_Neon My Uncle walked into my office without knocking, making me look up from my desk. The man was in his forties but he didn't look a day past thirty. That was part of the charm and the fact that he knew how to dress well. It was no wonder women were falling over their heads to be in his bed. He was a good-looking man."That is something only you can do," I said and looked at his jovial face, I was trying to read the real expression on his face. But his face didn't sell out anything. With him it was hard to tell, he seemed to be in the best of moods even when the world was crumbling around him. "Who is that young thing outside your door?" He pointed to the door, and I was genuinely surprised it had taken him this long."Sylvia?" I asked, acting puzzled by his sudden question, knowing very well, Sylvia was a woman and my uncle was a man, who could smell the female scent from a mile away. Even if Sylvia had been tugged away in her office instead of her desk outside my door, my uncle
_Meghan When I woke up, the sun was out and my eyes instantly went to the armchair in the corner of the room, but it was empty. Neon had already left. I pulled the covers over my head and indulged myself with some snippets of the memories from last night. I sighed. I wanted to close my eyes and go back. Last night things truly shifted for us. It felt like I was crawling inside his skin and he was inside mine. Although I didn't know what was the next stage for us, I believe we had reached it. Whatever it was. When my foot hit the floor next to my bed. I winced, I didn't remember ever being this sore except for the first time. But this was some delicious kind of sore. I made it to the ensuite on wobbly legs and ran myself a bath. I took my time in the warm water, tracing the small bruises on my thighs and stomach with a gentle hand. The marks on my neck were visible to anyone with eyes. I sat in the warm bath until the water turned cold. When I was satisfied that I was presentabl
_Meghan "Hello, Meghan." The man extended his hand."My name is Ludovic Petrov. I'm Neon's uncle." I nodded and looked at the floor, not sure of what I was supposed to say to him. I didn't feel comfortable looking at him. He had the same twinkle in his eyes as Neon. I had already mistaken him to be Neon already, I felt if I stared long enough, I might sink lower into my hell. "Who shot him?" I didn't know why, but at least I felt like I deserved that much."Business deal gone wrong, Meghan, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this has happened to you and Ethan.""Thank you." I had not realized that I was standing in the center of the room without any real direction as to where I was headed when I felt an arm gently pulling me to a couch nearby. "I'm sorry for your loss too." I finally said. "I just wanted to personally deliver the news, as you might know, The burial will take place in St. Petersburg. With only close friends and family.""Russia?" What was I? A close friend,
_Ludovic Neon had done Meghan no justice when he tried to explain her beauty in words. I was taken by surprise when she walked into the room. She was shaken by what she heard but no amount of grief could hide away her beauty. She was a tiny thing with curves in all the right places. My first instinct was to take her in my arms and never let her go. Now I knew why my nephew had been prepared to hide her from the world, including his family. She deserved a castle, far away from everyone and everything. Hell, I could have paid a million pounds to drag her away from that job as a stripper, she was too delicate to have other men ogling at her all night for their filthy thoughts.For a moment she seemed taken aback when her eyes met mine and I knew what must have terrified her. It was obvious Neon had never told her about how funny we all looked. If she had been in st. Petersburg and found all of the Petrov men in one room, she would he would ran for the hills. We called it the defective
_Meghan The following day I felt worse than I had in the last few days. Ludovic had gone back to London, which was a great relief as well because I just wanted to be in bed all day. He was a nice man, and he seemed like a caring Uncle but his clone-like features to Neon made me uncomfortable most of the time. My mind knew that it was not Neon but all my other organs didn't seem to grasp this little concept. As a result, they responded strangely to his presence. Grief was a funny thing. I took a long bath and washed my hair. Now my sole responsibility was to Ethan, I tried to cheer myself up but I didn't know how things would go in st. Petersburg. but from dealing with the Dosters, I knew that rich people were a hard gang to please. After getting dressed, I remembered that I hadn't responded to Alicia's texts that she had been sending me since the story came out. I realized I had been selfish to shut her out again the second time. But I couldn't remember when last I saw my phone.
