ROSALINE

22

ALEXIE

I sat opposite my grandfather as I took a sip of the coffee given to me. I would have preferred vodka but I'm sure he would have slammed the bottle on my head thinking I was being disrespectful. This man was more than a hundred years old and yet he had more control over my life than my father.

We've been sitting here in silence for two minutes and I could see my father getting impatient at the lack of the old man's response.

Then, gramps cleared his throat catching our attentions.

"Alexei," he said. "Grandfather," I responded. He gave me a smile that he only started to wear when he retired from this mafia life. Lucky man.

"Any luck yet?" he asked and I frowned. "I'm confused," I frowned. "He meant if your wife is pregnant," my father said to me. This made me roll my eyes.

I wasn't surprised.

"Isn't it too early for her to get pregnant? I haven't fixed the damaged that Sahin caused," I said to him. Their jaws hardened; they knew how dangerous everything was. I wasn't ready to put Rose's life in danger. She would never forgive me for that.

"Have you taught her how to defend herself?" my father asked me. "She's Garcia's daughter, Mikhail. Of course she knows how to defend herself," my grandfather said with an eye roll. I also rolled my eyes and took a sip of my bitter coffee.

I only came to this house to check up on mother and wait till it was time to pick up my little sister. Being in the presence of these men was draining and I didn't like it one bit.

At least, my grandfather was more bearable than my father.

My father's phone began to ring and he excused himself. When he was out of the dining room, I continued to drink my coffee. I would have brought out my phone but my grandfather valued respect more than anything in the world.

When my grandmother was alive, he would punish anyone who dared to raise their voice at her. it was amusing to watch him discipline my father whenever he raised his voice at my mother, Alina or my grandmother.

"Son," he called making me look at him. "Treat her well," he said to me and I nodded. "I will," I said to him. He gave me a satisfied smile, "I'm proud of you and I always will be."

That was all I needed.

Growing up, my father didn't really have time for me after my mother died. He didn't even give Vera the time of the day. It was grandfather and I that had to make time for her so she wouldn't feel lonely. I hated my father at that time for being so distant but I later understood his reason.

Not that it justifies his actions but I wasn't surprised.

"You can leave now," Grandfather said to me and I nodded before leaving.

ROSALINE

"I don't even know what to do whenever he makes those cute gestures without even realizing it," I said to my unconscious mother as I dressed her up after cleaning her body.

"I don't even know if he realizes how he affects me," I said with a pout and took a brush to brush her hair gently before braiding it in cornrows. When she was alive, she taught me how to braid my own hair and made me try it on Blaze every single time.

He would get mad every time I did a silly style on his head and mom would take pictures and videos of him. Every memory always brought a smile to my face.

"I never knew love could be hard like this. I mean, when I was with Marcus, I didn't really love him that much. Sure, I cried when he cheated on me but I got over it in less than three weeks," I rambled and sat down.