Hopelessly Devoted

Chapter 57: Foe

A tense silence enveloped the room as Eric and Matvei sat across from each other, the aftermath of their fight still lingering in the air. The animosity between them was palpable, a thick fog of resentment that threatened to suffocate any possibility of reconciliation.

Matvei's gaze bore into Eric with a seething hatred that ran deep. In his eyes, Eric was the embodiment of a pest. He was the catalyst that had torn Alyssa away from them. He knew, deep down, that blaming Eric for the lies was misguided, but logic struggled to calm the surge of raw emotion. If only Eric had kept his mouth shut, Matvei mused, their world might have been different.

As Matvei stewed in his disdain, a strong desire festered within him. A desire to rid Alyssa of this unwelcomed nuisance. All Matvei cared about was for Eric to be gone and for good. He wanted him to vanish from their lives and never return because Matvei knew with everything in him that Eric and the rest of the Haitian mafia would inevitably hurt Alyssa.

On the other side of the emotional battlefield, Eric mirrored Matvei's sentiments with an equally intense loathing. Matvei, to him, was the embodiment of everything that fueled Eric's anger – cocky, uncaring, a thorn in the side of what should be familial harmony. Eric harbored a burning need for his sister to be done with Matvei. Permanently. 

Mikhail, he could understand. The younger brother looked like a simp that he knew would do anything for his sister. He didn't care for him either, but he knew deep down that Mikhail wasn't like the asshole in front of him. 

The hatred between the two men was a living entity, a force that seemed insurmountable. As Mikhail watched the volatile atmosphere thicken with tension, he remained unsure of Eric's purpose on being there. 

He knew there was something in him that Alyssa both saw and appreciated, but the possibility of friendship between the men seemed implausible. The depth of their mutual animosity was too big to overcome. 

Mikhail knew in the blissful world of Alyssa Noelle Jacobs, where light and beautiful butterflies resided, anything was possible but mending the irreparable rift between Matvei and Eric was highly unlikely.

Matvei's jaw clenched. He knew he wanted to confront Eric. He just had no idea that the confrontation would happen in his girlfriend's living room. He looked around the destroyed room and knew Alyssa would more than likely berate him for months while demanding an upgrade on some of the many amenities in her new home.

"I'm not going to waste much time talking to you. We have a girlfriend to take to dinner, so listen up and listen good. Stay the fuck away from our girl. I don't want you anywhere near Alyssa, Eric. This is my final warning."

Eric let out a low chuckle. Mikhail didn't know him, but there was something powerfully dark about Eric. It was something that he didn't want his brother to miss or underestimate. They needed to be smart about how they moved with him. He was proving to be a wild card and there was more than just their pride at stake. 

"You don't get to demand shit from me, redneck ranger. I have always and will always do as I fucking want. There is no keeping Alyssa away from me. I won't allow it and I bet on my dead sister that she'll never agree to being kept away from me either."

Mikhail eyed him intently. Matvei's anger grew tenfold. "You don't have a say in her life!" Eric glared at him. "And you do? Why? Because she stupidly agreed to be yours?" Eric let out a humorless laugh. "White dick can be found all over this fucking state. Don't think you're special, bleach boy." 

"What do you want with her, Eric? If you're using her to get to us, you can stop. You've got our attention, so please leave Alyssa alone." Eric looked at the other colonizer. He truly didn't mind this one. There was something good about him that resonated with Eric. He knew he was a decent man and if his sister had to be with a honky then he'd rather him than the other brother.