Russian Bastard

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Tatiana

They arrived at the estate of the Vasiliev family a few minutes later. The party already seemed to be in full swing, which was good. They usually arrive at events like these quite late, usually after dinner so that they weren't exposed to unknown territory for too long.

They piled out of the limo as Nate opened the door for them. He left some instructions to their driver before walking to where they stood a few meters away as they looked around the property. The Vasiliev estate was full of rich land, dominated by their castle-like mansion at the center, with turrets at the side. Big medieval-like windows and doors decorated the front although the mansion itself seemed to be more modernized now.

As they walked closer, a tall, built man with sandy hair and a petite woman with striking red hair approached them.

"Welcome to our home, Ms. Belluchi," the man greeted with a wide smile, bowing slightly. "I am Ivanov Vasiliev and this is my sister Nina." He gestured to the women next to him who also flashed them a smile.

"Its our pleasure." Tatiana inclined her head slightly. "And please, call me Tatiana," she added with an embarrassed smile. Only close friends and family called her Tiana, the rest always addressed her by her full name.

Ivanov gestured to two men behind him who she only just noticed were standing there. "Please do not think us rude, but we must question your party regarding their identities and relationship to you." He smiled apologetically. "Normal procedure, you see. Afterwards, Nina will give you a tour around the estate."

Tatiana nodded, stepping aside for them to first question the three guards that Nate brought with him on her father's orders. As she watched them conduct their mini-interview, Nina stood next to her.

"Was the drive here pleasant?" she asked, making conversation.

Tatiana smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you. Hardly any traffic." It was laughable to think there even would be any traffic since the Vasiliev estate was in a more secluded part of urban New York. The roads to it were hardly filled with any vehicles and she had noticed that security cameras were spread through various street lights that led to the estate. She was sure that Nina knew of their drive here.

They continued to chat while Ivanov and his two men were finishing up with their questions, when suddenly a man showed up. He was tall, lean-built, had dark hair, and an astonishingly handsome face, unlike anyone she had ever met. When he looked up at her eyes, she saw that he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. It was as if his eyes reflected the dark seas, the calm before the storm that left her in a small trance.

She snapped out of her reverie when the man bowed to her slightly. "Tatiana Belluchi, a pleasure," the man murmured softly, gently pulling her hand up to his lips as he dropped the softest of kisses. "I am Zeke Vasiliev," he said against her hand before looking up at her, pinning her with his gaze.

"The pleasure is all mine," she managed to breathe out. Her mind was racing a thousand questions a minute. Who was this man? Is he a son of Pavel Vasiliev's? She knew of only Pavel's three children and so she was confused. But most importantly, why did they all seem to bow at her?

Next to them, Ivanov continued to question her group. Her three extra bodyguards have already been cleared and Carmen and Louis had just finished when Ivanov turned to Nate. He glanced at her and his eyes zeroed in on Zeke's hand still holding hers.

Ivanov cleared his throat to get his attention. "Name?"

Nate gritted his teeth, still looking at them, before he responded, "Nathaniel Bass."

"And relationship to the invitee?"

"Ex-boyfriend," he said. The Vasilievs collectively raised their eyebrows and Tatiana's friends blatantly gaped at his audacity to proclaim that out loud. Zeke, in particular, looked quite amused.

Tatiana shot him a look and hissed at him quietly. She turned to Ivanov. "Head of security," she said instead.

He looked at her but did not reply, just bowed in acknowledgment and jotted down her statement before giving the clipboard back to one of his associates.

She frowned. The only person who really bowed at her was Louis, and despite all her protests, he only ever did it ever since he found out who her mother was and it has always been a joke between them. But here, not only do they seem to bow and treat her as if some figurehead, they did it in such seriousness that she could only conclude that they knew she was a princess.

She didn’t know how to approach the situation. Only a special few knew of her true lineage and her father did his best to keep her out of their business, only using her connections in private exchanges with influential mafia and gang groups. Internally, she sighed. The damage was done, she could only approach this with a clear head, get through the night, and find out how they knew of her lineage.

Zeke Vasiliev straightened before he looked to Nina at his left. "Gina is looking for you," he murmured in a quiet tone before flashing Tatiana a roguish smile. "Would you like a tour of the grounds?"

Nina shot him a look. She seemed dubious about something but didn't protest. She looked at Tatiana and smiled at her. "I should go," she said. "Don’t worry, Zeke is more than capable of touring you around." She smiled at them before turning and walking back up the mansion.

"I'm gonna go and check these," Ivanov added, gesturing to the clipboard that his associate carried before leaving as well, the two men following after him.

Once he left, Zeke turned to her and smiled, offering his arm to her. "Shall we?"

She smiled at him and nodded, taking his arm and walking with him up to the house. Carmen, Louis, and the rest of them following after.

***

"Your home is beautiful," Tatiana said to Zeke as he walked her, arm in arm, into the house. They entered a high ceilinged vestibule that had gold-colored interiors, red drapings, and wooden banisters that decorated the two-way staircase in the center of the room. To the left was an open archway leading into a ballroom-like hall where guests milled around either eating, dancing, or striking up conversations. To the right of the entryway dominated a wooden French door with two guards standing on each side.

"It is my father's home." He merely smiled at her. She noticed how he had no comment about it being his home and brushed it off, deciding not to ask.

"The stairs lead to the North and East wings," Zeke said. "Most of the rooms there are for the bedrooms and entertainment rooms. The West wing has our main ballroom and it's also where the kitchens and staff stay." He didn’t mention the South wing and nobody asked. She could only guess what was in that wing.

