Ilaria
I make it downstairs but I am clueless about where I'm going really. I hear voices and head in that direction. Eventually, I find a chef-worthy kitchen and Nissa, her Nanny, and someone else are here around a huge kitchen island.
They all look at me and Nissa yells my name. I smile at her and hope it doesn't look as fake as it feels.
"Good morning honey, are you having breakfast?" I look and she has a plate in front of her with some fruit and what looks like part of a muffin.
"Yeah, are you gonna have breakfast too?" she asks me watching me with those blue eyes.
"Actuallly what I really need right now is a very big cup of coffee. Then maybe I can think about having breakfast."
The other woman, whom I don't know yet jumps up and heads to the counter, and I see one of those fancy coffee makers that you use one little container of coffee at a time. She pulls down a cup and motions me over to where she is.
I walk over," Good morning, Mrs. Volkov, there's a selection of different coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and all sorts of other things in this pull-out holder right here." She pulls out a huge drawer that is really a big holder for those little cup things.
"We have several different types of creamers here in the fridge." she walks over to the biggest fridge I have ever seen other than in a restaurant's back room.
She opens the door and shows me a section of one of the shelves that has several different types and flavors, I choose one that I know I like and walk back over to the coffee machine. I open the drawer and find a coffee to make, and make me a cup, add creamer, and take the first sip and sigh.
I hear a small chuckle from the woman who is still standing close, "What's your name?"
"Oh my goodness I'm sorry, I was so excited about meeting you I forgot my manners, My name is Ivanka, and the Nanny is Naleena, and you know Nissa, she has been talking about you all morning, she was most anxious to see you." She's smiling at me and I am trying to give her one back, but I have no idea how it actually looks on my face.
It must work because she doesn't seem to register anything wrong. Personally, I am still reeling from the gut punch of her calling me Mrs. Volkov. I would have to get her not to do that again. I was afraid I might snap if she did.
I walked to a chair at the island and looked at Nissa, "So, what are you doing today Nissa?"
"We do a lesson in the morning, then we play outside unless it's cold. Then I do pictures, then I watch my shows, then play time." she listed them and had a very serious I'm concentrating face.
"Wow, you have a full day planned. I might come join you outside. I haven't been there yet, you'll have to tell me about it." she bounced in her chair and the prospect obviously thrilled her.
I did start to notice something. The Nanny kept giving me these dower looks. She hadn't said a word just sat there sipping on something.
"Ivanka said your name is Naleena, did I say that correctly? How long have you been Nissa's nanny?" I hoped that if I broke the ice it would thaw her out.
"Yes, you say correctly. I have been here since she was 2." I again noticed a not-quite-nice face she was making, she had a stronger accent than the others I had spoken to, even NIssa who talked to her every day.
I saw Ivanka giving her a stern glance and she pretended she didn't see it. I wondered at the way she had worded that reply, like she was telling me something without coming right out and telling me.
Suddenly her face lit up and she smiled. Not just any smile but a coy little aren't I pretty and don't you want to pet me smile. Oh fuck, that's why she was mad at me. She wanted to be the nanny turned Mrs., I would tell her if I thought I could get away with it, that she could fucking have his ass, cause I didn't ask for it or want it.
As he walked behind me he reached out and caressed my back. I almost jumped out of the chair but managed to catch myself. I could see the bastard smirking.
"Good morning Angel, what are you having for breakfast?" She listed the fruit on her plate and her muffin. Then I suddenly realized he was having her learn and remember the names of things while speaking in English. I wonder if they often spoke Russian. I would definitely have to learn that language and quickly or I'd be lost.
He had fixed a cup of coffee, and I noticed he was wearing a tailored suit that probably cost as much as a car for poor people like me. He looked at me and smiled a little knowing smirk and I felt my face freeze.
He walked over to Nissa and bent down to kiss her on her head. I noticed the nanny was being especially attentive with him here. That's some bullshit right there, using a man's child to worm your way to him. Of course, I bet people in this house thought I did the same thing.
