Page 64 of Kings & Queen

“You should leave now. You’ve reached your quota of analogies for the day. Hell, for the year. I’ll never be able to attend a symphony again without torrid thoughts running around in my head.”

I was teetering on the edge of sanity. If he continued talking and spinning his web of absurd comparisons, who knew what else he’d ruin. Each damn analogy was worse than the one before. It was a struggle to keep up with his outlandish train of thought, and I should have known better than to try to reason with him without backup.

With a playful glint in his eyes, he kissed my cheek. “I’m pretty sure you told me once, a long time ago, to embrace the unpredictable harmonies of life. I’m taking your advice. Can’t be mad at that.” He paused, grinning, before adding, “It’s somewhat your fault. You did a fantastic job raising us to share. Remember the saying, what’s mine is—”

“Go now before I have the locks changed,” I exclaimed, shoving him down the hall.

He may as well be speaking a different language, one that only made sense to him and his brothers. Christopher would help me make sense of this. I went in search of a quiet place to call him and lament.

The door to our room closed with asnickbefore I dialed him, hoping to find some backup and needing to hear his voice. After a few rings, he answered, his tone carrying a sense of calm authority. “I take it Alek just left?”

“Yes, he seems to think this is a perfectly normal arrangement,” I replied, my voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and concern. “What do we do, Chris?”

“We do nothing. They’re adults and as such, we allow them to make their own decisions.” A brief pause filled the other end of the line, and my heart sank.

“You’re really proposing we do nothing here?”

“I am. In fact, I insist you let it go.”

I listened to his words. Something wasn’t right. There was a subtle shift in his tone, almost similar to when he wasn’t allowed to discuss high-profile assignments.

“Soph, there’s more to this story than meets the eye, and honestly, I’m more concerned with what might have happened with Ivan than anything else.” His tone lowered, conveying the gravity of his words. “There are things I can’t share with you, secrets about her past that she’s not even aware of.”

My heart skipped a beat while my mind raced to comprehend his cryptic message. “Okay, you know I’ve always respected when you’ve told me you can’t share. But I’m going to need a bit more here. This concerns our children. Don’t leave me in the dark. I’m about to give her the tour and ask her to lunch. I’d like to get to the bottom of what is going on. So what kind of secrets?”

He hesitated at first but then sighed. “She comes from a powerful family. One with connections and influence that reach far beyond what she could possibly fathom. She has a grandfather and an uncle, the boys found. Nik told me her parents didn’t die unexpectedly. Now I’ve said more than I intended. Keep it light.”

A wave of shock washed over me, leaving me breathless. The realization that her parents were taken from her—and not by accident—tore into my heart. It also stirred confusing emotions. If her family was powerful, did that put mine in danger somehow? If she was in danger, though, and had no one to protect her, we couldn’t abandon her.

“Do you think she’ll really leave?”

“Marcel and Sebastian are adamant she is. Nik and Alek are in denial. Ivan is, well…” He sighed. The concern for our youngest child hadn’t gone unnoticed.

I couldn’t help but recall the dinner fiasco. Every attempt to intervene had fallen on deaf ears, and Ivan had his walls up again. He was stubborn, and in the wake of it all, I felt powerless.

“Pavel Lenkov is coming over to dance with her later. Maybe we should question him. Maybe he can shed some light on this audition of hers. Something tells me it’s a rouse. Doesn’t mean she isn’t leaving, just means it may be more of a disappearing thing. And again, I’ve said more than I should have. Sophia, I’m going to need you to trust me. We need to let this play out.”

“I’ll ask about Ivan. That should be safer,” I said, determined to do my part.

“Thank you. Maybe she’ll open up to you. It seems that whatever it is, he hasn’t confided in any of them.”

“Not even Marcel?” I asked, my concern tripling.

“From what I’ve been told, no. He’s pushed him away as well. I’ll see you later this evening. Remember, take it slow, don’t push too hard.”

As I hung up the phone, a new determination set in. He was right. Finding out what happened between her and Ivan was important, and if she opened up to me, then it would shed light on things. I fixed my face and went down the hall to her room.

Chapter 31

Kinsley

A Proper Conversation

The silent exchange betweenmother and son before they left the room had me wanting to die of humiliation. Throwing myself into the task of putting my things away, I went to open the second suitcase. The maid was young, maybe a few years older than me, and was very friendly while making small talk.

It didn’t take us that long to get everything put away, and she left the room shortly after. I sat down at the table, lost in thought, until a soft knock sounded before Sophia entered.

“How about I show you around?”