Betrayal

The news hit Alexei Ruslan like a freight train. Without hesitation, he dialed Ivan’s Moscow office, but he knew deep down that Stanislav would not be there. Ivan had avoided his office for weeks now. Had he discovered the bug that Borisov forced him to plant?

There was no time to worry about that. He quickly grabbed his phone and barked orders at his assistant.

“Get me a plane to Arkhangelsk. Now!”

Within two hours, Ruslan had arrived in Arkhangelsk, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he headed straight for the familiar apartment building. He ignored the rickety elevator and bounded up the stairs, wheezing and sweating by the time he reached the seventh floor. With a shaky hand, he knocked on the designated door, memories flooding back as he waited anxiously.

Dinners. Celebrations.

Family. Not his real family. Even he didn’t know where his family was.

But a family who took him in.

There was no time for reminiscing. He braced himself and knocked again, louder, and tightened his jaw.

—

Ivan Stanislav was alone, growling to himself as he peered up at the ceiling. His mother had been taken to physical therapy by Arina, and he couldn’t help but reflect on her fierce dedication to the cause. Despite her own serious injuries, she refused to slow down. He stood in his family’s dining room, a screwdriver clenched between his teeth, ready to fix a faulty light fixture.

A loud knock on the door made Ivan freeze. Even for a man of his size and stature, unexpected visitors were cause for concern in Russia. Still, most of the time they wouldn’t knock. He hesitated, before hearing a familiar voice on the other side.

“Vanya! It’s Alexei!”

Despite his knowledge of Alexei’s duplicity, even Ivan couldn’t imagine that Alexei would harm him. Not with their long history together. As Ivan opened the door, Ruslan rushed into the apartment. He must have been in a hurry, because he didn’t even have his hat on. Something was clearly wrong.

“Alexei? What are you doing here?” Ivan asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

But Alexei was uncharacteristically frantic, his blue eyes burning with a mixture of frustration and anger. “Have you seen it?” He asked urgently.

Confused, Ivan asked, “Slow down, what is going on?”

Ruslan couldn’t keep his frustration in check. “If you were in your office instead of playing homemaker,” he snarled as he looked at the screwdriver in Ivan’s hand, “you would have seen!”

He pulled out his phone and quickly showed a video to Ivan on RuTube, the Russian version of YouTube. There was Olga Karishnikov reporting on a breaking event.

“We have received shocking reports that Ivan Stanislav, hero of our Mother Russia, will no longer be in the main event at ReVival 50,” she announced. “Once again, something is rotten in PRIME as our grand Russian hero is snubbed yet again.”

Ivan stared at the video, but Alexei kept his burning blue eyes on The Russian Bear's face.

“There must be some explanation…” Ivan said with confusion.

Ruslan pocketed his phone and widened his eyes in disbelief at Ivan’s words. “Explanation?!” He squeaked. “I’ll tell you the explanation. It’s rotten in PRIME and once more they are trying to screw you!”

But before Ivan could make any sense of it all, the Stanislav household was suddenly flooded with people. Ivan’s mother, Fanya, hobbled through the front door with Arina at her side, both dressed in fine clothes. Fanya leaned heavily on her cane, while Arina maintained a professional composure while helping her.

“Alexei Gregorovich! What brings you here?!” Fanya greeted him warmly, spreading her arms wide for a hug. Alexei hid his frustration for a moment and spread his arms, hugging Fanya tightly. He kissed her on each cheek and pulled back, staring at her.

“Mama Stanislav, you are looking beautiful as ever.” Alexei said with an uncharacteristic level of charm.

“Are you keeping my Ivashechka safe?” Fanya asked playfully.

Alexei nodded. “Of course, beautiful Fanya. I always am!”

Fanya tugged on Alexei’s mustache, something he never had until recently. “Growing facial hair just like my boy, hm?”

Ruslan still smiled, and it was a true smile. His eyes twinkled as he stared at the woman who was the closest thing to a mother. She had cared for him. She loved him. Other than Ivan, she was the only other person who Alexei may have believed truly loved him.

Yet Ivan cleared his throat to break the happy moment. “Mama, Alyosha is here for an important matter. Would you mind going to your room for now?”

“I am not some cow to be pushed into a stall, Ivashechka,” she protested stubbornly. She pinched Ivan’s elbow and he winced in a rare moment in which The Russian Bear actually sold something. She then walked past the men and settled down in her favorite chair. “This is my house, Ivashechka, and I will stay where I please!”

An awkward silence fell upon everyone in the apartment. Both Arina and Alexei looked to Ivan, who they knew was powerless against his strong-willed mother. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Arina offered to get Fanya a drink.

“Let me get you something, Mrs. Stanislav,” she said kindly before heading to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Alexei moved closer to Ivan, feeling his anger at the news begin to build. He muttered softly. “This has Lindsay Troy’s fingerprints all over it. She pits you against Jared Sykes and makes it seem like she’s doing you a favor, only to turn her back on you when it matters most!”

But Ivan seemed unconvinced and as Arina returned with a glass of water for Fanya, she asked something, “I’m sorry, what happened?”

Ruslan whirled around to face her. “Starshy Praporshchik Stanisalv has been removed from the Main Event at ReVival 50!”

It was Arina’s time to open her eyes in shock as she parroted Ivan’s earlier statement. “There must be some explanation for this.”

