Saving Nikolai

Chapter 22

Leylani woke early the next morning to make Massimo breakfast. He had a rough couple of days and she wanted to lift his spirits. Whenever Leylani was hurting, she turned to two things. Her journal and food. The latter when it was available of course. Agatha met her in the kitchen, a smile on her face.

"What is on the menu today?" she asked.

"Empanadas," Leylani said, gathering the ingredients from the pantry. It was a dish that had a lot of steps and required time to prepare which is why she woke up so early. It was better that she spent her time busy, rather than drowning in her thoughts. Since Carlo arrived, the household had been tense. Mr. Gotti had taken him away last night and no one had heard from him since, but Leylani was tempted to ask what happened to him. She was sure Massimo was brewing with curiosity as well.

She began on the pastry mixture, adding water to the flour, gradually adding more as needed. Her thoughts began to wander again. This time, Kiera popped into her head. She had been awfully happy this past week. Ever since Mr. Dion made the suggestion for Mr. Gotti to adopt Leylani, Kiera had been skipping through the halls with a smile on her face. It was a nauseating sight.

Speaking of Mr. Dion, he was another one of Leylani's worries. She knew he hadn't forgiven Leylani for striking his daughter. She knew better than to think all was forgiven. Even though she was the heir, he was Mr. Gotti's partner and he had been in the business for years. Leylani was barely beginning to tread water, and he was floating in it without a care in the world.

Next was Nikolai. Ever since Kiera's outburst on children, he had been worried. Of course, he would never admit it, but he had a frown on his face and the light that usually shone in his eyes faded away. He was a walking shell of a human and Leylani feared she couldn't do anything to save him. Not this time.

Victoria entered the kitchen, sniffing the air, appreciatively. "It smells wonderful, darling."

Leylani looked down. She hadn't realized that she was already making the stuffing. Peppers, onions, and bottles of seasonings were scattered over the counter as her body moved of its own accord while her mind floated away.

"What's the occasion?" Victoria asked, taking a seat at the counter.

Agatha served her eggs and toast. Leylani shrugged. "Nothing special. I just felt like Massimo could use a little pick me up. He's been awfully glum these past few days."

"This week has been nightmarish for everyone." Victoria sighed, picking up her toast. "Agatha, go wake up Nikolai, will you? He needs to prepare himself for today."

"What's today?" Leylani asked.

Victoria looked pained when her gaze met Leylani's. "Er, nothing." She picked at her eggs, keeping her gaze down.

"Tell her. It's time." Massimo entered the kitchen, a worried frown on his face.

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked, her gaze flitting from Leylani to Massimo.

Leylani tried very hard not to scream. The suspense was killing her. "Tell me what?"

Victoria sighed and took the tray of empanadas, placing them in the oven to bake.

"Stop stalling and tell her. She needs to know. She can't walk into it, unknowing." Massimo said.

Victoria met Leylani's curious gaze. "Sweetheart, tonight is Kiera and Nikolai's official engagement celebration. It's time for the Gotti's to announce to the world that their family will be uniting with the Dion's."

Leylani froze. She had known that Nikolai and Kiera were engaged but the reality of the situation had never sunk in. It always seemed like a distant cloud that was slowly rolling towards them and now in the blink of an eye, the thunderous gray cloud was hovering right over her, drenching her with ice cold water. "Oh."