Chapter Four
"There is no changing the situation, no matter how much you wish there was. You have to marry Michael Bonnefoy; there are no other options, since you completely refused Natalia's advances." Alexander Braginski told his only son over the phone. The head of the family was pacing in his study in Russia, trying to let out some of the nervous energy talking to his son brought him.
Ivan was also pacing but his movements were much more aggressive and angry. He was in the lobby of an airport in Canada, increasingly upset that his father wouldn't make it possible for him to fly back home. "Father, that…boy is spineless and weak. I don't understand how it would help the family. He's practically nonexistent; I didn't even know there were two Bonnefoy sons."
"Ivan, you will stop this foolish nonsense now. Believe me; if the surrogate family hadn't died out, this wouldn't be happening. Now, you will leave the airport and go to the Bonnefoy estate. Then you will apologize for your immature behavior. Lastly, you will get out the ring your mother put in your suitcase and properly and formally propose to Marcellus." Alexander's voice grew more forceful and firm as he gained the confidence to stand up to his intimidating son.
"His name is Matthew, Father." Ivan replied before hanging up on him. He grunted and pulled the handle out of his suitcase so he could pull it on the wheels. After pausing to fix his long coat and scarf he angrily walked outside to the line of taxi cabs and walked up to one.
"Where to, sir?" The driver asked, unlocking the doors so Ivan could get in behind the driver's seat.
"The Bonnefoy estate." Ivan replied coldly, not bothering to put on his seatbelt. The taxi pulled away from the curb and started speeding down the street dangerously. "Excuse me, would you mind slowing down?" Ivan asked, attempting to sound more composed and less angry.
"Sorry, what was that?" The driver asked, turning around slightly, not paying attention to the road. Ivan started inwardly panicking as the car neared a busy intersection.
"Turn around!" He shouted at the man, the color draining from his face and his Russian accent becoming more prominent.
When Ivan would tell this story to his children and future spouse, he would remember the next moments happening in almost slow motion.
The driver turned around and slammed the brakes, resulting in the car stopping in the middle of the intersection. He turned back to assess the condition of his passenger just when a large truck crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle.
The last thing the Russian felt before blacking out was the shattered glass of the window hitting his face, neck, and hands.
Matthew had decided to take a shower after his time spent with the sunflowers. It wasn't long before the cold set in and he noticed the numbness of his hands and feet. The hot water of the shower was slow to warm him up and chase away the numbness, turning his skin bright pink and then red.
While in the shower, his mind would drift to thoughts of Ivan, mostly before he started insulting him. Matthew was incredibly flustered and surprised when he walked into the sitting room, seeing the attractive Russian for the first time up close. Despite what Arthur told him, he clung to the belief that Ivan would be nice to him soon.
After his shower, he curled up on the couch in the sitting area of his rooms in his pajamas. He was holding a mug of hot chocolate and his favorite book, A Clockwork Orange, ready for his habit of reading before bed. Kuma curled up at his feet and closed his eyes, ready for sleep.
The taxi driver got off better than Ivan did, being able to call the emergency line along with multiple people that witnessed the accident. He spent the time before the ambulance arrived trying to figure out what condition his unconscious passenger was in. They removed the two people from the taxi and sent them to the hospital. The driver had only a few cuts and bruises and had to stay overnight, but Ivan would have to stay much longer.
After the doctors treated all of Ivan's injuries and the nurses had him in one of the thin hospital gowns, it was time to alert the Russian's next of kin. Since the driver never found out his name, they had to call the Bonnefoy estate and hope somebody there knew who the Russian was.
"Hello, this is the Bonnefoy estate; may I ask who is calling?" The head of staff answered the phone in the kitchen with the practiced phrase.
"Yes, thank you. This is Doctor Simon Andrews at the Saint Martin Hospital; can I speak to the head of the house?" Doctor Andrews asked him, sitting down tiredly at his desk.
"Yes, just a moment." The doctor recognized the familiar tune that played for somebody who was on hold.
The head of staff walked quickly up to Master Francis's study after putting the doctor on hold. He knew that Francis was still in there, trying to come up with ways to terminate the engagement he regretted ever putting in place.
Francis let him in and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Yes, what is it, Sebastian?" He asked impatiently, wanting to get back to thinking.
"There is a call for you on the first line, from the Saint Martin hospital." Sebastian informed his master.
"Thank you, I'll take it in here." Sebastian bowed and left the study, closing the door behind him and going back to his duties. Francis picked up the phone on his desk and hit the Line One button.
"Is this the head of the Bonnefoy estate?" The doctor asked him, expecting it to be the worker that answered the phone first.
"Yes, this is Francis Bonnefoy, how may I help you?" He asked as he sat down in the large desk chair.
"There was a car accident today including a large truck and a taxi cab that was driving to your estate. We don't know the passenger's name, but he has medium length light blonde hair and is very tall. He was wearing a long scarf and beige coat. Do you know of anyone by that description?" The doctor told him of the situation, making the Frenchman's eyes go wide. He was sure Ivan would be on the plane back home, ready to forget this ever happened.
"Yes, I do. His name is Ivan Braginski, he was visiting today." Francis replied, running a hand through his hair again and thinking of whether he should tell Matthew or not.
"Thank you, Mr. Bonnefoy. You can visit him any time tomorrow, since it is a Saturday. Goodbye." The doctor hung up the phone. Francis followed his example and stood up, deciding to tell his son.
Matthew was just starting the second chapter of the book when Kuma stood up and barked at the door. "Come in." He called in the direction of the door, knowing Kuma only did that when somebody was at his door. He was surprised it was his Papa; he had been expecting it to be one of the servants asking if he needed anything else before he went to bed. "Papa, you hardly ever come to my room this late."
"I know, but this is important. Earlier today Ivan was in a taxi coming here. He was in an accident and is in the hospital." Francis sat down on the other end of the couch.
"What?! Is he okay?" Matthew asked, his voice rising to almost the volume of other people's regular voice.
"I don't know, I didn't ask." He answered, not completely understanding why Matthew was so worried. "Why do you ask? He was terrible to you."
"He still might be nice to me, you never know. I can still hope for it." Matthew blushed heavily and looked down at his hands.
"Well, you might be able to visit him tomorrow." The statement made Matthew look up at his Papa and smile, already looking forward to seeing the Russian. "Get to bed, Matthew. It's getting late." Francis stood up and ruffled his son's hair before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
Matthew did as Francis told him and got into bed, taking his glasses off and pulling the blanket up in one motion. "I really hope he's okay, Kuma." He whispered before drifting into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares from worrying about the Russian.
I'm back! I think this is the longest chapter so far. But yeah, I'm back from my trip to Disney World (Florida), that was filled with stress and angry Australian men. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Oh Yeah! I have recently gotten into shipping Sweden x Finland 3
Something has made me curious, where are you readers from? PM or Review with your answer if you want, it's your choice. I'm just curious.
Song of the Chapter: You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) by The White Stripes