Rejected: A love story-Chapter 158: Not possible

Viktoria carried Mateo on her arms, he was fast asleep already, resting his head on her shoulder.

She locked the door and dropped her bag on the floor as she carefully laid him on the bed.

Her lips curved into a smile as she slowly brushed the hair on his face to his side.

Just then her phone rang, she glanced at at the screen and smiled.

"Hey, my love." Nikolai deep voice came as she answered.

"Hi" she said smiling.

"How’re you doing? And how’s my son?" He asked.

"I’m ok, kinda stressed..." she took a glance at Mateo.

"Mateo is fine also, he’s asleep."

"Hope he didn’t cause you much trouble?" He asked.

"Not really..." She said, trailing off. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell him about the photograph thing and how she looked like Keith’s woman.

"Uh, are you okay? Is erm...Is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"Everything’s fine." She said, lying through her teeth, and for no reason, either.

"Are you sure? Was it the proposal and partnership?" He asked, persisting.

"No, honey. We couldn’t finalise it today, Mr. Keith suggested we reschedule." She said, trying to explain.

"Reschedule? Didn’t he want to partner?" He asked, still confused.

"He did actually, he loved the proposal and everything, but...Mateo broke something in his office and..." She said, trying to finish what she was saying.

"Broke something?" He said, interrupting her.

"Relax, honey." She said, chuckling. "He wasn’t upset about it, Mateo was hungry and he suggested we reschedule." Viktoria said, trying to explain what happened.

Nikolai was quiet on the line for a minute or two.

"Hello? Honey, are you there?" She said, concerned..

"Y—yes, I’m here babe. It’s just that...are you sure he wants to partner and didn’t use that as an excuse?" Nikolai asked, it was obvious he was worried.

"Like I said relax, everything is good. I’m the one handling it, and yes he wants to partner." She continued.

"He actually came in a bit late and that caused some delays before those stuff happened and I can assure you honey, he will partner with us." She assured.

"Okay, good," Nikolai said, sounding somewhat relieved. "I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly. You’ve been handling things well, and I trust your judgment."

Viktoria smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest at his words. "I know, honey. I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry."

"I know you will," he replied, his voice softening. "How’s Mateo doing? Really? Is he okay after today?"

Viktoria glanced at Mateo, who was still fast asleep. "Yeah, he’s fine. Just tired," she said, her voice gentle. "He’s been a bit clingy lately, but I’m managing."

"I’m glad he’s okay," Nikolai said, his tone filled with affection. "I miss you both. Can’t wait to see you soon."

Viktoria’s heart skipped a beat at the thought. "I miss you too. See you soon, okay?"

The line went quiet for a moment, and Viktoria could almost hear the unspoken words between them.

"Get some rest, babe," Nikolai finally said, his voice low and soothing. "I’ll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, goodnight," Viktoria replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Goodnight, my love," Nikolai said before the line went dead.

Viktoria stood there for a moment, the phone still pressed to her ear, lost in thought.

Is it possible she’s related to that lady in the picture? Is there a connection?

"No! I’m just overthinking things" she said out loud.

"I’ve never been to America, I’ve been in Russia all my life! Not possible."

She stood up and headed for the bathroom.

**********

Nathan untied his tie as he made his way into his bedroom. Everywhere was quiet, and he was accustomed to that, ever since Fiona left his life... It has always been black and worthless.

Nathan placed his keys on the nightstand, then retrieved the photograph from his coat pocket.

Nathan slowly sat down on the floor, staring intently at the photograph. Fiona was giving him a big smile, her eyes shining, and she was so close to him, and he would give his whole life back if only he could be there again.

Suddenly, the image of Viktoria appeared in Nathan’s mind. The resemblance was too similar. The eyes were the same, the lips were the same, and even the shape of the face was the same.

Nathan took a deep breath and stroked his hair. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Impossible," Nathan murmured to himself.

Was it just coincidence? Nathan looked at the photo again with intent, and then he thought about Viktoria standing in front of him, with his bleeding hand. It was just too familiar.

Was she a twin? Fiona never talked about having one. Besides, she was the only child of her parents. Or was this just fate playing a cruel joke on him?

The next morning

Mateo woke up on the bed, rubbing his eyes. He turned slightly and saw that his mum was already dressed, sitting beside him and staring at her phone.

"Mummy..." he called out.

Viktoria immediately looked up, her eyes showing concern.

"Good morning, baby."

Mateo slowly got up, his hair disheveled from sleeping. He crawled towards her and leaned against her side.

"Mummy..."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"The pretty lady..."

Viktoria stopped what she was doing, her fingers frozen in motion.

"What pretty lady?" she asked, her voice gentle.

Mateo yawned, rubbing his eyes again.

"The one... yesterday..."

Viktoria felt a sense of unease building up in her chest.

"Oh..."

She stopped, her fingers no longer moving. Her heart was literally skipping.

"You mean the lady in Mr. Keith’s office?" she asked, her voice gentle, trying to sound casual.

Mateo nodded, his eyes still half-closed.

"She pretty... like you."

Viktoria felt her heart constrict slightly.

"It was just a picture, baby."

Mateo nodded, snuggling against her side.

"Same... like you."

Viktoria kissed his forehead, although her mind was already moving back to the previous day.

’Same... like you.’

She breathed out slowly, trying to shake the idea off.

"Come on," she said softly. "Let’s get you ready. Are you hungry?"

Mateo nodded eagerly. "Hungry."

Viktoria smiled, relieved that the conversation was diverted, and picked him up from the bed.

But as she was walking him to the bathroom, the image in the photo slipped back into her mind...