Zenovia
‘Oh, Doamne… Mother Mary, all saints… Domovoy… Please protect us!’ I entreated in my mind upon seeing Marisha holding a gun⸺Maks’ gun, as I recognized it immediately. I glanced at our babies, and I could tell they were still undisturbed despite our presence here.
Maksimillian moved between me and his aunt. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to cover me with his bulk against the gun, if his aunt chose to shoot me. My heart was already beating so hard and fast, as I was filled with fear. I could feel the cold slithering down my spine that my body started to shake.
“Don’t you move too, Zenovia!” Marisha warned when I tried to step towards the two cribs.
I must protect Oksana and Matvey from her! I couldn’t let her harm any of my children.
“Zenovia, don’t move!” Maksimillian ordered me as well.
Marisha got a clear angle of me that she pulled the trigger. I must say she was threatened by my movement. The next thing that I heard was a loud crack. Perhaps, if Maksimillian wasn’t able to grab his aunt’s hand, I would’ve been shot in the chest or in the head. But I could feel like I’d been punched so hard in the arm. It was like a shock. Then, the pain registered in my brain next.
I held my bleeding arm while watching Maksimillian wrestle with his aunt until he got the gun back. He was leaning forward, with his aunt lying on the floor. However, another loud crack sounded. My jaw hung open.
“Maks!” I screamed.
But then, I saw him slowly move, with Marisha lying still on the floor. My eyes were round, almost not hearing the hurried steps and voices from the hallway. It was then that the babies started to cry.
The door to the nursery burst open. I saw a couple of guards were lying on the floor. They were the ones who were on duty. Marisha must have done something to them before she entered our babies’ room without us knowing.
More guards came in, including Rurik. His agitated eyes directly went to his mother’s lying, bloody figure on the carpeted marble floor. The wound in her stomach continued to bleed, and Maksimillian rushed to my side to check my wound. He immediately bound it with his shirt to stop the bleeding. Thankfully, it was just a graze. Still, it hurt so much.
“Matushka (Mother)!” Rurik exclaimed, kneeling at her mother’s side. “What have you done?” he added, crying.
Meanwhile, I went to pacify my children, rubbing them by the chest to stop crying. It was to silently tell them that everything was okay. I was relieved that they stopped crying.
Marisha laughed without mirth, groaning as the wound pained her. “My son, Rurik…”
“Why did you do this, Matushka? I told you not to do this!” Rurik spoke again.
Maksimillian and I turned to look at him.
“You knew she was going to do this?” Maksimillian roared. He went to his cousin and held him by the collar.
One guard already called for emergency. They were ready if ever Rurik was going to do something to Maksimillian.
“Yes, b-but it isn’t h-his fault, M-Maksimillian. I j-just want t-the best f-for Rurik,” Marisha said through gasps.
I slowly approached them, even though it made me wince when I moved. Căcat! So, this was how it felt to be shot.
“I tried to stop her. I even tried to save Zenovia. I sent a man to make her stay away from you, so that Matusha wouldn’t go after her, that’s why I helped her get a new identity, and she could go to another country without being traced. Matushka wants to strip you of everything just as your father stripped her of everything, Maksimillian! She was sold to my father instead. She suffered from my sadistic father just so you know.”
“W-what?” Maksimillian looked taken aback. Obviously, he did not know this was happening to his very own aunt.
“I-I thought t-taking away o-one of his sons w-was enough. But no,” Marisha spoke haltingly, looking at Maksimillian, who now dropped his hand to his side, while the gun was still gripped tightly by the other. “I-I wanted y-your father g-gone, too. U-unfortunately, y-your m-mother was w-with him.”
“You caused their accident?” Maksimillian was enraged at that revelation.
Marisha laughed like crazy. Or was there an inside joke in her head?
“I p-put a fake b-bomb on board t-the helicopter. When it e-exploded with smoke and fire, t-the pilot p-panicked, which c-caused the crash.” She coughed and groaned again.
I swallowed hard, glancing at Maksimillian’s angry look that was directed to his aunt.
All this time, I knew that he respected and loved her. But knowing all this, I knew it was hard to accept it.
“M-Maks, I think she needs medical attention.” I touched his arm.
“I-I don’t t-think I’ll m-make it, Z-Zenovia… but t-thank you f-for being n-nice to me, a-and I-I’m sorry… y-you’re caught u-up in a-all this…” Marisha forced herself to say.
Maksimillian sniffled and yelled in frustration. I signalled his security guards to bring Marisha to the hospital. Rurik then turned to us.
“Thank you and I’m so sorry for what Matushka did to you both.”
“You think sorry can make up for it, Rurik? Look what she’s done to Zenovia! I almost lost her if I hadn’t stopped your mother!” Maksimillian bellowed at his cousin.
Rurik stepped back, afraid of Maksimillian’s wrath. “I-I can understand your outrage, cousin. My mother did a lot of bad things. She poisoned my father and caused your parents’ accident, as well as your brother’s and our grandparents’ deaths. She… she hated them for letting your father sell her to the Frolov family, just so the two companies merge. True, she hates you, too, but I tried to make her see sense. She can’t make me the sole heir to the company. It belongs to the both of us.”
Maksimillian ground his teeth while he listened to his cousin speak. Nevertheless, I knew that he was hurt and far more dismayed and got betrayed by all that had happened tonight. They were his only family he’s got left, but they betrayed him.
“I want you to give up all your stocks and leave the company first thing tomorrow, Rurik.”
“Maks!” I uttered in surprise.
“But, cousin⸺”
“I don’t think you’re my cousin anymore, Rurik. After what you’ve done to me, to Zenovia? You betrayed me!”
Rurik’s eyes were filled with tears as he stared at his cousin. My heart went out to him.
I knew Rurik only wanted to protect us, and he was torn by his loyalty and love for his mother and his cousin. But hiding the truth from Maksimillian, it was just not right. I could not blame Maksimillian for feeling like this and for deciding such a thing.
Rurik hung his head, sniffling. “I’m so sorry, Zenovia, Maksimillian. I’ll try to do what’s right.” With that, he turned away and followed his mother to the hospital.
“What’s going on here?” my parents asked. They were followed by Mihai and Antonia. They must have woken up by the ruckus.
“Is everything all right, Zen?” my brother asked. His eyes zeroed in on my bleeding arm. “You’re hurt!”
All were horrified by the blood they saw on the floor, especially on me. Maksimillian had to explain what happened, which shocked them all.
Antonia immediately checked the wound. “You’re lucky this doesn’t need a stitch.”
A maid arrived with a first aid kit after being called by Maksimillian through the intercom.
Antonia fixed me up right away. The twins chose to cry at that moment once again. They must have sensed that life-threatening scene.
I had to breastfeed them, so Antonia and Mămică helped me. We then moved to the master bedroom.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mămică asked while shushing Matvey, who was in her arms.
I was feeding Oksana first. She was fast to finish anyway, compared to her brother.
“I’m not sure yet. I still have to process all these, Mămică.”
“Do you want to go back to Romania, Zen?” asked Antonia.