-Meghan The flight to Russia was long but I could not bring myself to fall asleep and miss anything. Miriam was sitting with Ethan, who had been restless the whole flight over here. I felt sticky and stiff, I wanted to shower and change. When the private landed at the airstrip, two cars were already waiting for us.A man in black came to welcome us and motioned for us to get in the waiting cars. Miriam and Ethan were ushered into the first car. And it quickly sped away, leaving me dump-funded at what just happened. He then opened the door of the second car and I climbed in at the back. “Welcome to Russia. I hope your flight was to your liking.” I turned to find Ludovic already in the car. Happy to find a familiar face, after a week on the Island, wondering if he had changed his mind about us coming over, I smiled at him. “I thought you were still in London.” He looked at me as if to force a smile but it did not reach his eyes. “I was, but I had to organize things this side.” He
The tension in the car turned into a living thing. I could see Ludovic's jaw clench as he looked at his sister-in-law. "What are you doing here, Adelita?" I was surprised by the giggles that wanted to bubble up at his question, only if he knew that was the same question I had been asked. It seemed everyone was curious to find out what everyone was here for, what did people think we came to a funeral to do, dance on top of the grave?"I just buried my husband, Ludovic. The least you could do is offer me your condolences."He let out a snorting sound. "For the real reason you are here, Adelita. The reading will be done first thing tomorrow morning. Be at the family home by eight sharp." He said ignoring her pretense of being hurt. Her eyebrow shot up to her hairline, Adelita was a beautiful woman but the longer you looked at her, one could easily see, that she had had a lot of work done on her. At least I still had youth on my side. "Excuse me." I got off from the car and stood outsid
I opened my eyes and looked at the vast room, signs of the early morning already streaming through the heavy curtains, panic set in and I patted the side of the bed, it was cold and empty. I threw my head in my pillow with a sigh. It had been a dream. god, it had felt so real. I touched my lips and savored what I thought had been a kiss from a ghost. Did I dream all of that? I touched the soft spot between my thighs and sighed again. This was not something I would ever admit to anyone. I probably had a wet dream. Glad I was alone, I moved the covers and swung my legs to the side of the bed. I needed to get ready for the reading of the will. The pills that Ludovic had given me last night had done a wonderful job plus I felt more relaxed than I had since Neon's death. I noticed also that I could recall Neon's accident without rolling into a heap of a mess on the floor. I hoped I was healing and not in denial about it as I had been with Ben attacking me. This time there would be no Ne
Eight months later. Later as we watched the sun set above the white sand. I thanked Simon for walking me down the aisle, he beamed at me and walked away. Yes, the funny man was back at the Petrov residence. The wedding reception had been exquisite, but I expected nothing less with Vera planning the whole wedding on the beach, picnic style. Now that the main event was over. The different couples were scattered around the sand enjoying themselves. Vera was sitting with Marcelli. They had danced the day away and now they sat feeding each other what looked like strawberries. After the outburst at the dinner, Vera had filed for a divorce and she and Ivan had gone their separate ways. Something she said was long overdue. She now stayed in Italy with Marcelli, the man she said was the love of her life. Ivan was also in attendance. He was now a single father raising Boris. A difficult task, given that Boris was in his late teens and becoming a young adult. But he had the best team money
_Meghan The following morning I woke up to an empty bed. I walked into the ensuite and prepared for what I knew would be a long day. I made my way downstairs and found Vera in a bathrobe sitting on the kitchen table with tea between her hands. "Good morning, dear. Did Neon come home last night?" she asked the minute I walked in. It felt like someone had died. I'd never seen her in a bathrobe before and her face was not done. She had bags under her eyes."No, he still hasn't shown up." I poured myself a cup of coffee, I needed something stronger than tea. "Do you think that's a good idea, I also noticed that last night you were drinking wine. Im sorry I don't mean to pry." She nodded at my coffee cup and blushed scarlet. "Im not pregnant, if that's what you're worried about." I smiled at her in answer to her unasked question. "Oh. I assumed-""The will," I said, knowing full well what she thought. "I never understood why Neon put that clause in there. He had everyone worried for
_Meghan The day had been a beautiful one. I finally had a dress to wear to Ludovic's wedding tomorrow. But I couldn't have done it without Vera's help. She truly had an eye for fashion. When the car drove up to the driveway, I noticed that there was an unusual bursting activity at the house. And there were more cars parked outside. "Are we having guests over tonight?" I pointed to the parked cars."Yes. But it is only family. Neon's Uncles and their better halves are joining us for dinner, it's the least we could do for Ludovic and Miriam." Vera said, picking up her clutch bag. "That is so kind of you and Ivan.""Ludovic insisted that Miriam didn't want any grand parties, so I thought this would just be us having dinner.""She has always been reserved. I can not imagine her in a party." I said, thinking what a pair they made with Ludovic. They fit perfectly together. *** "This is an interesting arrangement." Uncle Alek said as soon as I was seated and Uncle Lev surpassed a laug
