Chapter 4

"A jealous man always finds more than he is looking for."

-Madeleine De Scudery-

***

After Ana and Alexander was out of sight, Anton turned to Grigory who was seated right beside him at the end of the table, for he was the host. He leaned his body over and lowered his voice as he asked the question which had been bothering him since his arrival.

“That guard who just went with her right now, who’s he?” Grigory had no idea why he would ask such question, he did not think Anton would notice Alexander so soon.

“The man is Alexander, he’s Ana’s personal bodyguard.” He had wished the answer would satisfy Anton, but he should have known that the man would want to know much more.

“Is he Russian too? The two of them appear to be very close.” That statement alone was enough for Grigory to understand what was going on in the mind of the powerful man before him. He took a deep breath and continued.

“Yes. Alexander came to us when Ana was twelve, they had spent years together so of course they’re close. I chose him myself, he had gone to Blackwater Academy at seventeen, when I came to visit, they told me he was one of the best they had, so we recruited him when he was twenty. He had not graduated yet but we knew he was more than enough to protect her. Yes, the two of them are close, Ana is really fond of him, perhaps like one of her brother, but at the end of the day he is just a watchdog. He’s not someone you should be worried about.” Grigory tried to convince him that there was nothing going on between the two, but Anton was not buying it. There was no way a lady and a mere bodyguard would have such gestures they had shown him. There had to be more going on between them.

“He’s eight years older than her, do you feel safe allowing such a man to be by your daughter’s side all the time?” Anton stared at Grigory who was starting to notice how tense the man’s expression had become.

“He may be a dog, but it seems to me he’s one hell of a faithful dog.” Ivan and Mikhail exchanged gazes at each other when they started to notice what was going on. Anton was not enjoying it. Though he would never verbally admit it to them, the thought of having his future wife close with another man, though it was her own bodyguard was unsettling for him.

He knew exactly the relationship between Ana and the bodyguard was going to be quite troublesome for their future relationship. He needed to do something about it eventually, but Anton was in no rush. He was patience. Time was going to be on his side, eventually.

***

As she walked to the bathroom, Alexander was walking right behind her, a little bit to the side on a guarding position. As they walked, she managed to steal a bit of conversation with him. From the frown on her face, Alexander could tell already that she was notg exactly fond of the man who was said to be her future husband. Yet he had not been able to express it until they were finally alone.

“It is not in my place to say this, but I believe that you are not very fond of him.” Ana turned her head to him with a small forced smile.

“Is it too obvious?”

“It is. Judging by the way he behaved, he seemed to be quite interested in you. Maybe you will eventually start to be more comfortable with him?”

“Alexander, don’t assume. I thought of the same thing but I don’t know, my intuition says no.” Ah, same phrase escaped her lips once more, yes, Ana has always been a woman who would listen carefully to her own intuition. She might be logical on some part, but as a woman, she followed her own intuition more than her brain and usually she was right.

Alexander decided it was better had he said nothing more and waited for her in front of the washroom. Ana who had been having minor headache since earlier immediately walked over to the stall took out some Analgin tablet and drunk it without water. She would not usually take it but she did occasionally especially during her college days and it helped a lot, it just happened so earlier she thought she might need some in hand for the night and she glad she did. Her headache subsided and she was feeling much better the moment she stepped out of the restroom.

“Ana are you okay? You look a little bit paler than earlier.” Alexander asked her before they started walking.

“I am fine, no need to worry. Now let’s just finish the night and then I would like to rest.” She came back to the dining room where Anton was already waiting for her arrival. The moment she stepped in his gaze was raised to plate before him to her. His gaze was fixated in almost an observing manner.

Ana composed herself together, she always maintained an almost regal presence even when she was not feeling as confident in herself. With her eyes glued to the vision of her seat, she had not noticed that briefly after he was watching her, his gaze moved to Alexander who was walking right behind her.

Alexander, not allowed to stay very close to her in the room stopped near the corner where he was standing before while Ana returned to her seat. Anton asked her if she would like him to pour her a drink, she shook her head and refused him politely.

“What a shame, guess this beautiful lady right her had had enough drink for the night. I will take that as my cue to leave as well before I trouble your heart any further.” Ana turned to him in almost an unbelievable stare. Anton rose from his seat and walked toward her father the host to bid his adieu for the night.

At first Grigory did not understand why his star guest would leave so early before dessert, he thought it was something about their hosting method, but apparently no, he assured he left early because he had something else to attend to that night.

There was no way anyone could force him to stay and for Ana his early leave means she could breathe a little earlier than she had initially expected. However right before he left, he made an approach to her and gently took her hand and kissed the back of it.

“I guess I would have to see you later, Anastasia.” The way her name was said sent a shiver down her spine, combined with his deep, meaningful stare that could have easily meant many things. She had no idea what Anton was thinking, a small polite smile escaped his lips as he walked toward the entry door.

Ana put her shoulder back and took a glass full of drink, sipping it while gazing to her family.

“So, the night is finished, right?”

***

Once the whole dinner party was over, Dana helped her to remove the dress which was starting to affect her breathing considering how tight it was, there was no better relief then when she released the fabric to the floor and removed her makeup, the older woman helped to undo her hair as well and of course, in the process, she could not help but to steal some conversations.

“You have met Anton in person, what do you think about her Ana?”

“Hm? Well, he is definitely not an ordinary man. There’s just something about him that screams differently.”

“Oh, are you charmed by him?”

“No, it’s not that. You know what they say Dana, a man must put some more effort before a woman is allowed to fall for him.” Ana meant what she said, though Anton had some of the old school charm she appreciated in a man. She still thought there was plenty he should do before she could even love him. If, loving him was even possible.

Yes, the marriage was beneficial for both family but was that really all that she wanted? To become a married puppet for the family? No, an educated woman need more than just a small gesture of chivalry to be with a man. He must be worth it, but besides that, there has to be compatibility.

In the eyes of her family, Anton was more than mere worthy, he was a key to even higher power. The question left to be answered, was there really any compatibility at all?

Once she was done undressing and getting ready for bed, she walked back to her own room. Alexander noticed her coming out from the room and started to follow her. He had to make sure he was always near her, for her own protection.

Ana could tell he was following her, before she reached her room, she turned to him and placed her hand before him.

“Please, Alex I really need to be alone tonight. I need to clear my head.” Alexander froze in his spot. Ana rarely ever disallow him to be near her but he guessed meeting Anton for the first time in person had messed with her a little bit. He thought it was okay to let her be, so he nodded his head and waited for her to enter the room on her own.

Once she was out of sight, he walked back to his room as he recalled what had happened earlier. Anton Chernikov, he was watching him earlier. Something in his stare had told Alexander that he was suspicious of him and Anastasia. He was quite familiar with that sort of gaze, in fact, he had seen it many times in his life. That could only lead to one conclusion, possible danger.

Guess he needed to be careful from then on.