The Don And His Flower

33

Michael Kholodov's words were unheard, all watching as Valis poured a strong scented liquid over his father's body.

Valis watched the reactions of his wife.

The confusion.

The fear.

The relief.

The happiness.

Her eyes displayed such different emotions, only simmering them to terror as she heard a gunshot hit the man's stomach. Valis kept his gun pointed, watching that single bullet set his father ablaze.
The second one piercing the side of the man's neck, a chunk of flesh gone as his screams were muted in pain.

The Don thrashed around, his rolls failed horribly as he was in to much pain to put out the flames on his body. Eyes dark with immense pain, Michael Kholodov tried to beg for mercy.

Imani tightened the hold that she put to her face. Pain and discomfort clear as she took a cautious step back. The flames erupted fast and high. The putrid smell of what was once Michael Kholodov attacked her nostrils.

Silence over came all of them. Every pair of eyes on Valis Kholodov as he finally looked up from his father's corpse. His dark brown eyes on Imani as she looked at her husband. Her lips quivered behind her sweating hands. Eyes glossy as she failed to understand why her husband had just murdered his father in front of her.

Why did he make her watch?

Was he here this whole time Valis had been sneaking out?

Why did it feel so good to look at this man dead before her?

Valis Kholodov looked around the silent compound. Hundreds of faces staring in shock at the death of their Don. By Valis Kholodov's hands.

His own son.

"The purpose of our family..has been dated generations ago. When my fourth generation grandfather made a pact of his living family, he made it his will, the very thing that kept us thriving across Russia. Was to protect his women and the children, the wealth and greed came after. That rule had been forgotten and neglected when my grandfather became Don, and decided to celebrate by kidnapping, raping and then murdering my biological grandmother."

Light whispers came over the crowd. Private words spoken as they processed the true history that they've never learned.

"I refuse to tolerate it. I refuse to follow in their footsteps. Rest this man's soul, because he wasn't raised to know right from wrong. My father and the man before him, believed in greed. They believed that power gained from fear, is the way of life. That harming our own women to breed our children is the way of life."

Imani looked at the dead man, taking a step back as she noticed the soil wasn't soaking up the blood fast enough, making a puddle of dark crimson.

"They were wrong. They knew it, their acquaintances knew it, you all knew it, and I knew it."

Her heart clammers in her chest, pounding as he pointed at his father. "I was arranged to marry Anna Vladmin over a year ago. An alliance that I wasn't aware of, an alliance that would have gotten more than half of the people here killed. The purpose of my father agreeing to the marriage alliance, was because of the money and power he believed he would've gotten from it. The previous alliances he had were still in effect. If I had married Anna, that would've told the other families where the Kholodov resides. The Vladmins were rivals of half of the alliances that my father had made."

He breathed out, waiting for the information to be absorbed by them. He wasn't going to be his father. Wasn't going to allow such danger into the world where he intends to live with Imani by his side.

"Years ago, the only effective way to terminate a marriage alliance was for the man to impregnate another woman with his firstborn. That ruling has since been terminated the day my father was born from my biological grandmother, when he then made his arranged wife raise him. Over a year ago, when I was under the order to kill Ivan Niko, I reunited with Imani Milton."

Some people looked at the young woman, her hands shaking as she looked at the deceased man.

Why was he telling so many people about this? Why do they have to know such intimate information?

"We conceived our first child that night. My heir to the Kholodov Family lived inside of her. Until my father ordered her kidnapping. This compound came under attack that night, you all remember it as if it was yesterday. Don't you? Our loved ones, dead and buried only miles away from here. Because my father ordered that, all to take Imani Kholodov away from here."

He said nothing over the shocked gasps and louder murmurs. The twenty two year old stared at his woman, dark brown eyes glossy as she let the tears fall again. She nodded, giving him the consent he needed from her.

"They beat her, raped her. My child died inside her from the injuries that she sustained. My wife and I welcomed our first child to this world by burying it."

"I refuse to bring my son into this world, knowing the man behind my wife's attack, our first childs death, is alive. As of now, I hereby declare my name, Don Valis Kholodov, heir of the Kholodov family. May the past Don rest, knowing his family will continue to thrive in the way it's supposed to. May he rest well, knowing his children, and his children's children, will never follow in his footsteps."

Son?

Son.

A boy, a boy she's carrying.

A son growing inside her from Valis Kholodov.

The Don put his hand out, Imani accepting it as she's guided around the deceased and the blood. Her heart clammers at the realization of her child. She carried his son. A Dons baby. She will be his mother. "The Kholodov Family we know, dies with my father. The Kholodov Family we want, will survive and thrive with us."

Valis.