Alexei felt like his head might explode with rage. “The only explanation is that Lindsay Troy has always had a vendetta against us!” He announced to the entire household. He felt trapped in the middle of all these conflicting opinions. “Why won’t any of you listen to me!?”

Fanya piped up from afar. “This is the woman who paid for my surgery?”

Arina nodded slightly and frowned thoughtfully. Ivan’s face was hard though and he blinked his eyes. Finally, Arina spoke up. “I think perhaps we should just talk to her…”

Ruslan suddenly roared and advanced on Arina, jabbing his finger into her face like he would a knife. “Watch your tongue, Ms. Timofeyevna! You are here to serve, not to think!”

She recoiled and felt the color drain from her face. This was a man who could liquidate not just her, but her family in a moment and make it impossible to trace. But Ivan gripped Alexei’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Compose yourself, Alyosha,” he urged.

“No, Vanya!” Alexei roared, whirling around to stare up into Ivan’s face. “How many times will you let this woman manipulate you? What does she do to control you so?”

It was true. Ivan had tried to “play nice” for months now. Yes, he was still causing trouble here and there in PRIME, but he had told his staff to take a position of neutrality when it came to Lindsay Troy. Despite the Universal Title. Despite the snub with Youngblood getting a title shot. Despite Avalon being fast tracked.

“Alexei…” Ivan began, but Ruslan cut him off with a passionate rant.

“You were never like this before, Ivan! She stole that Universal Title from you! She promises you a lifetime contract, only to deny the opportunities you so rightfully deserve.” As if reading Ivan’s mind, Alexei continued. “She gives losers like Youngblood opportunities they don’t deserve! She gives Coral Avalon a chance after holding the lowest title in PRIME! It’s a disgrace!”

Once more, Ivan tried to speak, but again Ruslan somehow managed to overtake his voice.

“When did we stop fighting for our cause and start playing by their rules?! When did we start accepting their excuses and accept their abuse with no retaliation?” Ruslan gestured to Fanya. “She is not our ally or friend. She is a conniver and a backstabber. A duplicitous witch!”

He looked back at Ivan, fully taking control of the floor. “We have Kenny Freeman, who lost to Ellis because of a biased referee!” He pointed at one finger, then another. “Max Kael is on our side, yet his opponent cheats without consequence. Finally, for the first time this year, The Russian Bear, top three in PRIME, undefeated this year, gets a single main event match after six months of waiting and what does she do?!”

Ivan said nothing.

“She takes it away from you. From us. From Russia! ReVival 50, a big show, a big match, and now? Nothing! Just another paltry match before the end!” Ruslan was panting now, his eyes looked not just angry, but hurt, frustration, and flabbergasted. “Vanya, please…”

Ruslan was oftentimes a blowhard publicly, but he also could be persuasive when he wanted to. And even worse? He was right. Arina watched from a distance as Ivan’s expression shifted from uncertainty to resignation.

The truth was that Ivan did respect Lindsay Troy. He had told her that much in the past. The plucky young girl stood defiant in front of him almost twenty years ago, and she put up a valiant fight. And here she was, perhaps not completely on board with Ivan’s ideology, but she did seem like a relatively fair promoter and owner. Far better than the likes of The Phantom Booker and Jane Reagan, and miles ahead any of the contemporary promoters in far lesser organizations.

And yet, Alexei was right. She was the one who boxed Alexei into a match and beat the hell out of him. She did make the decision to steal this great opportunity from him at ReVival 50. She was pushing the likes of Youngblood and Avalon over him.

Yet as Arina saw Ivan’s face continue to slowly shift and tighten, she made one last plea. “What if Sykes had something to do with it? He’s retiring anyways…”

Ivan’s voice was laced with frustrated resignation. “If it was Sykes, I will make sure he pays for that too. But Alexei is right.”

Ruslan spread his arms thankfully and nodded while Arina, defeated, slumped a bit and frowned. She turned to Fanya, but the old woman knew there was nothing to be done.

Alexei ground his teeth and nodded, finally getting through to his more thoughtful friend. He pointed out towards the wall. “She’s out there, basking in her own glory as the SHOOT champion and preparing to get married. Meanwhile, she’s still finding time to sabotage us and revel in our humiliation. She has turned this great opportunity into an embarrassment.” His eyes darkened. “This was supposed to be your moment, Ivan. Russia’s moment. Now? No longer the headliner. Hessian, who just lost, and Cecilworth, who hasn’t been around for months? They get your slot. Russia’s slot. They get to go down in history as main-eventing ReVival 50, a milestone!”

Ivan growled as his eyes grew stormy. He glared across the room at Arina. “There will be no more speaking to Lindsay Troy from you.”

Arina knew better than to argue, and Ivan continued. “Pack up your things. We’re going back to Moscow. It’s time to get back to work.”

His assistant nodded and Fanya squeezed Arina’s hand. Ivan then looked down at Alexei and squeezed his arm. “Thank you, Alyosha.”

And Alexei looked up at Ivan and nodded. “Of course, Vanya. Back at it, eh?”

Ivan nodded. “Back at it indeed.”

And with that, Alexei embraced Fanya and said his goodbyes. Despite her insistence that Alexei remain for dinner, he took his leave. He had to get things ready in Moscow. He hugged Ivan tightly and as Ivan shut the door, Alexei stood outside in the hallway…

…and smiled.