He walked over to me, gently grabbed my hair, tilted my head back, and kissed me. I heard Nissa giggle.
"Be a good girl, talk to Ivanka about the kitchen, and Nissa can show you the library." he pecked me on the mouth again and left.
"My daddy likes you." she smiled. She had no fucking idea.
As soon as she was done with breakfast, Nissa left with the nanny. Afterward, I promised to come and find her in a bit. This was going to be interesting with Jealousy Barbie, the Russian edition around, hating my ass.
I just shook my head and went to get my 2nd cup of coffee. Ivanka met me with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. It smelled amazing, so I didn't refuse, and I took it back to the island to eat and enjoy my coffee.
Ivanka came to sit by me, "Now, I have a feeling you have no idea what to do, am I right?"
I nodded and just kept shoveling food in my face, so I didn't have to speak, "Well, we try to prepare a menu for the week on Sunday. Sometimes we have to change a bit, but for the most part it helps Hugo, the house manager, to know what groceries to order."
I just sat there and looked at her," There is such a thing as a house manager?"
She smiled a big smile, "Yes, dear, there's such a thing. It's like a butler, only he runs the whole house, not just the kitchen."
I just shook my head, "So is he like Dobby, without the side of violence and menacing owners?"
She busted out laughing hysterically, "I will have to tell him you said that, he will love it. That is kind of a good way to see it. He is over the staff and keeps everything a well oil machine, but he's a good guy, and you'll like him."
"Okay, he said something about sorting out food. I'm not allergic to anything I am aware of. I will write down what foods I am used to, and what kind of snacks I usually buy. If they're not available here, you would probably know better than me what to do about it. I have no idea what either of them like, and how to do any of this." I dropped my head onto the island.
She patted me on the back, "I think you are making it more complicated than it is. I am the one who comes up with the menus and gives them to Hugo. The only thing I will ask you is if you like it or hate it, and I take care of the rest. I know what foods they like, and I know what groceries we need every week, so you don't have to worry about any of that stuff."
I picked up my head and sighed, that sounded much more manageable to me. For a moment I was tempted to tell her what was happening. However, I liked her, and she seemed like a nice person. I wasn't sure what might happen to her if she tried to help me get away. I wasn't sure, as a Bratva Pakhan, if Dragori would kill her if she tried. So, I kept my mouth shut.
After I was finished, Ivanka took my dishes, and I decided to wander the house. If I had any hope of getting out of here, I needed to know how I was going to do that. This house was big enough that I literally kind of got lost a couple of times. I did manage to find a doorway outside.
This must be the garden Nissa said she would spend time in today. I will admit this was gorgeous. However, aside from the beauty, I needed to know if there was an exit. So I just wandered around, trying to look like I was casually just seeing all the garden.
When I neared what seemed to be a wall that acted as a fence back here. So, unless I could scale the damn thing, I didn't see myself getting out this way. I made my way back into the house feeling a bit dejected.
I continued to wander around peeking into different rooms. I found a couple of rooms that seemed to be living rooms. One had a TV, so maybe this was where Nissa watched her shows, whatever they were. Then there were a lot of bedrooms that seemed empty, so probably just guest rooms.
I found the library that Dragori had mentioned. It was enormous, and I automatically thought of that scene in Beauty and the Beast, but I didn't twirl. I was, however, very impressed. I didn't find anything that looked like it could possibly help me with my mission though.
I opened the door to the next room, expecting a guest room or an office, but what I found was something very different. I caught my breath and tiptoed into the room. The room seemed to be imbued with magic, so much so, that I felt I should be quiet and treat it with reverence.
Whatever this room used to be right now, it was standing completely empty. There was a whole wall of windows. However, they were not any ordinary windows, they appeared to be some kind of cut glass framed windows. They had a strip of cut glass all around every solid window, then a frame of wood surrounding that. Above the tall windows was a small window that was sunk further back into the wall, and each one was stained-glass, and had beautiful artwork shown on each one.
