The Only Woman to Defy Him

CHAPTER FIVE


DEMYAN WASN’T IN the best of moods on Monday because he still could not get hold of Roman.

Nadia blocked his attempts to meet with his son at every turn.

‘Did you meet with the estate agents?’ Demyan asked Alina.

‘Just one,’ Alina said.

‘One?’

‘I didn’t get past the receptionists with the others.’ Demyan held in a very irritated sigh. Why hadn’t she just insisted?

‘What did the one you did see say?’

‘She gave me a brochure and said that at the prices I was discussing everything was negotiable.’ Alina looked at him and he could see her blotchy, swollen eyes and he was arrogant enough to assume that he was the cause of them.

He wanted to get up from his desk and shake her and tell her not to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Give that girl a shot of confidence, he felt like shouting to the bar, except it was just the two of them here and it didn’t make proper sense, because she’d had plenty of confidence the other night.

No. Demyan refused to think about the other night.

‘I think Libby, the agent, thought I was a bit mad,’ Alina said, and he tried not to smile. ‘That you were my imaginary boss.’

‘Call her,’ Demyan said. ‘On speaker.’

Alina did so and she could picture Libby’s tight smile when she was put through.

‘Ah, Alina, how are you?’

‘Very well,’ Alina said. ‘My boss has a few more questions.’

‘Such as?’

It was Demyan who answered. ‘How many clients you have on your books that would be looking in that price range.’

There was a very long pause. ‘Several?’

‘How many?’

‘Two, possibly three, though that’s before I put out feelers.’

‘Names?’ Demyan said.

‘Not at this stage.’

‘One name,’ Demyan pushed, and there was a long hesitation.

‘Not at this stage.’

‘Alina will call you back.’ He clicked off the phone.

Alina did call her back but not till five o’clock, and Libby answered her phone on first ring. When Alina confirmed that, yes, she was speaking about Demyan Zukov she suddenly found herself with a new best friend, and the next afternoon she showed Libby around the penthouse and they discussed what they could do to enhance perfection.


Alina was loving this part. Being a PA had been more her mother’s vision than hers. She was never going to make much selling her artwork, but it felt good to be using that part of her brain again—working with colours, adding details that possibly didn’t matter but which to Alina mattered a lot.

As for Roman’s room...

‘God!’ Libby came up behind her. ‘Did the cleaners miss this?’

‘It’s to stay like that.’ Alina borrowed Demyan’s words. ‘If a guitar on the floor and a few chewing-gum wrappers are going to dissuade anyone, then they are not serious about buying.’

‘Can I bring someone through on Saturday?’

‘Someone?’

Even Alina blinked when Libby said a very famous couple’s name. ‘They’re in Australia now but only till Sunday.’

‘I’ll check,’ Alina said.

The door to Demyan’s bedroom was closed when she returned to the hotel and, glancing at her phone, Alina realised she had missed a text from him, telling her to book him in to see his dentist tomorrow.

She wanted to knock so badly.

More than that, she wanted to go in and it had nothing to do with finding out his dentist of choice!

Instead, she called Marianna. It was the early hours of the morning in the States.

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Why?’ Marianna said, because she was far more used to Demyan’s strange world than Alina was.

‘I’m to book Demyan in for the dentist tomorrow. He just didn’t specify which one.’

Marianna actually laughed. ‘Of course he didn’t.’

It was the most ridiculous conversation of her life but Demyan had meant what he’d said that first day and did not want to be bothered with minor details.

‘Dr Emerson.’ Marianna gave her the number, not the number of the receptionist but Dr Emerson’s number. ‘Oh, and Demyan will want to be seen at eight a.m.’

‘Thanks.’ Alina called the number and got voicemail, and she smiled just a little to herself as she wielded some of Demyan’s power. ‘This is Demyan’s PA, Alina. I’d like to make an appointment for him tomorrow at eight—a.m.,’ she added, because Demyan could no doubt have both. ‘If you can confirm, that would be great.’

He called to confirm two minutes later and Alina sent Demyan an email to bring him up to speed before she went home, though she’d have loved to linger.

She wanted to be behind that bedroom door and loathed that tonight someone else might be.

She could not stand that thought.

* * *

Demyan woke close to midnight.

His mind was black.

He felt like ringing Nadia or his lawyer and demanding to know the location of his son.

If he was his son.

Demyan dragged in air, but it did not calm him.

He picked up the phone to call Nadia, but what purpose would that serve? Maybe he should just go around there, but wouldn’t Nadia just love that.

She was probably half hoping for it, baiting him to do just that.

Sex with your ex or a night in a cell for breaking her door down? Your choice, Demyan.

He might head to a casino.

He walked out to pour a drink and checked his email and saw, amongst many, that there was one from Alina.

He opened hers first.





I hope you had a nice rest.





Demyan found himself smiling and then raised his eyes as he read on because it would seem he had European royalty visiting his house at the weekend.

Go, Alina!





Libby agrees that the main bedroom is too masculine. I have a large watercolour painting that would look very nice on the main wall opposite your bed. It is too big for my apartment and lives in the wardrobe. I’ll bring it in tomorrow, but please don’t worry if you don’t like it, I shan’t be offended in the least. The colours are nice, that’s all...





Demyan blinked as he read on—it was a magnum opus of an email.





I was thinking about Roman’s bedroom. Again, please don’t be offended, I might not be being very sensitive or politically correct. Why don’t I take a photo of it with my phone, tidy it up and then put it all back, exactly as it was?

I have made you an appointment for the dentist tomorrow at eight a.m.!





Demyan didn’t understand the exclamation mark and was pondering it as he replied.





Saturday is fine for the inspection.

I don’t need to see the painting—whatever you think.

As for Roman’s room...





Demyan hesitated, just sat there for a very long moment and then resumed writing.





...I am not offended at your suggestion. However, my mother said that if you touched the room before the other reached their destination, planes would fall from the sky, the earth would crack open and disaster would be wreaked so it is probably better to leave it as is.

Demyan.





Instead of the casino he headed for bed and lay there for a very long time, remembering the confusion of his childhood and the terrifying rituals his mother kept changing while insisting that they were adhered to. There could be no empty bottles on the table, no half-filled glasses were allowed either...

Just an endless circle of rituals, and for what? It had changed nothing anyway.

His mother had ended up in hell.

He got up and sent a further email, now, before he changed his mind. It was ridiculous to be selling his home and not tidying the bedroom.





Alina, do whatever you think best with Roman’s bedroom.





Then he lay on the bed and thought about her and wondered if she’d think it strange to get two conflicting emails.

Tough, Demyan thought, heading back to the computer, she was going to get three.





Just don’t tell me if you do.

PS Why didn’t you like high school?