Chapter 94: The Charity Gala

The morning didn't feel like a new beginning. It felt like a continuation of the night before. I woke up caught between Ivan and Dmitri, the room filled with the smell of expensive soap and the silence of a house that was waiting for us to move. They didn't leave my side while I got ready. Two tailors had been brought to the estate to make sure my suit was perfect. They pinned and tucked the fabric while the twins stood by the window, watching every movement.

"He looks like he belongs," Dmitri said, adjusting his own cufflinks. "The dark blue suits him better than the black."

Ivan nodded once. "It makes him look approachable. That is what we need tonight. People need to see him and feel like they can talk to him, even if they know they shouldn't."

I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. I looked like a stranger. My hair was styled perfectly, and the watch Dmitri had given me was visible just under my cuff. I felt like a doll being dressed for a show.

"Do I have to speak?" I asked. My voice sounded thin in the large room.

"Only when spoken to," Ivan said. He walked over and stood behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. His reflection loomed over mine. "And stay between us. The gala will be crowded. People will try to pull you away to ask about your father or your sudden appearance. You don't answer those questions. You let us handle the talking."

The drive to the metropolitan museum where the gala was being held was silent. I sat in the back of the limousine between them. The city lights blurred past the tinted windows. When the car stopped, the camera flashes were already visible through the glass.

"Take a breath, Leo," Dmitri said, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "It’s just a room full of people who want to be seen. They aren't important."

The doors opened, and the noise hit me first. It was a wall of voices, clicking cameras, and distant orchestral music. Ivan stepped out first, followed by me, and then Dmitri. They moved in perfect synchronization, keeping me shielded as we walked up the red carpet.

Inside, the museum had been transformed. Huge floral arrangements lined the walls, and waiters in white gloves moved through the crowd with trays of champagne. It was beautiful, but the air felt heavy with the scent of too many different perfumes.

"Look at them," Dmitri whispered in my ear. "They’re all staring because they want to know who has the Volkovs' attention."

We hadn't been there for ten minutes before the first group of people approached. They were older men in sharp tuxedos, their eyes darting between Ivan and me.

"Ivan, Dmitri," one of them said, bowing his head slightly. "It’s been a long time. And this must be the young man we’ve been hearing about. Leo, isn't it?"

"This is Leo," Ivan said. His voice was cold and professional. He didn't introduce the man to me. He just made it clear that I was under his protection.

"A pleasure," the man said, reaching out a hand.

I went to take it, but Ivan’s hand tightened on my shoulder. I froze.

"Leo is recovering from a very long journey," Ivan said smoothly. "He isn't quite up for the formalities yet. I’m sure you understand."

The man’s smile faltered, but he nodded quickly. "Of course. My apologies. He has his father’s eyes, doesn't he?"

"He has his own," Dmitri countered, his voice sounding sharp. "And he is far more capable than his father ever was."

They moved us along before the conversation could go any further. This happened four or five more times. It was a pattern. Someone would try to engage me, Ivan would shut them down, and Dmitri would add a subtle threat or a dismissive comment. I felt like a ghost walking through a living room.

"I need some air," I whispered after an hour. "Or a drink of water. Something."

"Stay close," Ivan said. "We’ll go toward the balcony. It’s quieter there."

We were halfway across the main hall when the crowd seemed to part. It wasn't like the other guests who were trying to be noticed. This person moved with a quiet, terrifying confidence that made people step back without even realizing they were doing it.

He was a tall man, perhaps a few years older than the twins. He had pale skin and eyes that looked like they had seen everything and found it boring. He wasn't wearing a standard tuxedo. His suit was a deep, charcoal grey that looked like it cost more than the cars parked outside.

"Sebastian," Ivan said. His entire posture changed. He went from being bored to being a predator. He stepped slightly in front of me.

Dmitri stepped up beside me, his hand going to the small of my back, pushing me closer to Ivan. "Finch. I didn't think you’d bother with a charity event."

Sebastian Finch stopped a few feet away. He didn't look at the twins. He looked directly at me. It was the first time all night that someone had truly looked at me, not as a prize or a curiosity, but as a person.

"I heard the Volkovs had found something worth keeping," Sebastian said. His voice was smooth, like silk sliding over glass. "I had to see for myself if the rumors were true."

"He isn't a 'something,' Sebastian," Dmitri said, his voice low and dangerous. "He is family."

Sebastian smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Family. Is that what we’re calling it these days? You have him on a very short leash, Ivan. He looks like he’s forgotten how to breathe on his own."

Ivan’s jaw tightened. "Leo is exactly where he wants to be. Aren't you, Leo?"

I felt all three of them looking at me. I felt like I was standing on a fault line. "I’m fine," I managed to say.

Sebastian took a step closer. Ivan didn't move, but the tension in the air was so thick it felt like it might snap.

"You look tired, Leo," Sebastian said. He ignored the twins entirely. "They have a way of exhausting people. They think that if they hold on tight enough, nothing can ever leave them. But things always break when you squeeze them too hard."

"That’s enough," Ivan said. "We’re leaving this conversation."

"Wait," I said. It was the first time I had spoken up all night. I looked at Sebastian. "How did you know my father?"

Sebastian’s expression softened just a fraction. "I knew him as a man who was afraid of his own shadow. He made a lot of mistakes, but he loved the things he couldn't keep. I think you might be the only thing he actually got right."

"We’re done here," Ivan said, his voice booming slightly. Several guests turned to look.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Leo," Sebastian said, bowing his head slightly. He looked at the twins and his smile widened. "Try not to choke him, boys. He’s much better when he’s allowed to speak."

Sebastian turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd as easily as he had appeared.

Ivan turned to me, his eyes burning with anger. "What did I tell you about talking to people?"

"He was just talking to me, Ivan," I said, my heart racing. "He didn't do anything."

"He is a snake," Dmitri hissed, grabbing my arm. "He doesn't talk to people. He plants seeds. He wants to see if he can get under our skin by using you."

"We’re leaving," Ivan decided. "The night is over."

"But we just got here," I protested. "The main auction hasn't even started."

"I don't care," Ivan said. He gripped my shoulder so hard I knew there would be a bruise tomorrow. "You’re going back to the estate. You’ve had enough of the world for one day."

They hurried me out of the museum, faster than we had come in. The cameras flashed again, but this time I didn't look at them. I was thinking about what Sebastian had said. Things always break when you squeeze them too hard.

As we got back into the car, the twins were already arguing in low voices about security protocols and Sebastian’s presence. I sat in the middle, feeling the weight of the watch on my wrist and the pressure of their bodies on either side of me.

I was safe. I was protected. But as the car pulled away from the lights of the gala, I felt more like a prisoner than

I ever had in the dark of my father's apartment.