4. They Always Come Back

Andrei

“…and then I told her, ‘If he’s not texting you back, he’s just not that into you,’ but would you believe she still waited?”

I blinked. 

Stared at the woman sitting across from me. Blonde, glossy lips and a red dress that screamed 'try hard' and a voice that never stopped running. My jaw ached from clenching it. My father had set me up with her. Another in a long line of his desperate attempts to secure his legacy through my bloodline. "Andrei, you’re the last Orlov left. You need an heir." I didn't need this. I needed silence, I needed something different, a challenge. A different puzzle in the game. I love puzzles especially when it came in the form of measly humans. 

I checked my watch for the third time. 

"Oh bored already?!" She giggled. "Don't worry, I'm not that high maintenance." I said nothing, my phone buzzed. Thank God. It was Levi, one of the few people I tolerated. A single message with a video file attached. 

"Watch this now!" His text screamed like a matter of urgency. My brows creased in question. I tapped it open, already half done with this date. The moment the video loaded, I stopped breathing. 

It was her. Lori Harper.

Dragged out of a lawyer's office in handcuffs. Looking lost, betrayed and humiliated.

I frowned. "What the hell..."

"She's trending." Levi texted. "Scandal's blowing up."

Socialite, Lori Harper accused of laundering millions through her charity foundation. Scandalous photos leaked of Lori and an anonymous lover. Sources say husband Alex Harper suspected infidelity.

My chest tightened. I stood up. "Where are you going?" My date asked. I was already walking away. No words, no apology, no interest. I moved fast—out of the restaurant into my car. I called Levi. 

"Where is she?" 

"Local station downtown. She tried to resist arrest."

"Send me the address."

"Done. You sure you wanna get involved in this mess?" I didn't answer. I already knew I was in too deep. 

*.*

I got there under ten minutes.

The building was swarmed with media vans. I slipped in through the back, flashed a badge nobody dared to question. The cops knew better than to stop me. I heard shouting, I heard her. 

"I didn't do this you have to understand. I didn't steal anything." Then a scuffle, then panic. 

"GUN! She has a gun!" 

I pushed through the crowd. Then I saw her. Blurry eyes, tear-streaked face, hands shaking as she held a pistol to her head. Everything stopped moving for a second. Time slowed.

‎And there she was, raw, broken, but still burning with fire. The same fire I saw when I first met her at a gala three years ago, the same fire that made me a close member of her foundation. Anonymous but yeah. The same fire I couldn’t stop thinking about since. Now it was crumbling. And I hated it.

‎I stepped forward.

"Why me?" She broke into tears. Everything in me wanted to reach for her, but I stopped myself. Any form of affection was going to ruin everything and I couldn't have that. Everyone else backed off.

‎“Lori.”

‎She blinked, half-blind. “Stay back!” I watched his she squinted to see me. It was probably because of the hassle her lens were out her eyes. I blocked every affection, seeping trough the cracks. This was a business deal to me and nothing more. 

‎“I’m not here to hurt you.”

‎She pointed the gun at me. “I swear I’ll do it.”

‎“No, you won’t.”

‎“You claim you are part of my foundation. You claim to know me but you don’t know me." Her voice cracked. "You don't know what I have been through? I swear I didn't do those things."

‎“I know enough.” she was breathing fast. Heart pounding so loud I could hear it.

‎“Then what the hell do you want?”

‎I looked at her, eyes steady. “I have stated what I want." I said. "You marry me, and all of this disappears.”

‎Her mouth dropped open."you are insane. I already said no."

‎I tilted my head. “Maybe. You are still in shock and your decision cant be trusted yet. I just want you to know, I’m your only way out of this alive.” ‎She stared. Eyes wild. Confused. Furious.

‎“I’m not marrying a stranger just because he shows up in a black coat and makes a shady offer.”

‎“You’d rather die?” ‎Her lips quivered. But she said nothing.‎ “I can fix this,” I said. “You want the truth to come out? You want revenge? You want your life back?”

‎She hesitated. ‎“This is how. Your one time offer."

“I won’t be your pawn. This is obviously a game to you."

‎“No,” I said. “You’ll be my wife.”

‎Her fingers trembled on the trigger.

‎Then she dropped the gun, I helped her tossed it. 

‎I walked toward her. "I'm not accepting your offer. I can't." She whispered. 

I sighed. "Take some time to think about it."

"I will be locked up."

"Don't worry. I will handle that."

After the station chaos died down, I paid off who needed paying, pulled strings, and had her released. I signed the papers before they even knew they existed. ‎She didn’t speak to me on the way out.

 Didn’t look at me.

‎Didn’t thank me.

‎She ddn’t have to. Before I offered to drop her off, she took a taxi and drove off. I strolled into my Porsche, Luka, my right hand man, glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

‎“She gonna be okay on her own?” he asked.

‎“She wasn't this fragile,” I said, dismissing the question He drove in silence for a few seconds.

‎Then, “What are we going to do about her now?” ‎I leaned back, loosened my tie, and looked at the city lights flashing by.

‎I lit a cigarette, rolled the window down halfway.

‎“Don’t worry,” I said, a smirk tugging at my lips. “She’ll be back." 

They always come back.

‎

‎