Page 14 of The Fixer
“Was this your room? The maids didn’t get to it?”
“No…they did. They just didn’t make a mess because they liked me.” Throwing my thumb over my shoulder, a small smirk crested my lips. “The closet’s empty. So are my jewelry boxes. I’m not a liar like my sisters…I had real gems.”
“What’s with the pole? You go fishing on your first date or something?”
Lyov had avoided me as I made discovery after gruesome, stupid discovery. Curiosity flooded my veins as he sauntered into the room.
Taking his hands out of his pockets, he sat next to me, clenching his hands into tight fists between his knees. “I feel bad for people like you, you know.”
“Are you just not gonna say why or leave me wondering?” Was Lyov just incapable of finishing attempting to get a thought out of his mouth? Shooting him a bland look, I set my little fishing pole on my other side to sigh. “Look Lyov, I don’t care what you think aboutpeople like me. You can screw off with your faux superiority, okay? I get it…you killed your mom by being born. You’re the baby of the family. You aren’t Aleksander, so obviously you’re no one at all. Boo-fucking-hoo. You’re not the only one that came squawking out and your mom left…in fact, you should consider yourself lucky it wasn’t her choice.”I hate myself.Okay…I hated myself for being able to say these things so coldly, not because I was saying them to Lyov in particular. He was a little boy with a golden spoon up his ass and fabricated reasons to jam it deeper.
The more I spoke, the more tense he became next to me. The hotter the heat roiling off him.
Rubbing my palms against my jeans, I stood up to turn to him fully.
Lyov was pissed, his face pinched and the vein in his forehead bulging. His nicely styled hair bristled.
Frowning in disdain, my eyelid twitched at how his face reflected my own feelings at myself. “You do this shit on purpose and want people to feel bad for you, but everyone, eventually, will see you as the piece of shit you are.Youshouldn’t feel bad forme, you should feel bad for yourself. I certainly do. If you’re so miserable, follow the precious object of your misgivings into the afterlife or change. Those are you only two options.” Reaching to grab my fishing pole, I left my childhood bedroom to head back to my father’s office.
Lyov didn’t storm after me. I made it a few steps into the hall before heaving a massive but quiet sigh. In my hands, my fishing pole seemed so small, a light green color that distracted me from the darkness around me. “Today needs to be over.”
My cell phone vibrated in my back pocket, sending tingles down my leg. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I swiped back my hair and straightened my shoulders. The time it flashed above Sascha’s name and I read 6pm on the dot. I cleared my throat roughly. “Hey— how’s your day going?” Holding my phone to my ear with my shoulder, I swung my fishing pole leisurely. “Guess what I found in my old room?”
“I don’t know, but I’m leaving campus right now. Do you want me to come pick you up? You stopped‘oh my god’ing’ a few hours ago, so I was worried.”
Sascha was so sweet, and a genuine smile crested my cheeks. Warmth suffused my chest. I hummed in agreement.
He continued, “Remember when I said yesterday that I met with Kiri?”
“Oh…yeah. I’m not concerned about that or anything. I just thought it was weird because she seemed so quiet every time I saw her. Why? Did she show up to one of your classes?” I kicked open the office door as an uncomfortable silence stretched over the phone. “Sascha? Hello?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. That woman, Malda, whose apparently got a daily appointment to pick my brain, said that Kiri Makovich was trying to flirt with me. It just made me wonder…” He trailed off, and
I frowned under tightly knit brows.
“Why would I interest her enough that she’d seek me out, let alone try to flirt with me?”
“Umm…I don’t know, but you should ask her the next time you see her. I doubt you’ll get a straight answer, though. No one in this family seems to be what they appear to be. Do you need directions to the mansion? I’ll text you the address. If you want, you can use my card that I snuck in your wallet last night and get a really nice, fancy dinner and some wine?” Smiling broadly at the very idea of it, I bopped my head side to side as I took my phone in my hand. “Also, to answer my own question, I found the fishing rod in my old room.”
“You haven’t set up a date yet with the construction company to tear down your parent’s house, right? And everything still works?”
Again, I bopped my head.
Sascha grumbled thoughtfully into my ear, “Wanna stay a few days? It’s where you grew up… you don’t really talk about it.”
“Oh, yeah sure. We can do that.” Discomfort slithered between my ribs and sent a shiver to lodge between my shoulder blades. Glancing around warily, I licked my lips heavily. “If we’re going down that road, better we just raid my parent’s liquor cellar, then.”
“Oppie, I’m sorry. Knowing someone’s listening to this makes me—“
The office door slammed open, and I jumped as my gasp cut Sascha off. Not bothering to say ‘goodbye’ I hung up my call and set my phone on the desk.
Lyov practically snarled at me, his straight, white teeth flashing. His lip curled nastily.
I held my breath as my heart leapt into my throat.
“I’m not taking shit from you just because you’re a girl.”
My brows rose, a harsh bark of laughter squeezing from between my clenched teeth. Tapping the speed dial button just to be safe, I tightened my grip on my fishing pole. Anxiety gushed through my veins, replacing my blood.