Chapter 7

Eric's engagement came as a shock to the rest of high society. Same sex couples weren't uncommon, but same sex marriages? Though no one dared to say anything bad to his face there were of course rumors and whispers here and there. Why would a man like Andrei 'settle' for a man? It wasn't as if he were undesirable to women- quite the opposite exactly.

However Eric was completely oblivious to those rumors and basked in the attention and envy that he was receiving in waves following their announcement. The glittering diamond ring on his finger drew many green eyes towards it, all feeding his pride and his joy.

Seated at his desk his work had long been abandoned as he lost himself in his daydreams, staring at the ring on his finger. Every time he felt like he must be in a dream he looked down at the platinum band and felt a rush of euphoria.

This daze was only broken when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He said, sitting up straight as in walked his brother, Chancy.

"Eric." The tall and handsome man greeted with a smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you in a while. I see you've been well."

Chancy was actually Eric's half-brother, the son of Albert Aubert's second (now divorced) wife. Chancy took after their father more with light brown hair and blue eyes. Their facial structures were only 30% similar, and most people took them for cousins rather than brothers. Nonetheless, their relationship was very good. Even better than that of some full siblings.

Eric's good mood was rather contagious as he got up to join his brother on the couch to the side. "It's alright, you've been busy." He said with rare understanding. Towards this older brother of his he was extremely respectful, idolizing him almost as much as his father.

Chancy's smile was gentle, but tinged with the slightest bit of regret. "I see Andrei proposed… You must be very happy." Eric's smile was proof enough of his elation, so lost in his ideas for the future that he didn't notice anything off.

"I didn't expect him to propose so soon either, but I don't care. We're thinking of having the wedding in five or six months." He said, lifting his hand up again and showing it off with an extremely pleased glint in his eye.

His brother let out a soft sigh. "I know you're very happy together but don't you think this is too soon? You've only known him for a year."

Eric's smile faltered, lips tugging downward into a frown. "What are you trying to say? Clearly we're a perfect match and even dad approves. Why bother to wait?" He said with a hint of defensiveness. Even before his most esteemed elder brother he couldn't help but be reflexively hostile to his warnings. He wanted this more than he'd ever wanted anything else in his life, and he wasn't going to let it go so easily.

Chancy seemed torn between seeing his brother happy and protecting him from the unknown. However in the end he steeled his heart a bit and handed over the manila envelope that he had been holding.

"...I would not say this if I wasn't convinced that something was wrong. Andrei is a complicated man. His life and his past are far messier than he's led you to believe. This is what I've found so far, just push off the wedding date for a bit longer so I can-"

His words were suddenly cut off as Eric stood, walking back towards his desk. "I don't want to hear it. If you have nothing you can prove then it's nothing more than baseless rumors." He said, trembling hand throwing the envelope into the trash bin.

Chancy similarly stood, looking helpless.

"Eric, no matter how good he is to you know can you guarantee that will be the same ten years or even one year from now? And even if he doesn't intend to hurt you, his enemies will." He said levelly, trying to make his brother see reason.

Eric's eyes were fiery and defiant. "And aren't you one of them?" He snapped, before looking away once more with furrowed brows. His hands were clenched, feeling tight in his chest. He hadn't expected his brother of all people to oppose their marriage. But aside from that… he'd managed to poke at Eric's sore spots, forcing out the faint awareness which he had willfully ignored up until now.

When he thought about Andrei, everything was perfect, until it wasn't.

Chancy let out another deep sigh. "Alright, I understand. I won't bring this up again until I have concrete evidence… but in the end I just want to make sure you don't get hurt."

Eric said nothing, and after a few moments of silence, the sound of footsteps was followed by the soft click of the door.

*

Andrei liked to collect guns. The first one Eric had found had been on accident. He'd been staying the night at his place and couldn't help but snoop around, opening one of the lower drawers and spotting a silver pistol at the bottom. He'd been so frightened he'd jumped back a step, before quietly closing it again.

Owning a firearm was normal in the U.S., and many people liked to shoot recreationally. When Andrei emerged from the shower he quietly asked about it.

