Chapter 41/Whose Name Will They Bear?

Chapter 41: 41/Whose Name Will They Bear?

Chapter 41

Victor’s Point of View (Cedric’s Grandfather)

I looked at Cedric, who was trembling with rage in front of my desk, appearing as if he were on the verge of exploding. I realized exactly what was going on in his small mind; he thinks this is just a "marriage," but he is ignorant of the balance of power I carry upon my shoulders.

I said in a voice as steady as stone:

"Sit down, Cedric, and stop acting like a teenager. You know very well that Isabella is not just a girl; she is the daughter of a man whose power equals our own. This engagement is the only thread preventing a bloody war from breaking out between our families after years of bitter conflict."

I walked slowly toward the window overlooking the city and continued coldly:

"Canceling your engagement to the daughter of the most powerful Mafia in the country means collective suicide for the Volkovs. Do you want the streets of New York to ignite in flames for the sake of your feelings? I forced you into this marriage to secure peace, and this matter is non-negotiable or cancelable... ever."

Cedric turned toward me, his eyes gleaming with tears of oppression and rage, and he shouted in a hoarse voice:

"But what about Stephanie? What about my children? Are you going to make them live under my brother’s name?"

I returned to my seat and sat with full authority, interlacing my fingers and saying:

"That is the price. Stephanie will be safe here, under the protection of Alexander’s name. By this, we satisfy her father’s madness and preserve her honor, and at the same time, we do not break the peace treaty with Isabella’s family. Stephanie will live in this palace, and your children will be raised before your eyes, but the world will know them as Alexander’s children."

A heavy silence prevailed, in which I could only hear the sound of Cedric’s rapid breathing. He slammed his fist on the desk weakly this time and whispered:

"You are stripping me of everything... even my right to be a father."

I looked at him with frozen indifference, not a single eyelash flickering:

"I am protecting your life and theirs."

---------------------------

Cedric’s Point of View

The idea of Stephanie and my children being the property of my brother gnawed at my chest like fire. I could not accept this madness no matter the cost. I felt a tightness in my breathing, and my heart hammered violently in my ribcage as I shouted at my grandfather:

"Grandfather, Stephanie will not marry Alexander! Bring her to live in the house, but she will not marry my brother."

My grandfather looked at me with a coldness that made me tremble with anger, and said in a dry tone:

"What are you saying, Cedric? In what capacity would she live with us?"

I stammered, the words coming through clenched teeth from the sheer tension:

"I don’t know... adopt her!"

Features of mockery and sharpness appeared on my grandfather’s face, and he rebuked me with a voice that shook my being:

"Cedric, do not speak nonsense! How can I adopt a girl who has a father and a family? Are you mad?"

I shook my head in definitive refusal, my entire body twitching. I screamed in collapse:

"Any solution other than her marrying my brother!"

But my grandfather did not back down. Instead, he stood firmly and gave the final word that fell upon me like a thunderbolt:

"You have only two choices: either Stephanie marries your brother and she and your children live, or she and her children die... and I will not allow my grandchildren to die."

I tried to speak, tears choking my voice: "Grandfather..."

He cut me off sternly, pointing toward the door with a hand that did not shake:

"Cedric, I don’t want to hear another word. Leave my office now!"

I left the office with blind rage possessing every cell in my body. I felt a desire to burn everything around me. How could Stephanie marry my brother? This was something I couldn’t endure or comprehend.

I left the company with staggering steps and got into my car. As soon as I closed the door, I began punching the steering wheel with my fist like a madman until I felt the pain tearing my hand, and I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears burning my cheeks:

"Stephanie is mine... mine alone!"

-----------------------------

Stephanie’s Point of View

The minutes passed like heavy days. I was sitting in that corner, my body twitching with every sound that came from the hallway. I wondered bitterly: What has happened now? How did my father’s meeting with Cedric go? Did Cedric agree to the marriage to save us?

Suddenly, the door burst open, and my father entered with his stone-cold features that boded no good. He stood before me and said coldly:

"The father of the children in you is engaged and cannot cancel the engagement."

I felt my heart being torn apart, as if a dagger had been driven into my chest. A chill ran through my limbs as I whispered to myself: My God, how will I save my babies now? How?

I swallowed my grief and said in a trembling tone, trying to hold onto the last thread of hope:

"Did he know that you wanted to abort my children?"

I wanted to know: Was Cedric so attached to his engagement and status that he would sacrifice his own blood? My father answered curtly:

"Yes, he knows."

I gasped sharply, placing my hand over my mouth to stifle a cry of pain. I said in a choked voice:

"And he refused to cancel his engagement?"

"Yes," he said with stolid indifference.

In that moment, I broke inside completely. Everything I thought was true shattered. Was his love for his children just a lie? Do even his children not matter to him compared to that fiancée?

I threw myself at my father’s feet, sobbing in humiliation, and said in a lowly plea:

"Father, please... let my children live. They are innocent!"

My father looked at me as if my scream hadn’t touched him, then said:

"They will live."

I raised my head in shock, crying with joy and the relief that swept through my exhausted body: "Truly?"

"Yes," he said in his dry voice.

I grabbed the hem of his pants, gasping with tears: "Thank you, Father... I promise I will do everything you ask of me!"

My father pulled his foot away from me and said in a cryptic tone:

"Don’t thank me. Thank the man who will marry you."

My joy vanished instantly, and I felt a severe tightness in my chest as if the air had vanished from the room.

Had my father found another old man to marry me off to and wash away his shame? I asked in a trembling voice, my eyes fixed on his lips in terror:

"Who is going to marry me?"