His Queen To Claim (Book Two)✔️

4. Chapter Four.

Dimitri's POV

It's been a month since everything went down in Assentrix, and since then, I've been laying low per my father's strict orders after retrieving his drugs. But the remnants of the past still linger on my tongue, leaving a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Despite the chaos that ensued, I can't shake off the memories of the woman I gave up on. The sweetness of her lips and the way she would look at me with an intense gaze still haunt me, even as I try to forget her.

But what I did to her was necessary, a decision made in a moment of desperation.

The guilt of my actions weighs heavily on my conscience, but I can't deny the pull I feel towards her. The way she moved, the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair - it's all seared into my memory. I know that what we had was tumultuous, even dangerous at times, but I crave it still.

I long for the little things with Rena that I used to take for granted - cuddling her, watching movies with her, and just being with her. But I knew it was foolish to have such feelings for her. Our feelings were forbidden, and our worlds could never intersect.

I knew that my feelings for Rena could never be acted upon. If I had allowed our strange and forbidden connection to continue, she would have ended up like my ex-girlfriend - dead.

The consequences of our emotions would have been too great, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing her when the time would come.

So I pushed her away, knowing that it was the right thing to do, even if it hurt. Rena would never understand the true depth of my feelings, and that was a burden I would carry for the rest of my life.

I was fucking pathetic.

And that's why Rena deserved more than a life of secrecy and lies, a life that I could never give her. It was my duty to let her go, to set her free, even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness.

I could only hope that one day she might understand, that one day she might forgive me for the pain I caused her. But the reality was that she would probably never forgive me, and that thought filled me with an overwhelming sense of despair.

My mother's icy voice sliced through the hazy atmosphere of the dimly-lit room, jolting me out of my whiskey-induced trance.

I took a long swig, trying to drown out the nagging voice in my head that reminded me of my past mistakes. My mother's frown deepened as she snatched the glass from my hand and emptied its contents in one swift motion.

"I miei ragazzi sono stati MIA, e non riesco a mettermi in contatto con loro. Dimitri, do la colpa a te,"

"My boys have been MIA, and I can't seem to get a hold of them. Dimitri, I blame this on you," she spat, her eyes flashing with anger.

Incontrai il suo sguardo con uno sguardo freddo tutto mio. "I tuoi ragazzi sono uomini adulti, mamma. In secondo luogo, la loro ubicazione non ha nulla a che fare con me e, in terzo luogo, hai mai pensato che potessero nascondersi lontano da te?" dissi, la mia voce intrisa di sfida.

I met her gaze with a cold stare of my own. "Your boys are grown men, Mother. Secondly their whereabouts have nothing to do with me and thirdly have you ever thought they might be hiding away from you?" I said, my voice laced with defiance.

"Dimitri, your main responsibility is to look after your younger brothers! What if something happens to my babies? They're still so young!" My mother's words grated on me, as I knew she was trying to manipulate me into doing her bidding.

"I'm not their father; that role should be established by their own father," I replied, meeting her glare head-on.

"Before that girl came into your life, you would have done as I said. But now, you just like to back-talk your own mother. And your father thinks I'm too overprotective. Is it really so bad to check on my sons daily? They're just babies," she sighed.

"Fine, I'll go and find your twins," I sighed, knowing it was a losing battle to go against my mother's wishes. I had no idea how my father managed to handle her.

"Thank you," she said, kissing me on the cheek before I quickly left.

I made sure I wasn't being followed by one of my mother's men before heading to the twins' private apartment. It was their escape from our overprotective mother.

When I arrived to the twins apartment, I found them happily making lunch in the kitchen, in a surprisingly cheery mood. Usually, they would have their maids do it for them, but this time was different, and I couldn't help but notice.

"Your mother seems quite concerned about the two of you. Why is it that I have to constantly drop by in order to remind you two to at least call, just to put her mind at ease?" I asked, curiously watching the two's sudden demeanor change from guarded, quiet and disenchant to chirpy.

Were they already over Rena?

As I observed their expressions and body language, I couldn't help but feel curious about what might have caused this sudden change.

It was clear that they had been occupied with something for the past few days, and I couldn't help but wonder what it could be.

As I was lost in my thoughts, my younger brother Rico's unexpected question brought me back to reality. "Big brother, what do you think about babies?" he asked, his innocent expression and earnest tone catching me off guard.

I tilted my head to the side, studying their happy faces closely. Despite my initial surprise, I couldn't help but feel a sense that their was something with these two that they were just not letting off.

"I think that having children is a huge responsibility that requires maturity and financial stability," I responded, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. "I do believe that you two are still quite young and have many adventures ahead of you before considering starting a family."

Despite my objections, their eyes continued to sparkle with joy and amusement.

Nico caught my gaze and chuckled, almost as if they were enjoying the intrigue they had created. "Don't worry, it's not us," Nico said, their eyes crinkling with amusement. "But someone very, very close to us is."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling a sense of foreboding. "Is there something else going on that I should know about?"

Both of them hesitated, their eyes flickering back and forth between each other. "Of course not," Nico said, his tone too casual to be convincing.

"Hmm." I hummed letting them know I was giving them the benefit of the doubt.

But I wasn't fooled. The way they looked at each other, secretly relaying different messages, the way they directly looked into my eyes and smiled while lying...it was clear they were keeping something from me.

Something I needed to find out.

**********

Dimitri is gonna start digging for answers omgggg😂

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