The effect let the sunlight dance across the hardwood floor. The light in here was so amazing. Sections of regular sunlight, then sections of prisms, and reflections of the small stained-glass windows played with the changing light.
The rest of the room was very simple, just white walls, and medium hardwood floors. What made it extraordinary was that window wall.
"I thought I might find you here." I whirled around having not heard anyone approach me.
I saw an older gentleman with a very nice suite, his hair was starting to go grey but he wore it well. I had no idea who he was so I just froze.
He smiled, "I am Hugo, the house manager. Ivanka told me she explained who I was, although the Dobby reference is priceless. Mr. Volkov had mentioned this room to me this morning before leaving for the office. He said that his new wife was a very good painter, and that you would require a studio space. He had thought of this room precisely for the very feature that so enamored you, the light."
I was reeling and trying to dissect everything he had just said. He was Hugo, okay got that. He liked the Dobby reference, so he had a sense of humor. He had told the staff I was his new wife, okay, but the gigantic rock on my finger was probably another giveaway. Then the whole part about me being a painter and needing a studio. That I so totally didn't get.
How the hell did Dragori know I was a good painter? I had mentioned I came to Russia because I was enamored of the art,and he knew my degrees were in art. However, he had never seen anything I had painted or drawn, so how would he know anything about my paintings?
"Would this room lend itself to being made into a studio for your use?" he was watching me closely.
"Yes, this room would be excellent as a studio. I am just still trying to figure out how Mr. Volkov would know anything about me being a good painter, as he's never seen any of it."
"Ah, I see. I believe Mr. Volkov has a dossier about you, and in that it shows several paintings you have made that have been hung in various galleries. That's how he's seen the quality of your work."
Ah, of course, why didn't I think of that? The Russian Bratva boss has a file on me, probably knows a whole hell of a lot more than I ever told him. That means he knows that my parents are dead, and that I have no one who will miss me or come looking for me. There's no one to ask questions and report that I've been kidnapped. The "Friends" I had didn't even bother to check up on me after ditching me at the airport.
When my rent is due and it goes unpaid. The landlord will legally evict me from the apartment, then someone will come in and take away all of my things, and they will be thrown away, or perhaps resold. Who knows. He won't blink an eye about my sudden disappearance. I don't have a job that would miss me when I never returned from my vacation to resume my schedule.
I suddenly felt very, very cold. The realization that you don't matter to anyone, and your disappearance won't even make a ripple, is a hard thing to be smacked in the face with.
"Mrs. Volkov, are you okay?" I suddenly remembered he was there, and he was watching me have a very unpleasant epiphany.
"Please, don't ever call me that, just don't." I shook my head, emphasizing what I was saying.
He paused and looked at me again with that assessing stare, "Very well, Ilaria, I would like to speak with you about what you would require for a studio space."
"We need to do that later. I promised Nissa I would come and find her. She probably thinks I've forgotten her by now." I realized I probably sounded stupid and was babbling, but that's all that popped out.
"She's in the kitchen having lunch and has asked after you, and we told her you were looking around the house, so she is aware."
"Ah, is Jealousy Barbie with her? I don't think she likes me as I usurped what she wanted, but whatever. She doesn't seem to really like Nissa, have you seen that? She doesn't pay any attention to her until Dragori is around or someone similar." I needed a mop to clean up the word vomit spewing from my mouth. I told myself I really needed to shut up.
He stood up straighter, "I will take that into advisement. I have just been made aware of the tension and the possible reason for it. I can assure you that Mr. Volkov never even glanced at Naleena, and I will most definitely be watching her behavior with regard to Nissa."
I just nodded, determined to keep my mouth shut and not throw out random crap anymore. "Perhaps I can escort you to the kitchen for lunch." he smiled,
I just nodded, not trusting myself to not start word vomiting again if I opened my mouth. So, I followed him down to the kitchen. I would have to find a way to get out of here before I lost my damn mind.