Rejected: A love story

Chapter 177: Letting my heart lead me

Viktoria was up early the next morning. The kitchen was finally stocked with everything she needed because she had sent Alex out at dawn to buy groceries. The pantry and fridge were now full since they were planning to stay at the estate for a while. She kept her hands busy at the stove, the rhythmic chopping and stirring helping her block out the confusing memories from the night before.

She heard footsteps on the stone floor and turned to see Nathan. He was fully dressed for work, wearing a sharp, expensive suit that made him look like the "Ice King" again. He looked sober and professional, but his eyes were still dark with a lack of sleep. He stopped a few feet away from her, sniffing the air as the steam from her cooking filled the room.

"What are you making?" he asked, his voice low and curious.

Viktoria didn’t give away any details about the meal. She just looked at the pot and stirred slowly. "Something new," she replied quietly. "I’m just letting my heart lead me today."

Nathan didn’t move. He stood there for a moment, watching her. Viktoria turned down the heat and wiped her hands on her apron. She looked at him, her expression softening as she remembered the way he had held her son in the middle of the night.

"Nathan," she said, stopping him before he could turn away. "I wanted to say thank you. For last night. For helping Mateo with his fever. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t there."

Nathan’s face didn’t soften. If anything, it turned colder. He tightened his tie and looked past her, avoiding her eyes. The warmth they had shared while sitting on the edge of the bathtub was gone, replaced by a wall of ice.

"It was just a fever," Nathan said, his voice flat and distant. "Anyone would have done the same. Don’t make more out of it than it was."

He didn’t wait for her to respond. He turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen without another word. A few seconds later, the heavy thud of the front door told her he was gone.

Viktoria stood there, feeling the sting of his coldness. She knew he was trying to push her away after the kiss, but it still hurt. She went back to her cooking, focusing on the movement of her hands.

Later that morning, Alex came into the kitchen. He was dressed in his tactical gear, looking very serious. He spent several minutes checking the locks on the back door and making sure the security monitors were all active. Once he was satisfied that the house was a fortress, he turned to Viktoria.

"We’re leaving for the office now," Alex said firmly. "I’ve checked every entrance. The security team is outside at the gate, but you need to do your part. Do not leave this house for any reason. And do not make any phone calls. If you turn on a phone, the signal can be traced. Do you understand?"

Viktoria looked at him and nodded. "I understand, Alex. I won’t go out, and I won’t use my phone. I promise."

"Good," Alex said, checking his watch. "We’ll be back as soon as we can."

As he turned to go, Viktoria reached for two silver food flasks she had packed on the counter. She held them out to him.

"I made breakfast," she said with a small smile. "Take these. I don’t want you or Nathan going hungry while you’re working. It’s going to be a long day."

Alex looked at the flasks and hesitated. He looked a bit uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Not to be rude, Miss Viktoria," Alex said, looking at the food. "But the boss is allergic to milk. Highly allergic. And I’m aware that Russians are very fond of cooking with milk and cream. I can’t risk him having a reaction today."

Viktoria didn’t even have to think about it. The answer came to her naturally, as if she had known it her whole life. She looked Alex straight in the eye, her voice steady.

"There is no milk in there, Alex," she assured him. "I promise you, it’s safe. I made sure of it."

Alex looked surprised. He stared at her for a long second, wondering how she knew to be so careful about a specific allergy she wasn’t supposed to know about. He didn’t ask any more questions, though. He just took the flasks from her hands.

"Thank you, Miss Viktoria," he said. "I’ll make sure he eats."

With that, Alex turned and walked out the door, leaving Viktoria alone in the silent house.

#####

Nathan was already sitting at his massive desk, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. He looked every bit the powerful CEO, but his mind was far from the spreadsheets in front of him. He was thinking about last night, the way Viktoria had looked at him, and the birthmark he had seen on the boy’s neck. The sound of the glass door sliding open made him stiffen.

"I was about concluding you wanted to stay with her," Nathan said immediately Alex walked in. He didn’t look up from his monitor, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the keyboard.

"I had to check the camera sir and make sure everything was in place," Alex replied, stepping into the room. He moved toward the desk, but Nathan noticed he was carrying something.

Nathan finally shifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing as they landed on the silver food flask in Alex’s hand.

"When did you start bringing food to the office?" Nathan asked curious. He leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting from annoyance to suspicion. "Alex, do you have a girlfriend?" he paused intrigued.

Alex seemed taken back. "Of course not sir!" He looked almost offended by the suggestion. Without saying another word, he walked forward and dropped the flask right on Nathan desk, right next to a stack of important documents.

"You need to see what’s inside," Alex said, his voice flat and serious.

Nathan stared at the flask for a long time. He didn’t want to touch it. He didn’t want anything that reminded him of the woman back at the house, especially after he had spent the whole morning trying to force himself to be cold to her.

"I told you I wasn’t hungry, Alex. And I don’t want her charity," Nathan muttered, looking back at his screen.

"It’s not charity, sir. Just look," Alex insisted. He didn’t move. "When she handed these to me, I told her you were allergic to milk. I told her that Russians use milk and cream in everything and that I couldn’t risk you having a reaction."

Nathan’s fingers stopped moving on the keys. He looked up, his brow furrowed. "And what did she say?"

"She didn’t even hesitate, sir. She looked me right in the eye and told me there was no milk." Alex leaned in closer to the desk. "Sir, how could she know that? It isn’t in any of her background files. Only your family and I know about that allergy."

Nathan felt a cold chill wash over him. He slowly reached out and unscrewed the lid of the flask. As the top came off, a warm, savory steam rose into the air. The smell hit him like a physical blow. It was the scent of home—a specific mix of spices, toasted bread, and garlic that he hadn’t smelled in years. It was the exact way Fiona had made it once for him.

Nathan stared into the flask, his hands starting to shake. He quickly hid them under the desk, clenching his fists.

"She made this?" Nathan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes, sir. She gave it to me right before we left. She said she didn’t want us going hungry."

Nathan looked from the food back to Alex. First the jewelry, then the nickname, then the birthmark, and now this. No actress could be this perfect. No fraud could know a secret medical allergy and mimic a cooking style that only he remembered.

"Alex," Nathan said, his voice becoming low and dangerous. "I want you to dig deeper."

"I’m already on it, sir," Alex said, nodding.

"And Alex?" Nathan looked at the flask again. The smell was making his heart ache. "Don’t tell her I ate it."