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“And what makes you think that he’ll grant you permission?” she retorted snidely.
“Because your grandfather is not a stupid man, Katja,” I answered. “He has lived in this city long enough to know who he is dealing with, and he is smart enough to understand what that all means, even if you still do not.”
“Of course, I know what it means to deal with you,” she huffed.
“No, you do not, lyublyu,” I corrected her. “If you did, then you would know better than to argue with me. If you did, then you would be too scared to.”
“Or maybe my love for my grandfather outweighs my fear of you,” she countered.
“That is also possible,” I conceded.
Moving on, she asked, “What did you tell my boss when you called to tell them that I quit?”
“I told them who I was, then explained how it will no longer be possible for my fiancé to continue to work for them,” I answered. “Of course, they naturally agreed and said that they would be more than happy to accept your resignation immediately after received.”
“Of course,” she replied, though her voice had lost its bite.
“Katja-”
“Just stop, Maksim,” she ordered. “Just...stop.”
After a few tense seconds, I said, “I will grant you some rest tonight, and we will go see your grandfather first thing in the morning.’
“And after that?”
“We begin moving you guys to your new home,” I answered honestly.
Chapter 40
Katja~
My grandfather just stared at me, and it was hard not to wither underneath his knowing gaze. It was obvious that I’d done my grandfather a disservice by underestimating his intelligence and astuteness. While he might not have known exactly what was going on, he knew that I’d lied to him, and that felt worse than anything that I’d ever felt before, apart from the deaths of my family.
“I’m sorry, Dedushka.”
“You always were such a bad liar, Beda,” he sighed. “I knew as you were telling it that the story about new management was a lie. However, it was either be here for you during whatever it was that you were going through, or else go back to Windmill Gates where I’d be of no use to you. So, I chose to remain quiet and wait for you to tell me the truth.”
As soon as we’d shown up to the house this morning, my grandfather hadn’t seemed shocked to see Maksim Barychev entering the living room behind me. He’d been having breakfast with Artur, and he’d been as polite as could be when he’d invited me and Maksim to sit with him and Artur at the table. Of course, Maksim had declined breakfast, and afraid that I was going to throw up everywhere, I had also chosen not to eat.
Once seated, Maksim began telling my grandfather the absolute truth about these past few weeks, and though he’d been wise enough to leave out the personal stuff, my grandfather was very aware that I had walked in here limping because I’d been shot.
“I wanted to protect you,” I told him. “I…I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t want you to…you’ve already had enough tragedy and sadness in your life, so I didn’t want to add to it.”
He smiled softly at me. “While I can understand why you felt that way, it’s much worse to feel helpless when someone you love is going through a hard time and you cannot help them. That is not what we do, Katja. That is not who we are. You and I are family, and it’s a very debilitating thing to prevent me from helping you when you needed it most.”
Tears immediately started falling down my cheeks. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, Dedushka. I swear.”
“I know that, detishche,” he replied, and calling me child just made me feel worse. “I know you meant well, and I am extremely grateful that you are okay, and that the situation has been taken care of.”
“There is more, Mr. Antonov,” Maksim said, making my stomach tighten.
“And what is it, Mr. Barychev?” he asked calmly.
“While I understand that it may seem too soon by society standards, I would like to marry Katja, and I would like your permission to do so,” he told him, the tone of his voice obvious.
“I know enough to recognize that my answer will not make a difference,” my grandfather replied. “So, why ask, Mr. Barychev?”
“Because you are the only person on this planet that Katja loves and respects,” he answered him candidly. “So, you deserve the opportunity to consent or object. However, you are correct. No matter your answer, you and Katja will be moving in with me soon, and she and I will be married as soon as her leg heals well enough to make it to the courthouse. I will not lie to you and let you believe otherwise.”
