The unC.R.I.M.E

Chapter 15

"Shouldn't you be taking care of your daughter?" I asked Charlotte when she started walking towards me, with her designer handbag hanging on her arm.

She laughed liked I'd told a funny joke, "that's what we have nannies for, my dear younger sister," she rolled her eyes but started walking alongside me. "Besides, I need to make sure you buy fashionable clothing. I never thought I'd ever say this, but you've definitely lost your touch," I looked down at the sweat pants I'd borrowed from one of my younger siblings and one of my dad's large t-shirts.

I was definitely not dressed up like I usually am whenever I come home especially now that I was standing next to Charlotte who was wearing a Givenchy dress.

We walked to the massive front doors which were still closed because it was still really early. I'd decided to wake up super early and get ready to go do some shopping. Firstly for the Christmas gifts that I'd bought online, they needed to be picked up, and secondly for clothes because I didn't have any since I left everything at my brother's house.

Everyone was still fast asleep, "shh, don't make too much noise," Charlotte scolded me as I single-handedly pulled open the doors because she was too dressed up and had her nails done way too perfectly to be doing anything.

"Leonardo," I said in surprise when the first thing I saw after I'd struggled with opening the doors was Leonardo.

"Leo!" Charlotte squealed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and started squeezing his cheeks, "Russia must be treating you very well, look at your cheeks," she laughed as she slapped his stomach, "ooh and a stomach? Oh baby bro, we could stand here and talk all day, but I must attend to a crisis. Look at our sister. She looks like she doesn't have a damn penny to her name. We need to rush and make her look like her net worth of $15 million, ta-ta."

Grateful for my sister’s attitude, I let her drag me away because the last person that I wanted to see was Leonardo.

~~~

The Christmas tree is lit up and my nieces and nephews are running up and down, screaming and chasing each other dressed in their Louis Vuitton and Gucci sleeping attire. These were the kind of moments I lived for; when all fifty of my siblings sat around the table and laughed aloud at our best memories. 

Everyone was making jokes and being silly. 

It might as well have been an awards ceremony with how everyone was dressed like they were going to walk down the red carpet. Everyone was dressed in the most extravagant of gowns and suits.  

We all looked our best and honestly, I think we all felt our best too. 

I smiled, making eye contact with Ivy who was sitting beside Leonardo and leaning against his body. She was everything and more for him. 

After I'd returned from my shopping with Charlotte, Leonardo had pulled me aside and apologized to me. I apologized as well and we went on about with our day and now we're as good as we ever were. 

"Let me go get myself some lemonade," I told my mum as I stood up from the table, moving my ball gown to be able to walk as I stood up from my chair. 

"You can just call one of the servan-" my mum began but I shook my head, already walking to the kitchen. 

I walked into the refrigerator and came out with my lemonade, pouring it into a glass for myself. I gulped down more than half of it before I refilled the glass again and put the lemonade jar back into the fridge. 

Just as I was about to walk back to the dining room I heard the doorbell ring, and the sound echoed throughout the house. I didn't see the butler anywhere and personally I didn't mind opening the door. It was probably one of my siblings’ friends or something silly like that. 

I walked to the door and decided to open only one side of the doors. I grunted as I pulled the door and then looked out into the porch, "Czar?" I gasped when I saw him standing with his hand in his pocket and a small box in his other hand.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him before I remembered that Leonardo works for him, "oh my God, are you looking for Leonardo?" I asked him.

His eyes looked me over but he shook his head, smiling as he looked down at the ground and then looked at me, walking towards me, "you look...beautiful," he breathed out the words as he held out the box towards me.

"What is that?" I asked him, "if you're looking for Leonardo, I can just call him."

"I'm not. I came here, just for you," he answered me, his intense eyes not looking away from mine.

"For me?" I asked him, surprised, and feeling the chilly air against my cheeks.

He took his hand out of his pocket, opening his arms, "truth is, I could be with my family, who I really love," he stopped and rubbed his hands together, "but I want to be here with you."

I didn't know what to say, so I stood there, stunned as hell, "you came all the way from Russia, to be here with me?" I asked him in surprise.

He nodded, and just looked at me but I looked away shyly, and then stepped back, letting him come in. When he walked in and closed the door behind him, we stood, just a foot apart and then he held out the gift to me and I reached for it.

He took my glass of lemonade for me and I took the box from him, "should I open it now?" I asked him, my hands looking at the beautiful reflective box.

I heard him hum in response and I opened the top lid, and when I looked into it, I was met with a beautiful diamond necklace, "this is beautiful, Czar," I said honestly as I ran my fingers over the diamonds. Just looking at it, I could tell it had been extremely expensive.

"Thank you," I said honestly as I smiled at him, butterflies in my stomach suddenly as I thought about what he'd said. "Let's go," I told him as we both started to walk towards the dining room where my family was.

When we entered the room, I didn't even meet Leonardo's eyes because I know he's probably as pale as can be.

"Mum, dad," I looked at my parents first, and then at my siblings, "siblings," I paused and looked at Czar, who immediately stepped closer to me, covering the one foot distance we'd kept between us this entire time.

"Meet Czar," I looked away from Czar and at my parents, "Czar Hutcherson."

~~~