SOMEWHERE IN MOSCOW, RUSSIA
The Smirnov Mansion
Beside the fireplace, sinking into the crackling noise as the flames oozed, sat Mr. Vladimir on his rocking chair as he threw pictures into the chimney. He enjoyed the voidness of the room, the fiery view blazing through its darkness was his favorite.
A sliding sound encroached on the serene, the door that just opened briefly paving the way for an additional source of light.
"Here's what you asked for, Sir," one of his men who'd just come in announced his presence, stretching forth a brown envelope to him.
"Details," he demanded in a deep somber tone.
"Mrs. Elle. C.E.O. of Elle N.G.O. She's also benefited handsomely from our donations over the years," he briefed, his voice mixing with the crackles in the air.
"What in the world are you trying to do?" he mumbled to himself, staring at Daniil holding hands with Ashley in the picture he was holding. "Do well to keep me updated," he added, letting it fall into the furnace.
Shortly, the silence returned, but that was until another guest strolled into his quiet time
'An uninvited guest,' he deemed with the look in his eyes as the figure approached.
"YA dumal, mne zapreshcheno priblizhat'sya k tebe. Eto kasalos' tol'ko menya? (I thought I was forbidden from going anywhere near you. Did that only apply to me?)" he posed in a taunting tone, wearing a smirk.
Just then she fell on her knees, inciting a wince from her husband.
"Pust' Deniyel budet (Let Daniil be,)" she said, forcing a pleading tone through gritted teeth with her eyes rather daring.
He relaxed, tilting his head to one side as he studied her in silence. "Pochemu? (Why?)"
"Ty soglasilsya, Vlad. YA predlozhil otpravit' yego v Chikago, chtoby izbavit' vas ot yego zabot. YA sdelal eto, chtoby ubedit'sya, chto vy nikogda bol'she nikogda ne stolknetes' drug s drugom. Yeshche – (You agreed to, Vlad. I had proposed we send him to Chicago to liberate you of his worries. I did that to make sure you both never clash with each other ever again. Yet –)"
"Pereydi k khoroshemu, Kheysli, (Skip to the good part, Haisley,)" he cut her off using a drawl. "Nazovite mne odnu veskuyu I nesomnennuyu prichinu, po kotoroy ya dolzhen ostavit' vashego syna v pokoye. Tol'ko odin. (Give me one solid and undoubtable reason I should let your son be. Just one.)"
"You promised."
"Oh, really?!" he exclaimed, saturating his reaction in sarcasm. "On takzhe poobeshchal vam, chto u nego vse poluchitsya. No, naskol'ko ya znayu, on byl kem ugodno, tol'ko ne etim. Nu, skazhite mne. Pochemu ya yedinstvennyy, kto dolzhen vypolnyat' neobosnovannyye obeshchaniya? (He also promised you he'd do better. But as far as I know, he's been anything but that. So tell me. Why am I the only one expected to keep flimsy promises?)"
"On – (He –)"
"Tol'ko odna prichina, Kheysli, (Just one reason, Haisley,)" he cut her off emphatically as he straightened up, holding up his forefinger to her. "Vsego lish' odna prichina, pochemu mne ne sleduyet sovat'sya v dela Daniila. I na etot raz ya otstupayu. (Just one reason why I shouldn't butt in Daniil's business. And I'm so backing out this time.)"
She wasn't getting to him. And he could see how peeved she became. "Chto, yesli on prosto pytayetsya obshchat'sya, kak I vse ostal'nyye? Kak I lyuboy normal'nyy rebenok, chto, yesli on nakonets nauchitsya zhit' svobodno? Vse, chto on kogda-libo delal, eto proyavlyal privyazannost' k – (What if he's just trying to socialize like everyone out there? Like every normal kid, what if he's finally learning to live freely? All he's ever done is show affection to –)"
"'Privyazannost'? (Affection?)'" he picked up at once, scoffing out loud. "Ty shutish', chto li? Eto slovo dolzhno assotsiirovat'sya tol'ko s normal'nymi lyud'mi, Kheysli. Ty dumayesh', Deniyel normal'nyy? (Are you kidding me? That word is only to be associated with normal people, Haisley. You think Daniil's normal?)" He chuckled through the last part of his sentence, a taunting snicker breaking through at the end.
"He needs a chance, Vlad!" she accentuated, switching to English with frustration in her voice.
"And I decide when he gets that chance!" His voice peaked commandingly. "Daniil only gets to live "normally" when I deem it possible. For now, he only gets to live how I ask him to."
"And you can only achieve that by confining him?" she asked with cracks seeping into her voice and teary eyes.
"Your son is capable of ki –" he cut himself off, retreating his words when her eyes hardened. Heaving a sigh, he continued, "Look, I hate to say this to your face every time. But it's the sad reality here. And all I'm trying to do is make him into a better person. Why do you keep whining about this?"
"We all know what you're trying to do, Vlad," she argued almost immediately. "You speak as though you have his best interest at heart. When we all know whose is in there!" she challenged, pointing toward his chest.
"Daniil is in safe hands, Haisley," he dragged leisurely.
"Why then did you cut our lines of communication if you're speaking the truth?"
"Unfortunately, you're the beast's shackle. Does that answer your question?"
"I need to speak with him," she pleaded after a brief silence. "Directly."
"So you could open other avenues of communication?" he paused, boring through her eyes suspiciously. "Is that how lowly you think of me?" He huffed. "That I'd just consent to that easily?"
"I could talk to him, Vlad. He listens to me," she insisted.
"If he wasn't as smart, maybe I would've considered doing that." He teased, wrying his face in a contemplative charade as he slanted his head both sides like he was thinking about it. "Sadly, that isn't the case. One mild slip, and I could risk losing this tussle to him. I hope you understand."
"Daniil is also my son!" she exclaimed declaratively. "And I have as much right to him as you do."
"Resent your mother's genes, Haisley. Everything I do, I'm being forced to. And it's all thanks to his depravity. Everything would've been fine if you gave birth to normal children."
"Let me speak to him. Just once," she pleaded.
"I wish to be left alone." He threw his eyes away.
"Vlad, I beg you!"
"I do not wish to bundle you out," he repeated in a colder tone. "Leave."