MARRY ME, UNCLE DMITRI (ENGLISH)

6

Chapter Six

Magnus: I'll have my driver pick you up. Wear your best dress because you'll be meeting my family. My parents already like you even though you're simple. But make sure you put in extra effort tonight because it won't just be my family at dinner.

Magnus: You need to impress Uncle Dmitri. Out of everyone who's going to be there tonight, he's the one you have to win over.

I set my phone down without bothering to reply to Magnus.

He had already reminded me countless times. I got it. The words had already been drilled into my head. Yet he kept repeating them as though I were a child incapable of remembering a simple instruction.

My gaze wandered across the clothes hanging inside my walk-in closet, but none of them felt right.

"Louella?"

I shut my eyes tightly.

It was Susane. Of course she was here to stir up trouble again.

I wasn't surprised when she walked into my walk-in closet. What did surprise me was the dress she was carrying.

"I talked to Magnus," she said. "He asked me to pick out a dress for you to wear to your dinner tonight. Here. This one's beautiful. I've only worn it once. Wear it, Louella."

A taunting smile curved across her lips. She was clearly enjoying every second of this situation.

"No, thanks," I answered shortly, returning my attention to my wardrobe.

Without warning, she threw the dress at me.

I froze.

Slowly, I looked down at the dress lying at my feet.

"Wear it, Louella. You know exactly what will happen if you disobey me."

My hands curled into fists.

The anger burning in my heart toward my sister only grew stronger. I hadn't thought I could hate her even more, but I was wrong.

"You have to impress Magnus's uncle. The man doesn't have his own family. He's not married, and he owns countless businesses. Magnus is determined to earn his uncle's approval so he'll be named the heir. Don't disappoint him, Louella. If things don't go his way, he'll make sure you're the one who pays for it.”

Slowly, I bent down and picked up the dress she had thrown.

"And don't forget," she continued, "Dad expects you to become part of the Miranov-Vash family. Their connections are incredibly powerful, Louella. If you become Magnus's wife, you'll finally be useful to this family."

"So... I'm still not useful to this family?"

A bitter laugh nearly escaped my lips.

I had poured everything I had into helping our family business grow. Yet somehow, I still wasn't enough for them.

I was the one who secured the company's biggest projects.

And even that wasn't enough for them to see my worth.

Damn.

Unbelievable.

"Louella, don't tell me you actually think those past projects are some great achievements," Susane scoffed. "You're being ridiculous. They're not enough. That's exactly why Dad wants you to marry Magnus. That's where your real value lies."

"Connections."

I let out a quiet sigh.

Marriage?

To Magnus?

No.

I could no longer picture a future where we ended up at the altar.

I would never marry a man who had betrayed me.

No matter what it took...

I would find a way to make sure that wedding never happened.

"Make sure you look presentable tonight, Louella. I'm coming to the dinner too because I'm Magnus's friend, and his parents are expecting me. Don't embarrass me. And don't cause a scene."

I stayed silent.

Seeing that I had nothing to say, she turned around and walked out.

A moment later, my phone vibrated.

I picked it up and glanced at the screen.

Magnus: Let Susane decide what you'll wear tonight. See you later, Louella. I love you.

Damn it.

I couldn't understand how Magnus's mind worked.

He said he loved me.

What kind of love was that?

Was that how cheaters thought? Did they all have the same twisted way of thinking?

It made me sick.

And somehow...

I felt disgusted with myself too.

Was that really the kind of man I had fallen in love with?

Apparently, my taste in men had been absolutely terrible.

I still kept my look simple.

The only thing that wasn't my choice was the dress Susane had picked out for me.

I had to admit...

It looked beautiful on me.

But, of course, Susane refused to be outdone.

We were only attending a family dinner, yet she looked as though she had spent hours preparing for a grand gala.

When our ride arrived, she ordered me to sit in the front passenger seat.

I didn't mind.

In fact, I preferred it.

The last thing I wanted was to sit beside her.

During the drive, I made small talk with the driver. He already knew me well, since he was the one who usually drove whenever Magnus and I went out together.

By the time we arrived at the Miranov-Vash mansion, Magnus was already waiting for us.

He immediately walked over and opened the passenger door for me.

The driver opened the door for Susane instead.

She wasn't pleased.

She hid it well, but I knew her too well not to notice.

From the subtle shift in her expression and the stiffness of her movements, I could tell she had expected Magnus to open the door for her first.

"Come on. Let's go inside."

Magnus slipped an arm around my waist and guided me toward the mansion.

Behind us, Susane followed closely.

I didn't have to look back to know she was glaring daggers at me.

"Louella!"

Magnus's mother, Aunt Claire, greeted me with obvious excitement the moment we stepped inside.

She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"You're so beautiful."

"Thank you, Aunt Claire."

"Hi, Susane!"

She didn't forget to greet Susane, but unlike me, she didn't kiss her on the cheek.

Instead, Aunt Claire linked her arm through mine and gently led me toward a group of relatives gathered in the living room.

"Everyone," she announced excitedly, "Louella's here!"

They already knew me.

"Goodness! Magnus's girlfriend is absolutely stunning," one of his aunts exclaimed. "Magnus, don't ever let this young lady go. You're incredibly lucky to have her."

I smiled shyly.

I had never been good at accepting compliments.

No one in my own family ever praised me.

That privilege had always belonged to Susane.

