21 | Scandal of the Century

Alexei | Grace

THE MOMENT I MET ALEX'S father I knew where he'd got it from. That cold look that sometimes flashed in his eyes, the hardness of his voice that made me shiver. All this time I'd been wondering what happened to the boy I met in the cafe years ago, but now I knew. He was slowly growing into his father. Though maybe that wasn't quite fair. Sometimes, when I least expected it, I'd catch glimpses of the real Alex—the one he didn't want people to see. The one he hid from the world.

The one I wanted to get back.

Dad hadn't asked too many questions on the way back home about why on earth the managing director of the hospital I used to work at and his father had both turned up and invited me to dinner. But just because he didn't ask didn't mean he wasn't thinking about it; I could feel the undercurrent or tension that flowed in the silent air between us as we walked.

I considered what I might say. The reality of the situation was far more complex than my dad knew—far more complex, in fact, than I probably knew. What could I say? That they wanted me to take my old job back? Unlikely. That didn't warrant a personal dinner. By the time we reached our flat I could feel panic rising in my chest.

I unlocked the door and dad finally spoke as he wheeled himself inside. "So that's why you left." Confused, I followed behind him, terrified he might know something I didn't. "You've been seeing the managing director—what was his name again..." he thought for a moment, "Mr Hale."

I stared back across the room in silent shock. "Seeing him?" I repeated, dazed. "Alex?"

"I should have seen it coming, I suppose."

"Um—"

"When he met you at that cafe when you were out the first time," dad continued his hypothesis, "I should have seen it then. But that was two years ago." He shook his head. "That's a long time to keep something like that quiet, Grace."

I didn't like the way he said 'like that', as if I'd somehow partaken in the scandal of the century. "Dad, I—"

"I just don't see why you let it carry on this long. Why wait two years to leave your job when you've operated against our moral values for years? And what about Jonah?" The confusion in my dad's voice was laced with a hard bitterness. His gaze was unwavering. "Unless of course..." I swallowed hard waiting for his next crazy idea. "Unless you're planning on marrying him."

I almost choked.

"Is that it, Grace?" dad asked. It was the closest his voice had come to being stern since mum died.

Marrying Alexei? That couldn't have been further from the truth. I barely knew Alex, let alone intimately, and he certainly wasn't the managing director of an NHS hospital. Yet how could I explain any of that to my dad without sounding insane—without providing an alternative, credible and legitimate explanation?

Dad and mum had always believed that working professionally in such a high-stress, high-risk environment with your partner was a recipe for disaster. That's why when they started seeing each other after working at the same hospital my dad transferred to a different one. So professional lines didn't get blurred. Who was to say the same hadn't happened with Alexei and I? Did my dad really need to know any different, at least for now?

The one thing I prized above all else was keeping my dad safe. Telling him the truth—or what little I knew of it—wouldn't do that.

"Well, Grace?" he pushed.

"I...didn't want you to find out like this."

"Huh." He let out a heavy exhalation. "So I was right."

"Not completely." Dad raised a brow. "We've been...talking a lot at work. For a while. But recently we decided to, um, make things a little more serious."

"That's why you got a new job?"

"Yeah. But the pay is better, and so are the hours..."

"And Jonah—?" This question was weighted. I could tell because I knew how much dad loved Jonah.

"Alex and I have only recently started something between us. Jonah and I aren't..." I couldn't quite bring myself to say together. "Well, it's complicated."

"And you're not getting married?"

"No!" I exclaimed quickly. Maybe a little too quickly but I didn't have time to think about that right now. "No, dad, we're not getting married."

"Well...thank god for that," he grinned. "I know I'm getting old but I don't think I'm ready for grand babies just yet, Gracie."

All the tension in the room finally vanished as we both cracked a smile.

"I can't believe you thought I was getting married!"

"And I can't believe you kept this from me for so long," dad reminded me half-jokingly. "Two years you've liked this man and you've only just had the courage to tell me." He shook his head.

"Not two years," I denied though the truth of the matter was that I had. I had been waiting, hoping, yearning for Alex for two years. A man I didn't even really know, yet somehow felt tied to. That realisation made the story I was telling my dad seem a little more truthful.

He wheeled himself over to his work bench in the corner of the living room and flicked on the lamp while I perched on the edge of our loveseat.

"Are you going to fully introduce me to this man, then?"

I had to double take at the directness of the question. "Um...you know, maybe I should get dinner with his parents over before we think about anything else. Okay?"

Dad looked a little disgruntled but nodded reluctantly. "I suppose that's fair."

"Thank you." I leapt up from the seat and bounded across the room to kiss his cheek. "I'm going to bed now, dad. Goodnight."

"Sleep well, Gracie."

When I climbed into bed, my hair still damp from showering, I knew that sleep was only a distant and unreachable prospect. Though I'd thrown open my bedroom window, the air was still thick and close making my skin clammy. I peeled the bedsheets back and forced my eyes closed, but all I could think about was Alex.

