Chapter Five
Inside the office, Stuart was pacing the floor with troubled steps, his eyes following Jonathan, who had returned to his calm seat behind the desk as if nothing had happened.
Stuart stopped suddenly and leaned his hands on the wooden desk surface as he leaned his body toward his brother: "Jonathan, please... you are speaking under the influence of a fit of rage. Think about it carefully before you burn everything."
Jonathan did not blink; instead, he continued to look at his brother with a coldness that made the skin crawl: "I am not angry, Stuart.
And the decision you heard is the most accurate and correct decision I have ever made."
Stuart's voice trembled as he waved his hand in the air: "Brother, Natalia is eighteen! Do you realize what the press will do to us? The velvet society will not have mercy on us; the rumors will devour the family name before the contract's ink is dry."
The desk lamp light reflected in Jonathan's eyes, so they appeared like two pieces of solid glass: "No one will speak... because no one will know. They will marry in secret, and the witnesses are only us."
Stuart retreated a step backward, and marks of bewilderment were etched on his face; for he realized that his brother had not left a gap for coincidence. He asked in a low voice: "Secret? But where will they live? Do we buy them a new palace?"
Jonathan shook his head slowly: "No... they will live with you and Christina."
Stuart's eyes widened, and he struck his hand against his chest: "With us? Jonathan, they are a couple! They have the right to have an independent house, to have privacy..."
Jonathan interrupted him with a decisive tone as he closed a notebook before him: "To maintain secrecy, they must be under your sight.
I do not trust leaving them alone at this stage; I want them under close surveillance, and under the roof of your house they will be safe.
Now, call Christina, and tell her that we will all travel this evening to Los Angeles to her place."
Outside the office, behind the heavy curtain, Cedric stood frozen, pressing his teeth against his lower lip until it almost bled.
He was cursing Natalia in his mind with biting words; for because of her recklessness he had become stuck in America, deprived of returning to his empire in Russia which he had built away from his uncle's control.
He pulled out a cigarette with a trembling hand and went out toward the balcony, lighting it as he puffed the smoke violently, his eyes watching the New York lights with suppressed rage.
In her room, Natalia was sitting on the edge of her bed, pulling her knees to her chest and staring at the wall.
It wasn't hatred that was devouring her heart now, but the terror of that "hell" Cedric had promised her behind closed doors. She grabbed her phone with trembling fingers and called her friend Jessica.
As soon as Jessica's cheerful voice came through, Natalia felt a lump in her throat: "Jessica... I'm getting married tomorrow."
The sound of Jessica's gasp echoed through the phone: "Nat! Stop joking, this is a tasteless prank, isn't it?"
Natalia whispered in a broken voice: "I wish it were..."
"You're serious? Oh my God! Who is the groom? Nat, tell me!"
"Cedric... my cousin."
Jessica screamed: "The impossible itself! That arrogant snob? Nat, don't move, I'm coming now!"
Natalia closed the phone and buried her face between her palms.
A little later, the door opened and Marilyn entered, her features reflecting a helpless sadness: "Natalia, pack your bags. We are traveling this evening to Los Angeles."
Natalia did not raise her head and said in a dead voice: "I have no energy to pack anything, Mom."
Marilyn sighed and touched her daughter's shoulder gently: "I will send the maid to do that." And she walked out, dragging her disappointment.
Not half an hour passed before Jessica burst into the room.
Natalia stood up immediately and threw herself into her friend's arms with force, as if clinging to the last thread connecting her to her old life, and whispered in choked words: "Jessica... I'm afraid... I'm very afraid of this marriage."
Jessica held Natalia's face between her palms, forcing her to look into her eyes, which had widened with a bewilderment that paralyzed her ability to comprehend: "Nat... tell me I'm in a nightmare.
Just yesterday we were talking normally, and today... a wedding? How did your world collapse in a single night?"
Natalia began to recount the details in a trembling voice, breaking with every muffled sob, while Jessica reclined her body backward with every new piece of information, as if the words were invisible slaps.
Jessica settled on the edge of the seat and pressed her hands against her knees, whispering recklessly: "How about you run away?!"
Natalia let out a bitter laugh void of any mirth and shook her head weakly: "Jessica... wake up. We aren't living in a teenage novel."
Jessica knitted her brows and approached Natalia again, examining the tremor running through her friend's fingers: "But how will you live with that lunatic? Nat... I'm afraid he might hurt you."
Natalia's body jolted as if touched by an electric current, and her eyes widened in genuine terror: "Jessie! Did you come to pour oil on the fire? My heart is about to stop from terror, and you are increasing my fear!"
Jessica quickly realized the situation when she saw the paleness of Natalia's face, which had become the color of paper; she swallowed her saliva and tried to put on a faint, reassuring smile: "I'm joking! Nat... he is your cousin in the end. Rage only blinds the eyes, believe me; he won't dare to touch you."
Natalia wished she could drown in this illusion, but the bitterness of the truth was stronger.
She lowered her voice to a whisper and moved close to Jessica's ear while squeezing her hand: "What if he discovers my secret, Jessie? What if he finds out that I...?"
Jessica interrupted her firmly and patted her hand strongly as if closing a dangerous file: "He won't find out. We will make sure to resolve this matter soon; don't let this obsession consume you now."
Natalia replied in despair: "How will we resolve it when tomorrow I will be in his custody? Tomorrow I will be his wife!"
"Enough, Nat! He won't know a thing, trust me."
Jessica cut the thread of dark thoughts as the maid entered with silent mechanics and began folding the clothes and placing them in the massive suitcases.
Jessica stood up and adjusted her jacket tensely: "I think I should leave. The air here is very heavy, and I don't want Uncle Jonathan to see my face in this tense atmosphere; perhaps he would be annoyed by my presence."
Natalia rose weakly and accompanied her friend toward the door. As they crossed the great lounge, Jessica's feet froze in place.
She spotted Cedric standing by the large window, his back turned to them, but his prestige filled the place.
Jessica gasped in amazement and turned toward Natalia quickly, whispering with shining eyes: "Is... is this man your cousin?"
Natalia shook her head in disgust and looked away: "Yes... it's him."
Jessica grabbed Natalia's arm and squeezed it with sudden excitement that made her forget her friend's tragedy: "Nat! Are you kidding me? You're marrying this handsome man? Look at him! He looks as if he just stepped off a global cinema screen!"
Jessica began contemplating Cedric's profile; his blonde hair, some strands of which rebelled to graze his forehead, his light beard precisely defined, and his blue eyes that reflected the sunset light like a deep and calm sea.
His tall and symmetrical body under his luxurious shirt appeared like a classical sculpture.
Natalia raised her hand and struck her friend's head lightly to perhaps bring her back to reality: "Jessica! Come back to your senses. He is a monster wearing a handsome mask; the matter is not as it appears to you from afar."
Jessica sighed while still following him with her gazes: "My dear Nat... you don't realize the size of the gift destiny has bestowed upon you. This is not a marriage; this is a gift from heaven!"