Demetra goes quiet. I let the silence billow between us, keeping her hands in mine as I piece everything together. The one person who wouldn’t want things to go south with the perfect marriage contract would be Osmond. And my mother. But I don’t think my mother would try to knock off Lev like that. The style is far too messy for her.
And it didn’t look like an accident either.
“Alex,” Demetra whispers. “You know, Anatoly Dvornikov is a strict father. Maybe…”
“No,” I state firmly. “That’s an appalling thought.”
She shrugs. “It was just a thought.”
“An awful one.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not your fault it’s awful. It’s just…”
I frown while focusing on our entwined fingers. A few gears click into place as I realize I can’t rely on the others to punish the guilty.
I have to do it by myself.
After another few minutes of chatting quietly about the whole situation, we go to class together. I pop into the fencing studio right after and put on my gear, hoping to shed some stress with a few rounds. Winning a couple of matches puts me in a better mood, and I linger when the other students leave.
“Coach,” I whisper. “I need to talk to you.”
She nods and sits in a chair, gesturing for me to join her. As she hands me a bottle of water, I tell her about everything that happened with Lev and the card that was left behind. Her features grow darker the more details I give her.
When I’m done, she sits quietly for a moment, seeming like she’s digging through her mind for something important. And then she asks, “Do you know anything about Alexander the Great?”
“I know as much as my history class has told me.”
“I think it would be good to read the current best-selling biography about him. It’s available in the library.”
I hum curiously. “Why would I do that?”
“His father was murdered, and he did everything in his power to convert his father’s former associates into his companions. His half siblings were also murdered.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, that’s…”
“Familiar? It should be.” She bows her head and says, “It may be inspiring to see how exactly he handled all of these things.” And then shrugs. “But what do I know?”
I chortle while opening my water bottle. “I don’t know, Coach. What do you know?”
“I know I can fire a gun and kick a man so hard in the balls that he loses his lunch.”
“Those are certain facts I can agree with.”
She gives me a motherly smile and whispers, “I know you can handle everything that’s coming your way.” She pauses for a moment, seeming to struggle with something that sits on her lips. “Alexandra, I’m so deeply sorry to hear about your loss.”
I shiver while setting the water bottle on the ground. “It happens.”
“Yes, death happens, but not like this. Not murder. You’re just a kid.”
I blink while turning my attention to the equipment in the room. “This is my life. I have to deal with it.”
“And you will. I’m confident you will handle it however is best. But it’s still important to say, Alex, that it’s not what your life is supposed to be.”
The comment inspires me to see the empire my father left behind as a means of revenge. Everything he did—all the pieces he put into play—are resources at my disposal. In a way, the other families are responsible for Lev’s and my father’s death. They’re the ones who stood aside while these betrayals played out. They prefer to sweep deaths under the rug rather than handle them properly.
And their greed is immeasurable. Osmond, my mother, Amos, and the others all have golden specks in their eyes, too focused on obtaining that which they can spend instead of building a proper world for their children. No, I’m not innocent, but my fencing coach is right: this isn’t what my life is supposed to be.