Blossom in Winter (Blossom in Winter #1)(117)

Roy leans on the wall near the window, his stare furious, shaking his head. “The women won’t talk. They all signed an agreement.”

“So did Tess. But looks like she’s ready to break it to prevent Petra from getting engaged,” I reply.

My son is still thinking. “What about Yara? Is she named in the papers?”

“I don’t think so. But who knows? If they start digging, if some women recognize her, Yara’s name might appear too. And she still has those stupid tattoos. If anyone recognizes them…” I shiver at the thought of it.

“I tried to convince her to remove them with laser treatment, like I did with mine. But you know Yara…”

“Yara might face jail time. We cannot take this lightly, Alexander,” I remind him.

My son seems lost. If Tess was not Petra’s mother, it’d be so easy to take care of the problem. But unfortunately, she is.

“What should we do?” he asks.

I look down thoughtfully, then I stand up, put my hand on his shoulder, and say what has to be said. “Alexander, you are my only son, and God knows how much I want to see you happy. I know you truly love her. But if Tess moves forward with this, no matter how innocent you are, your reputation, your businesses, our family, and God knows what else might be at stake. It’s not an easy decision. I’ll leave it to your wise consideration.”





Chapter 31





Bedford Hills, January 9, 2020

Alexander Van Dieren





I wonder if God is punishing me for my past crimes and sins. I know I deserve it. And yet, I feel so tempted to sin again and silence that Tess Hagen once and for all. But what kind of man would take the life of the mother who brought into this world the woman he loves and cherishes the most?

But fuck, Tess is so monstrous. I despise that vicious snake so much. I haven’t slept properly since she came to hunt me down after Christmas. Making love to Petra has also been harder. Next to impossible, without having a clear idea of where our relationship is heading. Just two weeks earlier, I was thinking about where to propose, and today the idea of it seems like a far distant dream—a utopia, a myth.

“What’s your next move?” asks Roy.

That’s exactly what I’m wondering. Oh, never mind. I look again at my pieces positioned on the chessboard. Then I take my bishop and make a move.

He sighs loudly. “You’re not focused today.” Roy moves his rook and captures my bishop. “It’s getting boring playing chess with you.”

But I don’t reply. While I look at my pieces in the chessboard, all I can see is my queen standing there without protection. I decide to move a knight near her.

“What are you doing?” he asks again, displeased. “It’s not the queen who needs protection. Look at your king. With two more moves, I can checkmate it.”

“I don’t know what to do, Roy,” I finally declare.

“Well, maybe you should protect your king.”

“I mean about Petra and me. I can’t break up with her. But I can’t let Tess do what she has in mind either.”

He looks at me with some unsettling hostility. “I thought Margaret made it quite clear.” His eyes shift back to the chessboard, and he moves his bishop.

I raise an eyebrow. “I’m the one who has to decide. That’s what she said.”

“With wisdom,” he corrects. He leans back against his armchair, studying me. “Go on, make a move.”

I have no appetite to play today, but I look again at my pieces. I see Roy’s bishop standing near my queen. With my rook I capture it. “I’ll take care of Tess.” I pause. “And I’m going to marry Petra.”

Roy’s face is unreadable. He rubs a finger against his lips, the air pensive as he looks intently at the chessboard. After a few more moments, he leans forward to move his queen, which takes mine. Damn it. I shouldn’t have moved that rook. “You are not marrying her.”

My heart skips a beat, and my jaw drops at his declaration. I look at my queen in his hand, just as if it were Petra. “What the hell are you talking about? We just have to take care of Tess. Problem solved.”

He sighs again. “You will leave her mother in peace, and you will stop this relationship.” I chuckle at the absurdity of it. “That’s wisdom, Alexander. And that’s the decision your mother wishes you’d make.”

“I’m not going to end my relationship with Petra because of some blunder made nineteen years ago! That’s ridiculous!”

“Ridiculous is your obsession for my daughter,” he snarls back.

“It’s not an obsession, for God’s sake! I love her!”

“So do I,” he replies just as loudly.

Nothing but silence remains between our defiant glares.

I look absently at my pieces again, wishing they could scream at me which one to move. I decide to take my knight and move it near his queen. One more move and I can capture it.

“You’ll be transferred to our Singapore office in March. You have two months to break up.”

I feel his words crash into me. “This is a joke, right? I’m not leaving New York, Roy. Forget it!”

But Roy keeps his face calm and serene as he looks at the chessboard. “We’ll start going to Singapore more frequently in the coming weeks. This will give you enough time to prepare a speech for when the time comes.”