5.

The party started winding down around one, and by two, it was over. Guests trickled out of the house in small numbers, saying their goodbyes and complimenting his mother on the party.

Dimitri left his sisters and Sofia conversing by the fire and went to look for his mother. He found her speaking with the staff they hired and stood by the door, watching until she was done. One by one, the workers began to leave, returning inside to finish the work that was left. Dimitri stepped aside to let them pass and walked over to the counter.

“The party was lovely, mother.”

She basked in the praise, smiling at him. “I am glad you liked it. As soon as this place is cleared, we can all get some sleep. I can’t believe it went on for as long as it did.”

“You underestimate the power of gossip and alcohol. It’s typically what people go to parties for. At least, I think it is.”

“It most certainly is not."

His younger sister walked into the kitchen, waving her phone in the air. He lifted his arm and she came to rest at his side, grinning from ear to ear. It was a wonder how animated she managed to look after floating from one place to the other through out the night.

“Mom, I am taking Holland home. Davina said to tell you goodbye. She went to check in on Bob at the hospital.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Better. He feels slightly uncomfortable with the cast but says most of the soreness is gone.” Vienna showed them a picture of Davina’s boyfriend on the hospital bed. For a man with his leg propped up and his body hooked to several machines, he still wore a brilliant smile.

“I am glad he is feeling much better. I’ll call them later. Have a nice night, dear.”

Vienna blew them a kiss before leaving them by themselves again.

The plates and cups were left for the staff to handle. Dimitri and his mother returned to the ballroom to find Sofia still by the fire. She sat facing, slouched and twirling an empty glass tumbler in her hands. She didn’t seem to realise they were there?

“Sofia?” His mother called, softly.

Languidly, her head lolled to the side, and she looked up at his mother. Her eyes were glazed. It was more than evident that she was drunk. Dimitri smothered a laugh, trying not to make light of the situation.

“Yes.” She murmured, then repeated with more emphasis. “Yes! Sorry. I should get going. Thanks for the party. It was wonderful.”

Sofia staggered forward, and Dimitri stepped in her way to catch her before she fell. Unceremoniously, she landed against him.

“Sorry. I think my legs fell asleep.” Sofia righted herself and tried to walk again, but she couldn’t manage it in her state.

“Did you come in your car?”

“Yes. I am so embarrassed. Juliet, I am sorry. I didn’t think that I drank that much. I was feeling better only a minute ago.”

“It happens.” She looked towards Dimitri when she said, “Let me tell the chauffeur to take her home.”

“No need, mom. I’d take her home. Just have one of the drivers follow me so we can drop her car off. She might need it for tomorrow.”

“That sounds fine.” A maid ran into the room with Sofia’s fur jacket at his mother’s command. They helped her put it on while she leaned against him, murmuring insensible words.

Dimitri took her hand as he reached around her to grip her hips, pulling her up to his side. Thankfully, she was conscious enough to walk by herself. His body acted as a support, moving at a snail’s pace towards his car.

“You smell nice.” She muttered.

Dimitri grinned. “Thank you.”

“You always smell nice.”

“A very astute observation. Thanks again.”

Sofia’s head began to clear after he tucked her into the front seat. The belt clicked into place. He tugged a bit on it to be sure it held, to prevent her from leaning forward at any time. Sofia shifted on the seat, noticing that she was in his car. She smiled to herself, snuggling deeper against the seats as he walked around the car to get in.

“You look a little better.”

“Hmm. Quite. You don’t have to drive me; I really can find a way to get back.”

“I don’t know if I should be worried you are fighting me so much on this.” He sped out the gate, flashing his lights so any approaching cars would see him. “I would think you wouldn’t mind me driving you home. You know, as it keeps you from being arrested. You’re dead-beat drunk. Stringing sentences together is not a sign of soberness.”

“I won’t complain then.” She yawned into her palm. It seemed like she dozed off for a second, eyes closed, and face turned towards the window. Then her neck snapped around, eyes open and locked on him. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Driving you home? No, I don’t.”

She shook her head at him, pouting as her mind tried to conjure up the words she wanted to say.

“You don’t mind that I work for your mom. I want—” Hiccup. She blushed, a flattering shade of pink. “I am sorry. I want to know if you really don’t mind. Since we aren’t together anymore.”

“I don’t mind. I appreciate that we aren’t in a situation where we can’t stand the sight of each other.”

That made her laugh. “Good. That’s good.”

The chauffeur parked her car behind his when they arrived at her apartment building. Most of his friends seemed to own one condo or another. Davina, his older sister, lived in the same building as Sofia. His father was of the mind that he should do the same. It had its perks, and he certainly saw the appeal, but he wanted his own home. Nothing too grandeur or extravagant but a home nonetheless.

The checklist was already drawn out in his mind. A house with a sensible number of bedrooms and bathrooms, so guests would have somewhere to stay, and family visits would be possible. Maybe a large or small pool at the back with some space to have a barbecue in the backyard. The rooms needed to be spacious, enough to move around.

He was still going through all the listings of houses around town to find one that suited not only his taste but was also not too far from home. It was a small town. Dimitri suspected it wouldn’t be hard to do.

“Any plans for your future here?”

Dimitri glanced at Sofia. “As in?”

“Aside from your business, what will you do here? If I remember anything about you, it’s that you are restless.” She wagged a finger in front of his nose, and he stared at it in amusement. “You will get a house and do what? Sit around for most of your day?”

“The point of returning home was to rest. In the meantime, I don’t have any pressing plans. I work when I have to and enjoy my free time whenever an opportunity presents itself.”

“Lucky you. You can learn a new skill or find a hobby.” She teetered on the stairs, and he held her back up again. “Sorry. I recently started this…thing. Jewellery making. Not too good at it, but it’s quite interesting.”

“Watch where you step.”

“Mmhmm. Working with metals and strings is really something.”

“Who wears them?”

She shrugged. “No one. Once I get better, you’ll see them everywhere. I plan to have my own line of jewellery soon.”

“Good for you.”

He took her keys and helped her open the door. Sofia thanked him for his help, insisting that she could handle herself, and he didn’t push the issue. He handed her the keys to her car and wished her goodnight before he left her to herself.

Once he got downstairs, he handed the waiting driver his keys and got into the backseat. He watched the street throughout the drive home, taking in the nightlife. Most businesses were closed, and others had a few people pouring in and out. Only a handful of people walked on the lit sidewalk.

Suddenly pensive, he rolled down the windows to feel the cool breeze against his face. His doctor’s words rang around his head.

“You need to take good care of yourself. Given the scare you just had, I strongly advise you start changing a few things sooner rather than later.”

Four months ago, he suffered a near heart attack in his apartment. Throughout the day, he had felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest and suffered aches and pains in his arm and back. Unable to bear it, he drove to the hospital after clocking out of work early. It took some tests to discover that he was having a heart attack. Subsequent tests, later on, showed hypertension to be the cause of the heart attack.

Dimitri pushed his knuckle against his sternum, remembering how he lay on the bed listening to the doctor lay down the new rules. He reiterated on several occasions that hypertension wasn’t a death sentence for him as long as he strictly inserted some changes in his lifestyle.

It wasn’t long after that Dimitri decided it was time to come home. He wasn’t afraid of his health declining, but he wanted to use it as a good reason to go down a different path in his life. He desired to live a different life going forward. So, a nice house, in a quiet part of town would be a start. And maybe he would listen to Sofia and pick up a few hobbies. He always wanted to try out hiking, and Watford had a lot of good places for that.

It was a reset button for him and another chance to try something new after working for so long. He intended to make the best of it.