Chapter 86

Keylef
"What’s going on? You know that family," I cleared my throat, worried. Of course, I knew that family. A tragedy had wiped them out entirely.
"I'm not sure. I'll need to look into it," I said nervously, trying not to create more uncertainty. But I was certain—no one from that family had survived. How was this possible?
"It might be best if you go and see him. Maybe it will trigger a memory or help him recall something."
"He doesn't remind me of anything... I think it’s better if you go in, Mr. Keylef. Maybe seeing him will help confirm who he is." Feeling uncomfortable, I nodded and stood up. Lost in thought, I was startled when Belle asked,
"Is something wrong? Tell me the truth, Keylef."
I looked at her, and her worried expression calmed me down.
"Don't worry. We'll do everything in our power," I said, stroking her hair with a smile. She nodded and followed the nurse. My smile faded into an expression of deep concern.
When we entered the room, my face changed dramatically. It was Romanov's work… he was really alive, the head of the Santorini family.
"Keylef... you are the eldest son of the Montenegro family."
"Mr. Romanov… do you recognize me, Mr. Romanov?" I asked, incredulous. Years had passed since his death was declared. How could this be possible?
"Of course, I recognize you. You came to one of my art exhibitions with your family. I was hoping to share another whiskey with your father; he’s a good man. How’s the company?"
I looked at Belle, stunned, and said,
"Mr. Romanov, my family died in an accident years ago."
"What? When did this happen?"
"Thirteen years ago."
"Thirteen years… but I saw him just a few days ago," he murmured, unsettled.
"Mr. Keylef, I don’t think this is a good idea…" the nurse said, entering, but Mr. Romanov interrupted.
"No! T-this man needs to stay. Where is my family?"
"You… you were believed to be dead, Mr. Romanov."
"What? And my son... my wife, where are they?" I looked at the nurse, and she shook her head.
"Don’t try to hide the truth from me. I know what you're doing," he lashed out at the nurse. He grabbed my shirt in desperation and demanded, "Tell me..."
"Your family is gone, Mr. Romanov… I’m very sorry." He shook his head, pained.
"My son… he was going to get married, I was going to have a grandchild."
"Your wife passed away, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing them. So she… took her own life."
The man collapsed to the floor, and Belle quickly rushed to his side.
"Grandpa!" The man looked up, confused, and shook his head, hitting it repeatedly.
"I’m sorry, I meant to say... I... I’m so sorry."
"Get that woman away from me!" Belle stood up in tears and ran out, but she collided with Cesar at the door.
"What’s going on here?"
"Mr. Cesar…" Her gaze dropped.
"Please, I’ll have to ask you to leave the room. Mr. Romanov is very agitated, and seeing more faces will only make it worse."
The nurses ushered us out, and more rushed inside as we heard his distressed cries.
"Grandpa…" Belle murmured anxiously. She turned to me with a furious expression and snapped,
"Why did you do that, Keylef? You lied to me. You said you didn’t recognize the surname."
"And I didn’t! Belle… but seeing him, I was overwhelmed with surprise."
"Well, it was selfish of you. And once again, you lied to me… you knew that name meant something and didn’t tell me."
"Belle, it’s not what you think… I refused to believe he could be alive."
"Of course… you always think you’re doing the right thing, just like when you used me for your own convenience."
Belle walked away, but as I was about to follow her, Cesar stopped me.
"What are you doing here, Keylef?"
"Why do you care what I’m doing? Belle is my only concern, and I’ll protect her whenever I can. So just stick to your job as you always do," I said, trying to move past him, but he stopped me again.
"No, Belle is no longer your concern. So stop pretending to be the knight in shining armor."
I turned to him, clenched my fist, and said just inches from his face,
"Why should I stay away from her? Does she belong to you?"
"Belle is my wife. From now on, I’ll take care of her and everything she needs. So leave and don’t come back. Go live your life, brother."
He walked past me, and with a bitter smile, I retorted,
"If that’s true, why was she crying alone? You didn’t ease her worries about her grandfather. If she doesn’t come to you for help, it’s because she doesn’t trust you. She probably doesn’t even know what you want from her. You can’t protect her either, so we’re in the same situation."
"The difference is, I don’t run away from my responsibilities. Always running, and now you pretend like you’ve never been absent."
"If your problem is that I’m not working at the company, I’ll come back and take care of Belle properly."
He let out a bitter laugh and said, "You? Take care of someone? Don’t make me laugh… My whole life, I’ve been doing my older brother’s job. You don’t know what it means to take care of anyone. I might be a tyrant, but I don’t abandon my own."
He walked away, leaving me to release a weary sigh.
Cesar
Anger burned like lava in my veins as I left the company. Why was Belle going back to my brother again after everything that happened between us instead of coming to me? It was always the same. Hadn’t I already proven I was reliable enough for her to trust me with her problems? I was starting to get fed up. I grabbed my phone and immediately called Joffre.
"Yes, Mr. Cesar?"
"I need you to go to the rehabilitation hospital and find out what’s going on with Belle’s grandfather. I don’t have time to deal with it now because I need to go after her. I’m leaving it to you, Joffre."
"As you wish, sir."
I put my phone away, and as I left the hospital quickly, I saw her about to take a taxi. I ran toward her and stopped her.
"Where do you think you’re going?" She looked down, pulling away from my grasp.