Natasha quirked her brow as if in question. The sympathy reflected in her bright green eyes seemed genuine. Well-aware of how brutal the patriarch could be when it came to protecting the family’s name and reputation, she had to see the coming confrontation.
“No, unfortunately, I haven’t. Natasha’s phone call woke me earlier.” Andreas paused as he rolled his shoulder back in anticipation of the next blow. “What’s happened? Has a verdict been released?
Were the details released to the press?”
“Natasha, would you mind giving us some privacy? This really is a family matter.” Clearly his father wasn’t prepared to trust anyone outside his inner circle.
“Of course, Mr. Kristopolous. Not a problem. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Natasha offered them a slight bow and headed to the door. On the outside, she came off as cool and collected; inside, she no doubt fumed. After he’d dealt her an embarrassing blow the other night at the MET, Andreas didn’t know how much more the woman could take. But Natasha was smart. She wouldn’t risk her career by throwing a hissy fit in front of the most powerful man in her universe.
Aristotle looked at his son and shrugged. “I hope I didn’t offend Natasha. I am simply not ready to divulge anything specific when I do not know if we can fully trust her.” Andreas nodded in agreement as his father handed him the newspaper. “The details of Mr. Olshanskey’s deportation have been released. The board of trustees ordered him back to Moscow, and he is being escorted there as we speak. But that is the least of our worries. Take a look at the front page of the New York Times .”
Andreas picked up the periodical and perused the headlines.
Kristopolous Family Implicated in Cover-Up of Staten Island Woman’s Near Death.
He couldn’t believe what he’d read. How could his family possibly be accused of trying to cover up such a heinous act of violence? If anything, they should be praised in the papers for bringing the terrible incident to light. No wonder his father looked so furious.
“Who would have the audacity to leak something as damaging as this about our organization? Aren’t they afraid of the repercussions we inflict on our enemies?” It’s true that the Kristopolous family had a history of brutality and vengeance when it came to defending themselves against attack. Through the centuries, several groups of nomads and rogue vampires invaded their domain in an attempt to overthrow their regime in search of power and wealth. Each one of them met in battle by Aristotle Kristopolous and his army of well-trained assassins, ready to rip apart their enemies piece-by-bloody-piece.
During the Industrial Revolution, the family realized that in order to increase its influence over the changing landscape of the modern world, they needed to blend into their surroundings. Ripping out their enemies’ throats was not in their best interest any longer.
Appearances became more important than ever, and the Kristopolous name and reputation, reigned supreme.
“That’s what I am here to discover.” Aristotle turned to his son, a ferocious scowl plastered across his withered features.
“Whoever is responsible for this will surely learn a whole new meaning of the word “vengeance”.” The two men sat for more than an hour and brainstormed a list of possible suspects capable of such treachery. On that list, were the names of several individuals including the local mafia boss, the Russian Ambassador, and unfortunately, Natasha, among others. In addition to identifying the culprit, damage control jumped to the top of their list of priorities.
“I’ll give my contact at the Daily News a call as soon as we’re finished here.” Andreas put a hand on his father’s shoulder in reassurance. “She’ll jump at the chance to discredit a story printed in the Times . A retraction is almost certainly guaranteed by the end of the week.” Aristotle’s face was a
“No, unfortunately, I haven’t. Natasha’s phone call woke me earlier.” Andreas paused as he rolled his shoulder back in anticipation of the next blow. “What’s happened? Has a verdict been released?
Were the details released to the press?”
“Natasha, would you mind giving us some privacy? This really is a family matter.” Clearly his father wasn’t prepared to trust anyone outside his inner circle.
“Of course, Mr. Kristopolous. Not a problem. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” Natasha offered them a slight bow and headed to the door. On the outside, she came off as cool and collected; inside, she no doubt fumed. After he’d dealt her an embarrassing blow the other night at the MET, Andreas didn’t know how much more the woman could take. But Natasha was smart. She wouldn’t risk her career by throwing a hissy fit in front of the most powerful man in her universe.
Aristotle looked at his son and shrugged. “I hope I didn’t offend Natasha. I am simply not ready to divulge anything specific when I do not know if we can fully trust her.” Andreas nodded in agreement as his father handed him the newspaper. “The details of Mr. Olshanskey’s deportation have been released. The board of trustees ordered him back to Moscow, and he is being escorted there as we speak. But that is the least of our worries. Take a look at the front page of the New York Times .”
Andreas picked up the periodical and perused the headlines.
Kristopolous Family Implicated in Cover-Up of Staten Island Woman’s Near Death.
He couldn’t believe what he’d read. How could his family possibly be accused of trying to cover up such a heinous act of violence? If anything, they should be praised in the papers for bringing the terrible incident to light. No wonder his father looked so furious.
“Who would have the audacity to leak something as damaging as this about our organization? Aren’t they afraid of the repercussions we inflict on our enemies?” It’s true that the Kristopolous family had a history of brutality and vengeance when it came to defending themselves against attack. Through the centuries, several groups of nomads and rogue vampires invaded their domain in an attempt to overthrow their regime in search of power and wealth. Each one of them met in battle by Aristotle Kristopolous and his army of well-trained assassins, ready to rip apart their enemies piece-by-bloody-piece.
During the Industrial Revolution, the family realized that in order to increase its influence over the changing landscape of the modern world, they needed to blend into their surroundings. Ripping out their enemies’ throats was not in their best interest any longer.
Appearances became more important than ever, and the Kristopolous name and reputation, reigned supreme.
“That’s what I am here to discover.” Aristotle turned to his son, a ferocious scowl plastered across his withered features.
“Whoever is responsible for this will surely learn a whole new meaning of the word “vengeance”.” The two men sat for more than an hour and brainstormed a list of possible suspects capable of such treachery. On that list, were the names of several individuals including the local mafia boss, the Russian Ambassador, and unfortunately, Natasha, among others. In addition to identifying the culprit, damage control jumped to the top of their list of priorities.
“I’ll give my contact at the Daily News a call as soon as we’re finished here.” Andreas put a hand on his father’s shoulder in reassurance. “She’ll jump at the chance to discredit a story printed in the Times . A retraction is almost certainly guaranteed by the end of the week.” Aristotle’s face was a
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