I couldn’t sleep. After showering and changing into clean clothes, I grabbed something to eat and then came straight back to the hospital.
It’s unsettling.
Fucking unsettling.
Demitri’s sitting near the door typing a message on his phone. He’s probably chatting with Ariana. I’d tell him to go home if only he’d listen.
Turning my attention back to Isabella, I stare down at her, wondering when she got under my skin.
And what the fuck does it mean?
Do I want this woman?
To fuck, yes. I’m always game for that.
But to keep?
Frowning, I let out a sigh as I take a seat in the chair next to the bed. Just then, a soft sound escapes Isabella, and her features tighten as if she’s in pain. I dart back up, and placing a hand on the pillow next to her head, I lean over her.
“Isabella?”
She lets out another soft groan, and then her eyelashes flutter. When she opens her eyes, I glance at Demitri, “Get, Dr. Oberio.”
When I look down at Isabella again, our eyes lock, and then a frown forms on her forehead.
“Welcome back,” I say, the corner of my mouth lifting. “You’re made of some tough shit, little princess.”
Her lips part and she lets out an incoherent sound.
“How do you feel?” I ask.
Isabella keeps staring at me, the frown deepening on her forehead. “Who… are you?”
Everything stills inside me for a shocking moment. “Alexei… Koslov.”
Her eyes widen. “What?… How?” She glances around the room, then asks, “Am I still… at St. Monarch’s? What… happened?”
Just then, Dr. Oberio comes rushing into the room, and seeing Isabella’s awake, he smiles at her as he starts to check her vitals. “How’s our patient doing?”
“Confused,” she mumbles, a guarded expression settling on her features.
Moving back, I frown because something’s not right. “Isabella,” I say to get her attention. Once she looks at me, I ask, “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Ahh…” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and her eyes drift closed as she tries to focus. “I think… I’m at St. Monarch’s to train.” She opens her eyes again then says, “Oh wait. There was an auction.”
I let out a relieved breath, but then Isabella continues, “My mother bid on Hugo… Damien was bought by Mr. Hemsley. I remember the shooting. Chaos… Wait…”
She focuses harder and shakes her head. “The last I remember was hearing Winter killed Blanco.” Isabella frowns at me. “You were involved.” Then, shaking her head, she asks, “Why are you here?”
Holy fuck.
My gaze snaps to the doctor, and I bite the words out, “That happened four years ago. What the fuck is wrong with her?”
Isabella flinches as if she’s in pain, and it has me asking, “Where does it hurt?”
“My head,” she murmurs. She lifts her right hand only to drop it down on the bed again as if she has zero energy to move.
“The memory loss could be from the knock she took to her head. But, in most cases, the memory returns in a couple of hours.” Dr. Onterio gestures to the door. “Can you give us some privacy so we can perform all the necessary checks, Mr. Koslov?”
Looking down at Isabella again, I say, “I’ll be right outside, okay?”
She hesitates, then asks, “Did you try to assassinate me?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m on your side.”
Relief washes over her features, and then she nods at me.
Leaving the room, worry gnaws at my insides as Demitri follows me to the waiting room. I stand and process what just happened, and then I turn to face my friend. “Isabella doesn’t remember the past four years.”
“It might be from the fall. Her memory can return at any moment.”
“What if it doesn’t?” I ask, my mind switching over to a higher gear, forming one plan after the other. “Or what if it takes a couple of weeks or months?”
He narrows his eyes. “What are you thinking?”
“This might be the perfect opportunity to bring Isabella over to our side.”
“How?”
I think for a moment, then lock eyes with Demitri. “I could tell her we’re engaged to be married. I can fucking tell her anything. Tell her Sonia tried to kill her because of her relationship with me, and get Isabella to trust me that way.”
Demitri shakes his head. “You’re seriously thinking of going through with a marriage to align Isabella with us?”
The corner of my mouth lifts, and I let out a burst of soundless laughter. “Like it would be a sacrifice on my part. Any man would be lucky to have a woman like Isabella.”
“You’re not just any man, Alexei,” Demitri says, looking uneasy. “Isabella might not take after Sonia, but she’s still the fucking Princess of Terror. If you somehow get her to marry you and her memory returns, she’s going to fucking kill you.”
I shake my head. “Not if I can make her love me.”
He lets out a bark of incredulous laughter. “You have no history with her. If she does fall for you, she’ll be falling for whatever lies you tell her. Isabella just has amnesia, she’s not fucking stupid.”
A slow smile spreads over my face. “Isabella was the party crasher at Ariana’s party that I hooked up with. The attraction was there once.”
“Okay,” Demitri lets out a sigh. “Let’s say she falls for you, and you marry her. What the fuck are you going to do when her memory returns?”
I shrug. “I’ll let her take a swing at me, and then we can have angry sex.”
Demitri shakes his head, glancing up at the ceiling as if he’s saying a silent prayer, then his eyes settle hard on me. “And if she tries to kill you, what do you expect me to do? Just stand by and let her have her way?”
Taking a couple of steps closer to Demitri, I place my hand on his shoulder. “You worry too much. I’ll deal with it when and if her memory returns. This might be the only chance I have to get my hands on Isabella, and it will be the biggest fuck you to Sonia.”
Letting out another sigh, Demitri shakes his head. “You’re making me old before my time.”
Letting out a chuckle, I smile at my friend. “I keep your life interesting, you ungrateful fucker.”