Ekaterina's POV
I was on my way to catch up with Tia when I saw her brief talk with Scarlett. As I saw my darling Tia walk away I could see she wasn't fine. I know her too well to not recognise that façade that she puts on.
As if I hadn't seen her, I passed by Scarlett - we were a few meters away from each other. I went looking for Tia and Liz and once I found them, Anastasia and I waited a few minutes for Lizzie to be done with work. Before we knew it, we were in the car, on our way to the airport. Tia didn't mention anything about her encounter with Scarlett to me and it seems like she didn't mention anything to Lizzie as well, so I decided to leave it alone, she'll talk to me when she's ready.
Elizabeth was so excited to finally see our home. She knows how reserved we are about it and she felt special since we allow her to know more about it and us, which she is. Lizzie is an amazing and absolutely wonderful person; she's loyal, she's honest, smart, charming, caring and just an outstanding friend. I think both Anastasia and I agree on that; we truly trust her to let her see such a deep and private part of our lives.
— Switzerland —
Third Person's POV
After a long trip, the girls had finally arrived. Elizabeth was still unsure of where they were since neither Tia nor Ina had told her. Although, it wouldn't take the actress long before she noticed. The jet parked. Ekaterina was the first one to say "We're home". Even though the lawyer lived in Germany, Switzerland always felt like a second home. Anastasia living there, was a big part of it. Her house or Tia's house always felt like home. There was no difference to her or Anastasia; moving to Germany was more of a practical matter for the lawyer. "Are you finally going to tell me where we are?", the actress asked. Sharing a mischievous smile with Ekaterina, Anastasia replied "You'll find out soon enough". The three women exited the jet; Lizzie being the first one out, she looked around trying to figure out where in the world she was. Okayy... she thought looking around playing a guessing game. With a smile on her face, the model teased "You haven't figured it out yet?". "You're not helping! Also, I don't know what language that is", the actress said pointing at the writing on a building nearby. "You'll figure it out" Anastasia said while approaching their car. Ekaterina laughed at the whole situation, she found it cute.
Ina's driver waited patiently outside of the car while the girls were still bickering. Elizabeth didn't know but Anastasia had a considerate amount of staff back home. From cooks to butlers to security guards, she considered them all part of her little family. She took good care of all of them, offering them excellent salaries and helping them with anything they needed. After a few minutes of messing around, the three girls got in the car and Elizabeth was formally introduced to Thomas, the driver. The ride was filled with laughter and jokes, at some point, Lizzie figured out where they were thanks to a flag in some fancy store. "Switzerland!", the actress exclaimed. "Finally" Ina jokingly said. "You guys are so annoying" Lizzie fired back which made both girls laugh.
The ride to Ina's home was absolutely breathtaking, the mountains filled with snow, the beautiful houses and landscape made the town magical. The home was located on a hill, in a more isolated area. The view from up there was just spectacular.
"Holy shit", the actress exclaimed, stunned by the astonishing property. "I take you like it" Anastasia said very proud of her home. "It's beautiful, Tia". "Wait 'till you see the inside", Ina commented.
As the girls entered the home, they were welcomed by one of the staff members, Doña Carmen. Carmen was in her 60s, she had been working for the Russians ever since they bought the property in Gstaad. She was the main maid and often enough the cook; of course, Anastasia had a chef but Doña Carmen, being Mexican, brought that homemade, grandma dishes that Tia loved. Ina, Tia and Carmen met a few years back when the Russians were staying in Mexico for a mission.
"My girls! You're back! I made some snacks for you, you must be starving after your flight", Doña Carmen was happy the girls were back. She thought of them as granddaughters. Doña Carmen was too distracted by the Russians when she saw a smaller girl behind them. "Oh! We've got guests! LORENZO! There's guests!!", the old lady yelled, informing the butler of this mysterious guest. To say they were more than surprised was an understatement. The girls had never had anyone over. "You should've told me we had guests! I would've dressed better" Carmen said with her broken accent, gently hitting Ina on the arm. "Why am I always the one you hit?", Ina asked wondering why she seemed to be the target of all scolding. Completely ignoring Ina, Doña Carmen approached Elizabeth and kindly introduced herself, "Hello cielo, I am Doña Carmen but you can call me Carmen. What is your name dear?". Lizzie smiled at the old kind lady, "Hi, I'm Elizabeth but you can call me Lizzie. It's a pleasure meeting you". Doña Carmen smiled and they shook hands. "LORENZO! Dónde estás!? (Lorenzo? Where are you?)", Carmen yelled once more. "I'm coming darling!", Lorenzo, the butler, came walking quite fast and after briefly hugging Tia and Ina, he as well introduced himself to the actress.
Lorenzo was in his 40s, he, unlike Doña Carmen was French. He had started working for the girls only a few months after Carmen. "I'm here, I'm here" Lorenzo said with a big smile. After greeting the three girls, he went back to his tasks. The actress couldn't believe her eyes. The home was beautiful, the staff felt more like a family and just being there, being a part of that felt surreal. It made her happy beyond her own imagination knowing she had finally cracked them open, she was finally being let in, even more than her sisters ever were. Elizabeth cared and loved both girls; they were her best friends, she even saw Ekaterina as a sister.
It took a moment for the actress to get out of her head. Once she was done admiring everything, she turned to the women she had grown to love and said "Thank you. It truly means a lot that you even extended the invitation. You have no idea how honored I am to be here". "We wouldn't have it any other way. I think I speak for the both of us when I say you are our best friend. We trust you which we hardly ever experience, and we consider you part of our little family", Ekaterina expressed. Liz had tears in her eyes; she was overwhelmed which emotions, which is something she never expected. For most people going to your friend's home is normal, but for Anastasia and Ina, it's something that never happens. Only a handful of people have ever been, even most of their staff after rigorous interviews and background checks may not ever get to see the home. Too many people have betrayed them and they want to feel safe because if you can't feel safe at home then what kind of life is that? After their very emotional moment, the Russians introduced their friend to everyone. They called in everyone to the living room and made the proper introductions, making sure to inform the staff that Elizabeth was now part of the family and should be treated as such. She would be assigned her very own security guard who would even go back to L.A with her in due time. Lizzie resisted at first thinking it was too much but after some convincing, she accepted. Of course, not long after the introductions, the actress was given a tour of the entire property which was even more magnificent than she had initially anticipated.
Elizabeth would be staying for about a week and a half with the Russians due to work schedules but in that time, she would learn more than she ever imagined about the girls. Their bond only got stronger during this period and even after, it would continue to be just as strong. As for Anastasia and Ekaterina, their lives went back to what they were before ever going to the states. A luxurious life filled with secrets, deals and power. Scarlett being a moving memory that Anastasia once had. Maybe one day the two would see each other again, until then, both women continued the best they could with their lives.