Alexandr and Milo sat opposite each other in the living room of Milo's house.
Alexandr could see the obvious bruises on Milo's face and the way his body stayed in an awkward position as he sat, but he chose to say nothing.
He had known about the plan of the other two but did not try stopping it because he thought it would not be serious in any way. Maybe he thought wrong.
"What's in the bag?" Milo asked looking at the plastic bag and another little bag beside him.
"Carol asked me to get something for you because she wanted me to be a good brother, and she cooked food for you because she thought you would not be able to do them yourself" He answered.
Milo looked away and chuckled before turning back to Alexandr "I'll take none of them, thank you. Just you being in my house is making me scared" He replied plainly to his brother's kind gesture and Alexandr nodded "I figured you would say that" He said as he took out the food Carol had cooked and the spoon inside the bag. He opened it up and dipped the spoon into the food taking a big portion of it and feeding himself.
Milo looked at him all the while and said nothing. After Alexandr had taken a bite, he looked at Milo and raised an eyebrow" I didn't die, did I?" He closed the food and put it back in the bag " It's safe. Don't worry"
"I'll be real honest with you" Milo went straight to the point " I fear you more than I fear those two. You have the network and the resource to end me, but they have none of that. I'd rather run to them than run to you"
"You flatter me when you know all those things I have cannot top yours . Besides, Carol is doing a lot of out with the bad and in with the new with me. I would say she's making me turn a new leaf, but she is washing off every single bad in me. So you don't have to worry about me" His deep husky voice came out strong.
Milo leaned forward from the couch " You want me to believe all those 'Marriage changes a person' huh?" He asked and Alexandr shrugged in a way to tell him it is his choice.
Milo nodded and moved back in his seat looking away from Alexandr "Why did you come brother?" He asked again, and Alexandr stayed quiet for a while.
Milo looked at his brother and he saw him staring at the photo he took with a lioness and her two cubs.
"You've always lived life dangerously Milo" Alexandr said and turned to look at Milo "You have never been soft on anyone. I know that very well"
"Then you must not know me. I'm the softest person you will meet out there" Milo retorted. They both stared into each other's eyes and no one wanted to break the contact.
Alexandr nodded to the picture not looking away from Milo "What happened to the father?" He asked, and Milo answered not looking away as well "He died after their second cub was born".
"Do you still have them, or you released them to the wild?" He asked again now taking his eyes off Milo and to the picture on the wall and Milo answered "They are in Tanzania, in Africa".
"That far huh? Let's hope they don't loose their caregiver as well" He looked at Milo while smiling.
Milo knew there was no way the brother he knew for so many years would just change because his wife told him to. No, he was still there, but quiet, waiting for the right time.
Milo smiled despite his bruised lips "Finally. A real fight".
They continue to stare in each other's eyes.
Alexandr got back to his house and the first person to welcome him was his 5 year old daughter, Anastasia.
She rushed up to him and he bent down to swiftly pick her up "Papà!!" She exclaimed and giggled as he caught her. "Yes my love, how are you, hmm?" He smiled at her as he walked into the house.
"I'm fine daddy. Mommy is making a lot daddy. Let's go to the kitchen" She pulled on her father's shirt pointing at the kitchen where he could clearly see Carol standing and chopping something on the board as he pulled off his shoes with his feet and wore his comfort slippers.
He moved in the direction his daughter was pulling him to, which was the kitchen. He walked in and Carol finally lifted her head to look at him. She smiled a little at him as she turned to pour the chopped onions into the pot.
Carol was making beef stroganoff with rice, Pelmeni, Blini, and Pirozhki for desert. She loved to make a variety of Russian and Italian dishes for her family, and this time, it was all Russian cuisine.
"Papà, papà. Blini" Anastasia exclaimed excitedly as she got down from her father ran to her mother. Blini was an Eastern European pancake which was Anastasia's favorite. She loved it whenever her mother made them.
The lovely aroma of the dishes Carol was making always reminded Alexandr why he married her. She was just top tier.
"How did the talk with your brother go?" She asked as she flipped the pancake on one side and left to attend to the dumplings(Plemeni).
He looked to Anastasia and winked at her nodded outside the kitchen. She opened her eyes and mouth in an 'oh', then she nodded vigorously with a serious face and turned to her mother smiling "Mommy, I want to go play with Xena now. She must be waiting for me" She said referring to her dog and she ran out of the room waving at her father.
After she was gone, Alexandr moved to Carol and hugged her from the back.
"That's the first thing you say to your husband who just got back? You didn't even ask about me" he said in a low voice as he kissed her behind her ear.
Carol giggled as it tickled her, then she pushed him away lightly moving to another dish she was preparing "Stop Alexandr. I'm still in my trimester, so I've got nothing for you, okay?" She smiled through her stern voice and Alexandr raised his eyebrows "But nothing happened to Anastasia" he commented and Carol looked to him gasping like he had said something scandalous.
She pointed her turning spoon at him as she watched his face try to not laugh at her "I'm warning you. If you keep teasing me with that, this is the last child we will have" she said to him and his face became normal immediately.
She smiled and went back to the question she had asked him earlier "Good. Now, how was your meeting with your brother?" She asked again and he replied while helping her with the things she needed.
"Apart from the fact he thought I poisoned him and how we kept murdering each other with our eyes, everything else was fine". Carol looked at him and held her hand to her waist "What did you say to annoy him?" She asked looking at him ready to scold him if he said the wrong thing.
Alexandr sighed "You trust him over your husband now?" He looked at her accusingly and went ahead to put some ingredients in the boiling dish, but Carol took it away from him glaring at him.
"You want to ruin my work now?" She asked as she hit his hands with her spoon, then she continued "And no, I trust you more than I trust him. And that is why I know you are the one who said something wrong. What happened?" She turned away from him as she went to the pancakes and took them off the fire. She was done with that, so she covered it up and kept it aside.
Alexandr kept following her around because of his uxorious nature to his wife. "Well, I may have told him to watch out because I would be coming for him. Something along the line there" He chuckled nervously as he saw Carol's angry glare immediately turn to him.
She never wanted Alexandr to have problems with any of his brothers or make one with them. That was her goal from the moment she saw how broken he was during the time they met.
"Alexandr Franco Ivanov" She called his full name as she dropped her spoon. Alexandr took two steps back. He was a little thankful she had dropped the spoon first.
"I sent you to that house to get things right with Milo, not create some sort of war with him. What is wrong with you?" She asked as she made a fist with her hand and hit him on his chest.
For any other lady, that would hurt her because of the body build of Alexandr, but no, it did not. Carol had been a chef from 14 years and for 15 years, so she had firm hands.
Alexandr recoiled at the force she used on him "I was only joking with him. He even said it himself that he was getting bored already" He moved to her and hugged her "You know I'll never take anything you give to me for granted Carol. I'll always listen to you, always" He kissed the top of her head and she sighed in contentment and hugged him back.
He pulled away slightly to look at her beautiful face "And besides, why will I fight with the potential heir. I just have to create an alliance, right?" He smiled at her and she smiled back nodding.