_Neon Three weeks flew past fast, and it was already time to go to Ludovic's wedding. We were leaving this evening and I was still at the office going through the last batch of work when the phone rang, reminding me that I needed to get a move on.I took the elevator down to the basement. I was busier than I'd ever been. To make matters worse, I had deadlines I wanted to meet before we started with our wedding preparations, which would start the minute we came back from Ludovic's wedding. But amid the chaos of work and everything, I was happy to report that Boris was doing well in his new environment and with his new nurse. He was joining the family in Russia for the wedding. Nothing was ever without a wrinkle, as Adelita would be in attendance as well. They both had left the previous night. Meghan suggested that we all share a plane. But the thought of enduring a flight to st. Petersburg with Adelita was unthinkable. I was still searching for answers about her wealth and her gener
_Meghan Going to the doctor with Neon would at least get me away from my mother, who was in the party spirit. The car stopped in front of the entrance. Neon got out and opened the passenger door for me."I love this car." I looked at him as I settled into my seat."Does that mean you didn't like the one before this?" he raised an eyebrow."I did. But I like this one more than I liked that one. You get what I mean." I shrugged."I get what you mean. So…how's that headache of yours?" he asked. "On and off." It depended on where I was. "We should still check it out. It may be nothing or it may be something." "So where are you taking me?""To see the doctor." He grinned "Why are you happy?""I have news." he pressed the ignition and the car came to life."OK. Don't keep a girl waiting." I folded my arms over my chest. "I spoke to my lawyer on my way here. I'm looking into buying a pharmaceutical company." he beamed."Oh? Are you interested in the pharmaceutical business?" that was
_Neon I was officially back at the office for the first time after a long time. I parked my car at the underground parking and took a lift to the last floor. When the doors opened, I felt like I'd come home. The layout of the place was still the same. Not much had changed in that regard. But most of the faces were new, including my assistant, who looked like she was ready to bolt the minute she saw me. god, bless his little creatures. "Good Morning," I called out when I passed her desk "Good morning, Mr. Petrov," she replied with a bold voice for someone of her small stature. I couldn't remember her name, it must have been between Maggie and Mandy, but I remember thinking it was close to Meghan. I had to look it up, I didn't like not knowing someone's name. Someone as important as my assistant. Before I could settle down my phone rang."Yes?" I said to the receiver. "A Miss Dowels is here to see, sir. She doesn't have an appointment and she says she not leaving until you see he
_Meghan "My darling baby, I'm so happy to see you." Mom came forward with her arms outstretched. I wanted to return her enthusiasm, even if it was only to make Neon happy but my feet were rooted to the spot. I couldn't move them. When mom hugged me. I felt cold for standing as still as a rod. "It's good to see you too Mom." I led her to the couch and Neon must have seen the tension between us. he left us to catch up or murder each other. As soon as he was out of hearing distance. I sat next to Mom on the couch."what are you doing here, Mom?""Your fiance reached out to me, and I have to say I'm glad he did. I didn't even know I was a grandmother, there is so much to talk about, it cannot be squeezed in just a few minutes. Why did you never come home?""You know why." how could Neon do this to me? "I am your mother, don't you miss your mother?""You hardly knew when I was there or not." "But I have to say, Meghan, you have done well for yourself." she looked around the living ar
_NeonMy head Felt like I had gone under the knife. I couldn't remember the last time I drank so much, except when I was in college and with my uncle, who, not so long ago had sworn to stop drinking. But last night was understandably a happy occasion. I needed to buy Miriam the biggest wedding gift I could find. How she managed to tie down my uncle was a wonder that we would talk about for years to come. I could only imagine his brother's face when he got to st. Petersburg. What I would give to be a fly in the wall when he explained to everyone that he was settling down and starting a family of his own. I knew my father would be proud of him. As for my other Uncles, that is another story on its own. If they can get over the shock first. I knew for a fact that they were going to tease him about it for all that he was worth. "Still leaking your wounds?" Meghan kicked my leg when she passed me on the couch. "What do they say about kicking a dog when it's down?" I lifted my shades and
_Meghan Finally. Neon had fallen asleep. I hadn't been able to sleep after I woke to find Neon in bed. I decided there was no point in trying. I knew the day would be long. So I might as well prepare for it early. I made my way down the stairs. I was not very familiar with the house, I had only been there for dinner with Ludovic once and there hadn't been much time to do a proper tour of it. But I had a faint idea of where the kitchen might be.Once downstairs, I was about to walk past the dining area when I stopped in my tracks. Adelita was up already. She was feeding Boris. She must have heard me because she turned her neck and looked at me. "Come and watch the freak show closely. You might need something to later report to your street mates." she snarled. Before turning back and focusing her attention on her son. I went back upstairs. I had lost interest in making coffee. What kind of a woman was she? To make jokes like that about her son. When I opened the door. Neon raised