"My dear," one of Magnus's uncles joked, "if you ever get tired of working at your father's company, there's a position waiting for you at mine. Just give me one call."

I simply smiled politely.

"Ma'am Claire."

A maid approached Aunt Claire, drawing everyone's attention.

"Boss Dmitri is coming downstairs."

Almost instinctively, everyone turned toward the grand staircase.

A man descended with calm, measured steps.

Dmitri Miranov-Vash.

Magnus's father's youngest brother.

From what I knew, there wasn't much of an age gap between him and Magnus. Yet standing them side by side, Dmitri carried an entirely different presence.

He commanded the room without saying a word.

"Uncle Dmitri."

Magnus immediately called for his attention.

By the time Dmitri reached the bottom of the stairs, Magnus had already walked over to me. He gently pulled me away from his mother and led me toward his uncle.

"This is Louella, my girlfriend."

As he introduced me, he gave my waist a subtle squeeze.

I extended my hand with a smile.

"Good evening, Uncle Dmitri."

His gaze lingered on my outstretched hand for a brief moment before he finally accepted it.

His grip was firm.

I felt the faintest squeeze before he let go.

"Nice meeting you, Louella."

"Hi, Uncle Dmitri!"

Susane suddenly stepped forward and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Do you still remember me?"

It was obvious she wanted his attention.

Dmitri looked at her for a second before calmly shaking his head.

Susane let out an awkward laugh, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"What? You've already forgotten Magnus's beautiful friend?"

She sounded playfully offended.

What exactly was she expecting?

That he'd suddenly start pampering her just because she acted cute?

Weird.

She only ended up humiliating herself even more when Dmitri walked straight past her toward the dining room without another word.

The rest of the family followed.

Only Magnus, Susane, and I remained in the living room.

"s**t," Susane muttered under her breath.

I knew she wasn't used to being embarrassed.

She had to be furious.

When she looked at us, her glare landed squarely on me—as though it were somehow my fault that Dmitri hadn't recognized her.

"Relax, Susane," Magnus said. "That's just how Uncle Dmitri is. I'm sure he remembers you. He's just too lazy to carry on conversations. Come on. Let's head to the dining room."

We made our way to the dining room, where everyone had already taken their seats.

At the head of the long dining table sat Uncle Dmitri.

He was the youngest among his siblings, yet he sat at the head of the table. His older brothers and sisters didn't seem to mind. If anything, they looked perfectly accustomed to it.

It was obvious who led the Miranov-Vash family.

The authority...

The control...

They all rested with him.

"Let's eat."

Dmitri's voice was calm and cold.

Everyone immediately obeyed.

So did Susane and I.

Magnus sat between us.

Aunt Claire was on my other side, while Susane sat beside Magnus.

Dinner began.

It was obvious Magnus wanted to impress his uncle.

He immediately started talking about several upcoming projects.

"Didn't I already reject that project?"

Dmitri's question cut him off.

Magnus froze.

The hotel project on the Miranov-Vash private island had always been his dream.

"Uncle, it's such a waste to abandon it. I know you rejected it before, but I've revised the proposal. I was hoping you'd reconsider."

Dmitri's expression remained unreadable.

It didn't look like he intended to change his decision.

"No."

"The island will remain exactly as it is."

"There's a community living there. They would be greatly affected if you pushed that project through."

"But, Uncle—"

Dmitri simply raised one hand.

Magnus fell silent.

"Son," Aunt Claire interrupted gently, "business shouldn't be discussed at the dinner table. You can talk about it later—or at the office. Tonight is for relaxing."

The rising tension between nephew and uncle gradually faded as the rest of the family joined the conversation.

Magnus stayed quiet.

I stole a glance at him.

And that's when I noticed something no one else seemed to see.

Beneath the table...

Susane was gently caressing Magnus's thigh, as though trying to calm him.

Dinner continued.

Yet I couldn't stop watching them.

My grip tightened around my fork.

This time...

It was Magnus's hand slowly stroking my sister's thigh.

Weren't they afraid of getting caught?

The entire Miranov-Vash family was sitting around the same table.

Yet they still had the nerve to carry on their affair.

I forced myself to look away.

My eyes landed on Uncle Dmitri—

Only to realize he had already been looking at me.

Our eyes met.

I was the first to break the gaze.

There was something unsettling about the way he looked at me.

It felt as though I would melt beneath those piercing eyes.

Or...

Was that simply the way he looked at everyone?

Distracted, I absentmindedly took another bite of steak.

When dinner ended, everyone moved into the living room.

Wine was served.

Aunt Claire hardly left my side, happily chatting with me.

As for Magnus and Susane...

I had no idea where they had gone.

They only returned about twenty minutes later.

Something about Susane's appearance had changed.

I wasn't stupid.

I knew exactly what they had been doing during those twenty minutes.

Rage burned inside my chest.

They truly didn't care about my feelings anymore.

If anything, knowing I had discovered their affair only seemed to make them bolder.

The moment Aunt Claire stepped away for a while, Susane immediately sat beside me and whispered discreetly into my ear.

"Your boyfriend really couldn't control himself, Louella."

"I must taste too irresistible."

"Even with his entire family here, he still dragged me into one of the guest rooms."

"He f****d me there."

She let out a soft giggle.

I, on the other hand...

Felt nothing but disgust at the words coming out of her mouth.