He led them to the entrance of the archway, where the main party was being held. "This is where we host most of our events." Zeke gestured into the room. "However, we do have more private rooms that feature a bar if you are interested."

The room was filled with waiters and partygoers, the walls painted a soft gold while a chandelier dominated the center of the space. Tables were arranged to the sides and on the far side of the room, there stood a vast, black marble bar that was surrounded by a crowd of people who wished to order special drinks. Underneath the chandelier was a raised dais where a band of violins and cellos were playing. Behind them was a beautiful mahogany grand piano that looked aged but was still kept in mint condition.

She looked at her friends. "What would you like to do?" she asked them.

Carmen shrugged. "Let's hit up the main party first, we can explore later."

Tatiana nodded at Zeke and he led them into the room. When they entered, all eyes glanced at them and almost half of the room immediately looked away. She raised her eyebrows, that was unexpected. She had never seen party guests that looked away so fast, these people clearly knew who they were. Mafia culture dictated that the mafia hated being stared at—it puts them on edge. Most of the party goers must know the true empire that the Vasiliev family had.

For a short moment, she felt Zeke's hand on the arm she held clench with minuscule difference. She glanced at his face and was surprised to realize he was on edge as he looked around the room, glancing at certain individuals suspiciously.

"I must leave you for now." Zeke gently removed his arm from her hold. He turned to the group and smiled at them. "I am performing a piano piece in a bit," he added, as if moments before he noticed nothing wrong, turning to face Tatiana, pinning her with his gaze once again. "so I will join you later, mon ange," he said, smiling at her before going off into the crowd.

Tatiana was in a small trance when she finally turned to her friends only to see Nate looking annoyed and Louis and Carmen smirking at her. Carmen took her hand and dragged her away towards the bar. The crowd that surrounded the bar parted slightly and Carmen ordered ten shots of tequila.

She started to protest. "Ten shots of tequila?" she asked incredulously. "I have an exchange to oversee later, it's hardly professional to get drunk beforehand!"

"Relax," Carmen said to her. "It's five for each of us and you hold your liquor well enough." SHe turned her eyes to her. “Mon ange, huh?”

Tatiana ignored her but no longer protested as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. Her nerves were shot after her encounter with the alluring Zeke Vasiliev. They downed the shots together, straight.

Her father's team of informants had their work cut out for them. She wasn't stupid she would never go to these kinds of exchanges without having a faint idea of who they were. Connor Akton, their lead investigator, had briefed her of the Vasiliev's and for some reason, left Zeke Vasiliev out of the briefing.

She shook her head, lost in her thoughts and was about to down the fifth shot when Carmen spoke. "Plus, I made a bet with Louis that you were so gonna hook up with that hot piece of meat by the name of Zeke."

Tatiana coughed, almost choking as the tequila went down her throat. "What?!" she sputtered.

Carmen rolled her eyes. "Oh please, did you see the way he looked at you? Hell, the moment was so sexually charged I was half ready to leave you two alone. You’d be better off with him than with Patrick,” she added, her nose crinkling in distaste.

She groaned, covering her face with her hands, leaning on the bar. "Can you please stop? I am not going to hook up with him," she stated firmly. “And stop bringing him up—it’s over. And the only problem you ever really had with Patrick was that he’s American, not Italian.”

“American’s can’t be trusted,” were the only words she said by way of explanation.

Just as Tatiana was going to object, they heard keys being played on the piano. They glanced up at the same time to find Zeke playing the beautiful grand piano in the center of the room, music flowing through him as he skillfully moved his hands across the keys, a melody moving through the air. She stared at him, stunned. She knew this piece, it was her mother's favorite song, Beethoven's Bagatelles. As he played the piece, his eyes roamed around the room and met hers. For some reason, he looked sad but the look was gone before she could read further into them.

And just for a moment, she let the notes of sadness wash over her.

"Mhm," Carmen hummed, drinking from the cocktail she just ordered as they continued to watch Zeke play. "Please, what's a one night stand gonna do to hurt anyone? If a guy came up to me looking like that and had fingers that were that talented I would've jumped his bones already."

Tatiana sighed in exasperation, looking away. Sometimes she didn’t know how they stayed friends over the years, but she loved her best friend regardless of whatever she said.

"Whatever," she said, grabbing her purse. "I'm going to find the restroom. I'll be right back." She rose from the bar stool she'd been sitting on, one of the guards they'd brought with them immediately following after her. It was something she had to get used to at a young age, but all the guards that her father hired were so skilled that she almost always forgot that they were even there.

She was trying to navigate through the lit halls that led away from the party when she rounded a corner and accidentally stumbled upon two people talking in quiet tones by the far end of the hallway. Upon seeing them, she immediately backtracked and leaned against the wall out of their sight. She recognized the man from the pictures that Connor showed her. Francesco Vasiliev.

"… You know I don’t have a choice, dorogaya," the man said. She peeked around the corner and saw him speak to the woman next to him, holding her hand.

"How can you expect me to accept that pathetic excuse," the woman questioned, snatching her hand away from him. "I've given you my heart and all you have done is hide me as if I am something to be ashamed of, and now you're pulling this shit."

"I'm not hiding you—" Francesco started but she cut him off.

"Bullshit," the woman spat at him. "You wont even let me tell your brother, my best friend what's going on between us. f**k you." She started to walk away from him, walking through a set of doors on the other end of the hallway.

"Wait!" he called out, following after her.

Tatiana held her breath before letting out a sigh. She knew how these things worked. Heirs to mafia families usually had arranged marriages and if she wasn’t mistaken, that was probably the case. She was just thankful they didn’t notice her there.

***

Translations:

mon ange - my angel (French)

dorogaya - sweetheart (Russian)

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