Maybe tomorrow I'd finally get the answers I needed. Maybe I'd finally know. Of two things I was already absolutely certain: that Alexei hid a dark side which I hadn't yet fully seen, and that a part of me—perhaps a reckless, stupid part—was allured by that side.

Tomorrow I would get my answers. I kept that thought in my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

By midday the next day, dad had already told me off about the Jonah situation. To him Jonah was like a son, so he couldn't see why I'd throw all that away. I hadn't been specific about how long all of this had been going on, but I knew he'd inferred a degree of dishonesty on my part. Head hung in shame, I stood and took his words in, comforted in part by the fact that I knew none of it was true. Well, most of it.

Lena had come over to help me prepare for dinner, and as she fiddled with my hair and makeup, dad grilled her about Alexei. She kept her composure and gave away very little; it was times like these I was grateful to have her as my best friend. She knew more than anyone else about my current situation—she knew I worked for Alex, she knew how he made me feel, she knew how things were with Jonah.

"You're going to have to face him eventually, you know," Lena said as she pointedly pulled the wand out of a tube of lip gloss.

"I know—don't put that stuff on me—" I waved her hand away, "—I just don't know what to tell him."

"This is my best gloss, Grace," she sighed putting the tube away. "Anyway, just tell him it's over between you. He must have seen it coming."

"A formal family dinner is no place for shiny lips."

"Everywhere is a place for shiny lips." Lena picked up a nude Mac lipstick instead and I nodded approvingly. "You're changing the topic," she observed.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"No. Stand up, I want to see how you look. And put those heels on."

It felt like I'd been sat down for hours. My legs ached when I finally uncrossed them and stood, letting the pale pink dress I wore flow out around me. It flared out to my mid-thighs but the bodice was tight with a low cut v-neck. The heels Lena wanted me to wear had a simple ankle strap and were made of black velvet. I glared at them with distaste.

"I can't go out like this," I groaned.

"Why not?" Lena only sounded mildly insulted; she and I both knew our fashion sense wasn't shared. "You look hot."

"That's the problem."

"Since when has looking hot ever been a problem?"

I rummaged in my wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black wedge-heeled espadrilles. "I need to look classy and sophisticated," I said, pulling the shoes on, "not like a cheap prostitute."

"You do not look like—" Lena was cut off by a knock at the front door. Her eyes slid to mine and she smiled while I grimaced. "Do you think that's him?"

I checked my watch. "It could be."

"Oh god I'm so excited!" she squealed. "Answer it!"

Making my way to the door with Lena hot on my heels, I took a deep breath before pulling it open.

Jonah was stood on the other side.

I felt my cheeks flame red as his eyes took in my dress and makeup, and behind me Lena let out a sharp breath. I elbowed her a little harder than necessary.

"Jonah..." I tried. I didn't know what else to say. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. I'm sorry you had to find me like this.

"Grace," he said and I heard his voice waver. It was one of the only times I'd ever seen a flicker of uncertainty on Jonah's face. "I've been trying to speak to you all week."

"I know," I said quickly. "I've been busy. Not that I didn't want to see you—" lie, "—but I've got this new job and I really wanted to get settled in and focus on that."

"A new job?"

As I composed my answer I could feel Lena's amusement radiating out of her smirk. "Yes. At a private hospital."

"You've gone private?"

"Is that really so surprising?" I frowned.

"No, of course not, it's just...Grace, why didn't you tell me any of this?"

The hurt in Jonah's voice and face was clear. He was used to being one step ahead of everyone, what with him being a lawyer, but now he was three steps behind.

"I..."

"Am I interrupting something?" From behind Jonah another voice merged into the conversation—a voice that made my blood turn to ice. Alexei was stood in the corridor just behind Jonah in a pristine suit. On one arm his jacket was slung, making him look effortlessly suave in a pressed white shirt and red silk tie.

When Jonah turned around he did a double take and my cheeks blazed. "Excuse me—" he was about to snap but he faltered under Alex's gaze.

"Grace, we're going to be late for dinner." Alex didn't even acknowledge that Jonah had spoken until he'd addressed me directly. Then his eyes wandered lazily to the other man, "I'm Alexei Ivanov."

It was the first time I'd heard Alex admit to his true name in front of a stranger. The significance of that wasn't lost on me; I could sense the testosterone in the air. The first time Alex and Jonah had met, Alex pretended to work at the same hospital I did, going by the surname Hale. Now he'd blown that illusion out of the water—making the lie I'd told my dad even more precarious. He and Jonah discussed everything.

Jonah shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I'm—"

"Jonah Chatto. I know." Alex's gaze shifted back to me, steady and intense. "Shall we?"

Stunned into silence, I nodded.

A/N  Let me know what you thought of the trailer! (Above). I kind of hate this chapter but it was necessary and right now I just want to move on to the next part so it'll have to do.