Once Upon A Lie

Fifty-nine:

Fifty-nine:

Nikolai sat across from her. Their parents were on either side. Leo and Makhi are on either side of Alina, and Petyr is next to Nikolai. And Headmaster Botkin sat across from them all. Alina had agreed to marry Nikolai the other day, which meant her parents wanted her to start the process of graduating early.

"And you're sure this is what you want?" her headmaster asked, looking her directly in the eyes. "When I spoke to you last Spring, you seemed pretty intent on graduating with your class."

Alina could feel Nikolai looking at her. As calmly as possible, she said, "I've changed my mind. My parents have a future lined up for me. Family is very important. I want to honor my family."

Her headmaster sighed. "Well, I had hoped to see you do something else than become a society bride. You're a smart, creative girl Alina. You've got a bright future ahead of you. But if this is what you want, I will of course sign the papers to push through your early graduation."

Alina smiled softly. "Thank you, headmaster."

He signed the paperwork, then handed it over to her parents. He glanced up at Nikolai. "And you, Mr. Lantsov, this is what you want as well? I was always under the impression that you knew that Alina was dedicated to Aleksander Morozova. And that you..."

"That I what?" Nikolai said.

"That you were with Miss Nazyalensky," Headmaster Botkin said, "considering the number of times that I have caught the two of you being...intimate with one another in places that you shouldn't be."

Alina looked at Nikolai, and he purposefully avoided her gaze. This was the first time that she had heard of Zoya and Nikolai being involved. She didn't think Nikolai had the balls to date someone that Aleksander had been interested in.

"You're mistaken, headmaster," said Nikolai, "I've always been in love with Alina. But Aleksander has always been jealous of our connection. I was her first kiss, and Aleksander got insanely jealous of that."

It took everything in Alina's power not to roll her eyes. "No, you weren't."

Nikolai looked up at her. "You're confused, Alina. Of course, I was your first. It was by the pool during summer."

"It was an almost kiss during summer," Alina said, "my first kiss was with Aleksander. My first everything was with Aleksander. And Aleksander was never jealous of you, Nikolai. You were always jealous of him. And when you were first put in an arranged marriage with me, you didn't want that. The only reason you want it now is because something's changed. Isn't that right, Petyr?"

Petyr Lantsov turned to her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how Nikolai isn't your son. And how I don't think you're actually going to forgive my parent's debit if I marry him. Because you don't want him to get any part of that, right?"

Petyr looked from her to Nikolai. "You told her?"

Nikolai winced. "You were going to disinherit me. What was I supposed to do? I was desperate."

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone," said Petyr, "that was part of the NDA that I had you sign. That was a stipulation of me continuing to act as your father. No one is supposed to know the indiscretion, and the ruin, that your mother brought to the Lantsov name."

"And since you have no heir to leave your fortune to, wouldn't it make sense to go into business with our family instead? You could make a fortune by selling your company to ours instead of marrying into my family to get part of it. You could retire, even. Maybe go somewhere that there aren't questions about what happened to your wife."

At those words, Nikolai looked at his step-father. "What's she talking about?"

Alina grinned at the two of them. "Your father----step-father---whatever you want to call him doesn't like it when people say no to him. Something he and your brother had in common. Didn't you put it together, Nikolai? I did."

Nikolai raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Alina?"

"Your mother's accident. It wasn't an accident. She was going to leave him, and he didn't want to deal with the divorce or the scandal. So he tried to get rid of her."

Petyr Lantsov was now looking at Alina with murder in his eyes. "That's a wild accusation, girl. Do you even know the dangerous words that you are saying right now?"

"She does," said her mother, who smiled at her, "because I told her. Because I know how terrible Lantsov men can be, because we helped clean up your sons scandals at our newspapers. So you can either invest your money in a lawyer, Petyr. Or you can invest it in our company."

Alina smiled up at her mother. Makhi had told her the truth about Tatiana as a warning. She had wanted her daughter to go into the marriage with Nikolai with her eyes wide open. And if there was one thing her mother knew, it was the truth about socialite gossip. But it was Alina that had come up with the plan to convince Petyr to sell his company so they could make back the money her father had lost.

"Alina," said Leo, "Makhi, what are you two doing? You are blackmailing one of our oldest friends."

Her mother shot her father a dark look. "No, Leo. I am getting justice for one of my oldest friends the only way we can. Because we all know that men like Petyr Lantsov don't go to prison. We're also cleaning up the mess you've made because you have never had faith in our daughter. Yet, she just came up with one of the most expensive deals in business history."

Petyr huffed. "What makes you so certain that I will sell?"

"Because," said Makhi, "if you don't, I will run the story about Tatiana's affair and your involvement in your accident. You might not go to prison, but I will make sure that your life is in ruins and that you'll never be able to do business ever again."

Petyr glanced at Headmaster Botkin. "You're a man of education. How can you sit there and do nothing? Call the police!"

"Surely," said Headmaster Botkin, "and what file of your sons would you like me to hand over to them? He's dead, but it would close a few cases for them..."

Petyr paled. He glanced at Nikolai. "You----I took you in----I raised you. I gave you the Lantosv name. I should have known that the stain of your birth would do nothing but ruin my family."

Nikolai locked eyes with Petyr. "What family?"