and I mirror him.

Luca coughs and asks Yuri whether he knows where the conference room. Yuri huffs and turns around to follow the rest of the men out of the room without bothering to answer.

"You played very well." My dad says in Russian and walks over to the bar.

"Thank you."

I follow him with my gaze, feeling extremely aware of the fact that Matteo and Luca are still in the room.

"What did you think?" he asks once he's behind the bar.

"About what?"

"My business partners."

He's never asked for my opinion before.

"I don't like Yuri."

He smirks in a boyish way that lets me know he agrees. "Why?"

"Are you serious? Did you not see how he acted? He's a whole grown ass man. I don't trust him at all, something's off with him. Who is he anyway, and why do you get into business with people like these?"

He pours himself a Vodka Tonic instead of a glass of whiskey.

"He didn't expect you to be here." He answers, ignoring my second question. "We usually talk about business during our poker games. You've gotten a lot better by the way."

I smile. "Thank you. Why did you ask me to join?"

"I thought it would be fun for you." He says, not looking at me as he does so.

"It was, thanks."

His eyes drift in Matteo and Luca's direction. "How do you know him?"

"Who?" I force myself not to look at Matteo.

"The guy who played with us."

"Why do you assume I know him?"

I don't think Matteo and I have even exchanged a word since I stepped into the room.

"You look like you know each other."

"He went to the same school as me, and now he's at the same university. Why?"

My dad shrugs and makes his way to the door. I follow him without looking back.

"I'm going into a meeting now. One more hour and we can leave."

"Thank God." I joke, and he cocks his head, feigning disapproval.

"Thank you." He says to the four people left in the room.

"No problem." Luca answers.

Matteo and I make eye contact for a few seconds before I finally follow my dad out of the room.

The conference room is right down the hall, and once my dad closes the door, I take out my phone for the first time since I sat down at the table.

Raisa had texted me asking me where I am, so I text her back saying I'm on my way.

"You had the hand."

I turn around to see Matteo walking down the hallway towards me.

"How did you know?" I ask.

He stops when he's right next to me, way closer than an average person would deem acceptable. He leans against the wall next to a painting and pulls out a cigarette pack out of his trousers. "You just told me."

I roll my eyes, smiling. "How did you really know?"

"I counted the cards."

For some reason, the answer makes me very happy.

"Of course you did."

"So, why did you do it?"

"One of the games we play together is poker. I know I'm better than my father at a limited number of things, and winning at most games I play is one of them. Winning against him makes him appear...human. I'm not sure if I want to stop seeing him as my dad just yet. And I know he hates losing to his daughter because I can read it on his face. Plus, I didn't want to embarrass him by making him lose against his daughter."

"How uncharacteristically nice of you."

I grimace. "I am nice."

"You looked like you were about to punch that Yuri guy every time he opened his mouth."

"Wouldn't you?"

We laugh as he nods, offering me a cigarette.

"Are you allowed to smoke in here?"

"Everything is allowed." His tone isn't entitled like Yuri's had been.

He lights the cigarette when I place it between my lips.

"If you know how to count cards, why didn't you win?" I provoke him just for the fun of it, before taking the glass from his hand to take a sip. Of course, it's Gin and Tonic.

"I didn't need another Russian mad at me in that room." He jokes, but the way he says the word 'Russian' makes me feel weird.

"My dad doesn't get mad if he loses. I've rarely ever seen him angry."

I hand him the glass back just as my phone rings, and I already know it's Raisa. "I need to go back to my table now."

"Okay, have fun." He says when I turn around to walk away.

"I think I just had the most fun I'll have tonight." I jokingly say over my shoulder.

Twenty minutes is all I can take once I'm back at the table until I start yawning. I decide to go up to my room to sleep off my jetlag.

***

When I go down for breakfast the next morning, Raisa is the only one missing. Luca and Matteo are nowhere to be seen because the event had ended.

"Where is Raisa?" I ask Valerya.

"She went out with some friends last night and hasn't come back yet."

That's when I know she cheated on 'the love of her life' with Matteo last night.