Page 82 of The Last Hope

“Grandmother!” the younger woman exclaimed, tugging at Agata’s arm, but she pushed her aside without breaking eye contact with me.

“Stay out of this, Nina. I won’t let some Italian trash pollute my boys’ environment!” she spat, and my breath caught as I finally recognized those eyes—Mikhail’s. He had the same eyes as Agata and Nina.

“Madame Agata, Madame Elif is not here, nor are the Ivanov brothers,” Velma interjected, stepping between us.

“I don’t need anyone’s permission to see my boys,” Agata declared, shoving Velma aside and striding inside, followed by her granddaughter, who cast me an apologetic glance.

“Let’s stay calm until Elif and the Ivanov brothers return. They’re unreachable during their meetings—phones are banned,and that viper knows it very well,” Velma muttered, glaring at Agata’s back.

“How does she even know that?”

“Because she’s supposed to be there,” Velma replied through gritted teeth, then pulled me inside.

“So? Where are my grandsons?” Agata demanded as she sat on the couch like she owned the place.

“Miss Selina is the boys’ nanny, Madame Agata. She is the one who decides what concerns them,” Velma stated, and I could feel the tension rise in the room.

Agata stood far too quickly for someone her age and advanced toward us with a threatening air.

“How dare you stand between me and my boys!” she shouted, stopping right in front of Velma, and for a moment, I truly thought she might pull a gun and shoot her.

“No, no, please. Of course you can see your grandsons. Velma, could you please go get them? They’re in the garden,” I asked, pleading with my eyes to defuse the situation.

She watched me for a moment before sighing and heading outside to fetch the children.

“Please, Madame Agata, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

“Why? Are you going to serve us some Italian specialty from our enemies’ homeland?” she sneered, still scrutinizing me, while Nina tried once again to calm her.

“I didn’t mean to insult you—”

“Selina!” Velma’s voice suddenly rang out as she rushed back inside, breathless and pale.

“What is it?”

“The boys… they’re gone. I can’t find them anywhere!”

“Gone?! What do you mean?! Where are my grandsons?!” Agata exclaimed, her eyes blazing with fury.

“They were playing in the garden, but they’re gone now. I searched everywhere—the garden, the terrace—and I didn’t see them go up to their rooms,” Velma replied.

Nausea churned in my stomach as panic began to rise. I stepped into the garden on trembling legs, but the table where they had been only moments ago was now empty.

“Andrei?! Rafael?!” I called out, but there was no answer.

“Alexei?! Mikhail?!” I shouted louder this time, but still nothing.

A shiver ran down my spine as the sky began to darken above me. “Miss Selina, I’m going to alert the guards. They’ll start searching immediately. I already called Marcus, the guard accompanying Nikolai. He’ll request a meeting interruption,” Velma said.

But the buzzing in my ears drowned out her words—I couldn’t think, couldn’t comprehend.

“You filthy Italian whore!” A voice screamed just before a sharp pull on my arm sent me stumbling, followed by a sensation all too familiar—a searing heat across my cheek, a bitter, metallic taste flooding my mouth as I fell to the ground.

“Grandmother!” another voice cried out, but I couldn’t focus.

My heart clenched, black spots danced before my eyes—a panic attack.

“That bastard Nikolai killed my daughter, and now you’re going to kill my grandsons!” The voice kept screaming, but I couldn’t process the words. Only four names echoed in my mind.

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