"Russia is not a very safe place. The wealthy are often targets to thieves. Out of habit I've always kept a weapon in my room." This was a very reasonable expectation, he thought, and accepted it with a nod.

Andrei also had strange 'guests' who suddenly appeared in his properties, even in the middle of the night. It was 1 a.m. when Eric felt the bed moving, and blearily opening one eye he watched as Andrei left the bedroom. Pulling on a sleeping robe and quietly following, he looked down the staircase to see his lover talking to several men in dark suits. Each of them looked extremely fierce and severe- some with scars, with eyes of those who'd seen death.

One of them turned their head to look directly at him, and frightened out of his wits, he'd quickly turned around and returned to the bedroom. Eyes closed and heart pounding, he was unable to calm down until Andrei returned.

"Who were they?" He asked softly, eyes shutting for a moment as the man leaned down to kiss his forehead, slipping beneath the covers beside him.

"My subordinates. There was a very pressing matter we had to discuss."

Eric didn't know what sort of business couldn't wait until morning, but he didn't ask.

There were many locked rooms and drawers. Once he found out they were locked Eric never tried to touch them again and all but forgot, because ignorance was truly bliss.

And what was love without trust? If Andrei wanted to conceal something he must have had a good reason for it. He loved him, so he trusted him.

But returning home that day, Eric found that he couldn't sleep at all. Laying in bed he stared at the ceiling, mind simultaneously too loud and too quiet at the same time. Midnight passed, then 1 am, and at the 2 am mark he couldn't stand it anymore and got up. Retrieving the envelope that he had previously decided to burn, he slowly and carefully unwound the string keeping it closed.

The hands gripping the creamy paper were trembling slightly as he read, flipping through the files and slightly blurry photographs. Everything in this was… off. Sinister connections and coincidences that were just too perfectly executed to be just coincidences: Kidnapping, extortion, murder.

But it wasn't true.

With dull eyes and shaking hands, Eric tore up every single file and photograph. Gathering them in his hands he grabbed the lighter that Andrei left, using it to ignite the pieces of paper and tossing them into the metal container.

Andrei loved him, and he loved Andrei.

As the last piece of paper curled up and burned beyond recognition, Eric shut his eyes and felt a deep tiredness wash over him. He would forget all about this, and pray to God that it was all a lie.

*

What Andrei liked best about Eric was that he was clever, and knew not to stick his nose into what didn't concern him. He ate up Andrei's every word as if it were the infallible truth, and didn't entertain any of the rumors that might have passed through his ears.

There was nothing more lovable than a cute and obedient little kitten.

However Andrei found that he was still incapable of complete trust, even towards this naive lover of his. As such, he'd had two of his men keep an eye on him, both to keep him safe and to make sure he didn't end up consorting with the wrong sort of people.

Unfortunately, the one person he couldn't keep Eric away from was Chancy.

The man was truly such an eyesore. Of all the people he'd met Chancy was the most shrewd, and had never trusted him from the beginning. Even that old man had been one over, but it seemed his son was far more tenacious.

For the time being, there was nothing he could do except cut off his leads and leave him guessing. It wasn't a particularly big problem, however Andrei was meticulous. Even a small cut could fester and inflame if not treated properly in the beginning, and he saw that was true as his subordinates reported that Chancy had given a file full of "evidence" towards his younger brother.

"He hasn't opened it yet. Should we get rid of it?"

The man over the phone asked in Russian. Andrei was seated at his desk, index finger tapping lightly against the wood.

"No, let him read it. I want to see just how loyal he is." He replied.

"Yes sir."

However Eric did not disappoint. Through the hidden cameras he had installed in his now fiance's penthouse, he watched as he stared at the files before suddenly beginning to tear them to shreds.

Even behind the monitor Andrei could see the near vacant look in Eric's eyes, as if he had woken from a nightmare he couldn't quite remember, intent gaze fixed on the burning paper. "Good boy." He said softly, the back of his index finger reaching up to rub against the place on the screen where Eric's face was showing.

Because Eric knew his place, he could make sure that he would live a sweet and ignorant life.