"Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you're worthy of the trip." — Glenn Beck
Vasilisa Smirnov
My patience was on a very thin thread—so thin that even the slightest pressure could snap it. But here he was stomping around on it. Not even a single sound could be heard all through the drive back home.
I barely moved from my spot, barely even blinked, my mind was full of ideas on how to convince my father to change this insufferable human. Maybe I could threaten him with my life and tell him that I would commit suicide if he didn't. But I trusted ny father, he would make sure that I stayed under the watchful and condescending gaze of Alexei for the rest of my life.
My anger was momentarily stolen away as the pearly white gates of my father's estate came into view. My stomach churned slightly as I dreaded what was to come.
The sly glances, the degratory remarks, the constant oppression and the reminder of my father's love for me.
We passed through 3 security check posts before finally reaching the mansion—my prison.
It wasn't anything special to me, I had lived here for almost all my life. I hated how it screamed luxury yet echoed with devastating loneliness.
The car rolled to a stop slowly once we reached the house, My anger came back with full force the moment i gripped the door handle but it refused to budge reminding me of the ordeal from earlier.
I remained seated, waiting for him to round the car and open the door.
Adrenaline coursed through me as I pushed past him and marched up the front steps, my mind racing. Alexei's tight grip and his disregard for my wishes had pushed me past my breaking point.
The door slammed behind me with a force that made the house shudder. I whirled around to face Alexei, who was just stepping into the house, his expression unreadable.
"What was that earlier" I snapped, my voice trembling with rage. "I want an explanation now!"
Alexei's eyes narrowed but he followed me inside, his demeanor calm despite my outburst. He watched as I paced around the living room, struggling to contain my fury.
"I don't understand," I spat, glaring at him. "Why did you have to handle Massim like that? He was just trying to see me!"
"He was a threat," Alexei said evenly, his voice lacking any trace of remorse. "I had to make sure you weren't in danger."
"A threat?" I shouted, incredulous. "He's my friend! He's not a threat!"
"I wouldn't trust your poor judgment to dictate to me what is and what's not a threat Vasilisa" He replied dryly, pulling off his vest. "If I say he's a threat then he's a threat"
I gasped in disbelief, fisting the ends of my hair. If care was not taken, I was going to go bald before twenty-four.
" What do you know about my judgements" I asked cooly through my teeth.
" They lack common reasoning" He gritted out, returning the same energy.
"I dare you to repeat that again" I warned, moving closer to him until I could feel every inch of his presence infront of me, around me, enveloping me.
"Gladly, your judgements lack—"
My palm moved fast like a bird through the wind, cutting through time and space before landing hard across his face.
He didn't move, didn't flinch or recoil as if he knew what I was going to do before I did it. My entire body trembled as my hand fell limply back to my side, tingling with the aftermath of the action it had just performed.
He didn't react as I had expected him to, instead his jaw ticked as a red hue appeared on his cheek. The silence after had more potential than the sound the slap produced.
The regret hit me immediately, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of showing it. I turned on my heel, my anger still simmering beneath the surface. "If you ever interfere with my life again, I swear I'll make sure you regret it," I warned, my voice cold and determined.
Without waiting for a response, I stalked off toward my room. The door slammed shut behind me with a satisfying thud, but it did little to calm my racing heart. Immediately, i leaned against the door with my eyes closed gasping for air.
What did I just do?
I needed to get away from everything, to cool down. I rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind me as I fumbled for my phone.
Inside the bathroom, I leaned against the sink and dialed Massim's number. The phone rang a few times before he picked up, his voice heavy with concern.
"Lisa, are you okay?" he asked, his tone soft but urgent.
"I'm fine," I said quickly. "I'm sorry about earlier. Alexei—he—"
"I saw," Massim cut in gently, annoyance trailing between his words."— and felt it. But i understand.You don't need to apologize. Alexei is there to protect you and his actions would have been throughly justified if i was the stalker"
"But—"
"No, Lisa," Massim interrupted. "You're in a tough spot. I get it. And honestly, if it means keeping you safe, I can't fault Alexei for his actions. We both know how dangerous things can get."
I wanted to argue, to insist that Massim had every right to be angry, but the exhaustion and frustration were overwhelming. The idea of being trapped in this situation, unable to control anything around me, was suffocating.
"Thank you," I said, though it felt hollow. "I'll talk to you soon."
I ended the call after a few minutes, feeling a mixture of relief and defeat. The hot water in the shower would help clear my head. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the steam envelop me as the water scalded away some of the tension.
Afterward, wrapped in a towel, I stepped out of the bathroom, feeling marginally calmer.
The first thing i noticed was the bright white light seeping through the door frame into my room, a contrast to the warm and yellow tones my room exuded.
I remembered locking the door.....
I trudged forward in an attempt to figure out what was going and to my most unimaginable surprise,the door to my room was gone, the frame splintered, the door ripped off its hinges.
My mouth opened and closed in shock as i stood there staring at the destruction in disbelief, I heard a faint sound infront of me and i glanced up from the rubble to see Alexei standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable but his eyes filled with a steely resolve.
"I'm glad you came out earlier, i was just about to do the same for the bathroom door" he announced quietly, stepping into the room.
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.
What the fuck?