Chapter 81: Call Me When You Want... When You Need
[FROLO]
The Romanovs had left.
It had been a long session of Katya convincing them that he wasn’t being blackmailed and that the debt paid had nothing to do with the Moskowsky household or even what Yaroslav had done.
And Sergei had stayed silent the entire time.
He really had nothing appropriate to say for the first time.
But now...
Now Katya was back in the lounge.
His parents gone. The servants went back to their duties, and Anya was also gone.
It was just them.
Just Katya and Sergei.
"Please accept my apologies, Mr. Moskowsky," Katya spoke first, the distance between him and Sergei obvious. The man was still seated on the broken remote, and surely, he had to feel a certain level of discomfort, no?
But then Sergei had remained still, even then.
When Sergei didn’t say anything, Katya continued.
"I... I didn’t mean disrespect when I called you by your middle name. Please forgive me," Katya said.
Sergei lifted his head, looking at the omega who was on edge and seated next to the door like he was already contemplating an exit plan. It was a sight that broke Sergei’s cold heart.
First, it was the title.
Mr. Moskowsky.
Then the apology.
But how was Sergei supposed to tell Katya that hearing his middle name from the one as lips was better than any high he had ever gotten his whole life? That hearing his name from Katya without any formalities was the best breath of fresh air for him?
If he spoke his mind, he would just be a creepy man who was trying to waddle through a messy situation. But then was that what Katya saw?
Was that what this was about?
"I’m sorry for missing work yesterday, too. It was incompetent on my end, especially after the week I had wasted already. I will work longer hours and take on extra jobs to make up for the wasted week," Katya said.
Sergei stared at him this time like the man couldn’t be serious.
Was he going to work long hours because of Yaroslav?
What the fuck?
They were in this fucked up state because of that son of his, and now Katya was talking about overworking to make up for shit THAT Yaroslav had triggered? Sergei couldn’t believe it.
It was insane to his ears and an impossibility that he hadn’t once considered.
But as it turns out, he still had a long way to go.
"Good for you," Sergei gritted.
"Mr. Moskowsky... I had a request," Katya said, and Sergei’s ears perked attentively.
Katya had a request.
Sergei would grab it. Without question.
Then again, at the same time, Sergei couldn’t exactly appear thrilled just because Katya had a favor to ask. Would it be a favor, though?
"Speak."
"About my mother’s heart transplant," Katya began, and Sergei stiffened.
This wasn’t going to sound good to his ears at all.
"What about it?" Sergei asked flatly.
"Is it possible for me to pay for it?" Katya asked, and Sergei’s heart sank into his stomach for the first time in a while. This was not what he was expecting, and it was worse than anything Sergei had heard since the month had begun.
Katy was offering to buy his mother’s heart.
To buy the security for his mother.
He was asking because he was probably sure the Moskowskys would repossess it. And that in itself had Sergei wondering whether he had crossed one too many lines already that he was even capable of stealing a heart back.
Was that what Katya thought of him?
This hurt. In a very different way.
Because Sergei for the life of him didn’t understand where it was coming from, yet at the same time, he understood.
Katya was an omega who had much more to lose to Sergei. And instead of bargaining for his freedom, he was asking for indirect mercy for his mother.
Goodness, Sergei had really outdone himself with his cruelty this time, no?
"What?" Sergei breathed hoarsely, unsure of what else to say.
At least without making the omega feel like his life was no longer his and that everything he did was never going to free him.
"I... I know I signed an eternal contract with you. But I was hoping to exclude my mother’s heart from the contract. Miss Anya did mention that anything I benefited could easily be taken back. I just...
"I understand that my paying back won’t make the gift you gave me worthy of my stature. But please. Please let me pay for that. I don’t mind working long hours, never resting at all.
"I will do anything. Just... Please, Mr. Moskowsky," Katya said, his voice calm as he tried to steady himself.
There was never freedom with anything that Sergei did, and honestly, it was terrifying even now. He understood so well that this was not the best of ideas for a man who had almost gotten into a fight with his parents.
It was not.
Truly.
But Katya was desperate. At least for that ounce of freedom.
For his mother.
For his family.
He was so ready to slave away.
"Solnyshka," Sergei said as he walked toward where Katya was.
He didn’t stop until the distance between them was barely fifteen inches.
Kata didn’t step back. He couldn’t.
After all, he knew that being Sergei’s contract husband would come with things that he didn’t like.
He was ready to pay that price regardless. But a part of him was still hopeful that Sergei could at least give him a straight answer as to the matters that pertained to his mother’s heart.
"I’ll do anything, Mr. Moskowsky," Katya added, shaking like a leaf in autumn.
"Anything? That’s dangerous, don’t you think?" Sergei asked, his voice low as he stared at Katya’s face.
Gods, the omega was so beautiful.
"Yes, Mr. Moskowsky. I will do anything for my mother’s heart not to be repossessed," Katya said confidently, and Sergei watched as the omega tried so hard not to squirm under his gaze.
Oh, but Katya was a cute little thing.
So much so that even Sergei knew that if he wasn’t as unhinged, maybe he would have gotten a hug or something.
But then again, the thought of Senator Aleksandr had Sergei feeling everything at once.
"Drop the formalities, Solnyshka," Sergei strained, the calm citrus scent a new addiction that he was slowly discovering. He was just realizing that the omega had never been in this clan around him.
Then again, Sergei knew that Katya loved his mother and was willing to do anything. Maybe it was the determination that kept the omega steady.
However, whatever it was, Sergei was thankful for it.
"What?" Katya asked in confusion.
"Drop the honorifics when it’s just you and me in the same room. And no one will ever mention your mother’s heart again," Sergei said, and it was Katya’s turn to stare at the man like he was insane.
Honorifics?
Formalities?
When they were alone?
Was this man not aware of how much an organ transplant costs? Even more so, a heart?
"I don’t understand, Mr. Moskowsky," Katya said in earnest.
And Sergei...
He smiled.
The barbarian actually smiled.
Not the creepy smile he had earlier.
Not the sinister smile Katya had seen in the hospital the day a contract was shoved in his face.
This was genuine.
And it was scary.
"When we’re alone, you can call me by my name, Solnyshka. That is all I ask in return for your mother’s heart."
"Okay... Vladimir."
Sergei chuckled warmly.
What the fuck?
