The Bed You Make
Chapter 43, continued

It was an unusual thing for Stefan Cassadine to wrestle with his attention regarding the details of the estate. Over a lifetime of necessity, he'd learned to compartmentalize the various aspects of his life and dedicate almost complete attention to each aspect in turn. Tonight, however, the events of the evening at Xanthe continued to loudly clamor for further examination.

'… I would have grudgingly said that you had done the same.' Dara poured a few fingers from Stefan's private reserve of vodka. Though he only occasionally made use of it, each limousine contained a bottle within its bar. Stefan thought to remind his wife of its potency, but saw that Dara only sipped from the glass. "You know, since we entered this arrangement,' she continued, 'I've grown accustomed to your almost obsessive need to play puppet master to every person you encounter, including the people in your life. Having met your mother up close and personal, I almost understand it.' Dara paused and took another slow taste of vodka. ‘But that should have taken a back seat to putting Jacqueline de Mardors in her place and making a statement to every person sitting in that restaurant.'

"Master Stefan?"

Stefan blinked. He was a bit disgruntled to realize that his head of security, Yuri Petrov, had been calling his name. "Yes, Petrov?"

“Excuse me, Master Stefan,” Yuri said, “I must take this call.”

The head of Cassadine security crossed to the other side of the study and began a murmured conversation. Stefan took advantage of the pause to place his copy of the security report on the desk and remove his wire-rimmed glasses. Under the guise of cleaning a lens, he took a moment to attempt to marshal his focus.

He was unsuccessful.

‘You did not require my assistance in handling the Countess,' he'd replied mildly. ‘The statement you made was quite clear to everyone there.'

The reply earned Stefan a swift response from his wife. Dara lifted her glass of vodka to him in mocking tribute. ‘And so,' she toasted sarcastically, ‘was yours.'

“That was Pachenkov.” Yuri returned his cell phone to his breast pocket. “The Bratva have had an encounter with the American mobster Corinthos."

Stefan's head of security now had all of his employer's attention. “Did they engage him?” Stefan asked. The destruction of the Corinthos criminal empire was the carrot he'd used to entice Dara into their arrangement. An encounter between the Russian mob and Michael Corinthos' people was the last thing Stefan desired. Despite all Corinthos' bravado, he was gravely out of his league against the Bratva.

“Nyet. They did not engage. Corinthos did nothing but warn them away from his territory.”

“Very good.” Stefan stroked his goatee. “Has this encounter compromised in any way Nikolas' security?”

Yuri gave a slight shake of his head. “I do not think so.”

continued