C14 DIMITRI VOLKOV

“I need to take this call,” Bailey said to him, waiting for him to leave.

“I don't see how I'm stopping you from doing that.”

Bailey took the phone from Carlos, her hand shaking slightly. She saw Diana Newman's name on the caller ID and felt a jolt of anxiety.

But Carlos stood beside her, waiting for her to answer. She left the sitting room and went to her room to answer the call.

"Hello, Diana," Bailey said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Bailey, he's here again. The man you warned me about. He says if we don't let him in next time, he'll force his way in," Diana's voice was trembling with fear.

Bailey's heart pounded. "Did he say what he wanted?"

“No, he just keeps demanding to see Carla,” Diana replied.

"Stay calm, Diana. Keep the doors locked and call the police if he shows up again. I'll handle it," Bailey said, her voice firm despite the panic rising inside her.

After hanging up, Bailey quickly dialed Dimitri, her private investigator. He answered on the second ring.

"Dimitri, what's the status? The man showed up at my house again, threatening to break in," Bailey said, her voice a mix of urgency and fear.

“I'm close to identifying him, Bailey. I just need a little more time," Dimitri replied.

"We don't have time! He’s becoming more aggressive. I need answers now," Bailey insisted.

"I'll hasten the process. Stay safe," Dimitri assured her.

Bailey ended the call and took a deep breath. She needed to keep her composure. She dialed Ava, next.

"Ava, I need your help. He is back, threatening to break into my house," Bailey said as soon as Ava answered.

"What? That’s insane! Do you know who he is yet?” Ava asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Dimitri's working on it. I need you to be ready to take this on legally when we find out who he is," Bailey replied.

"Absolutely. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you and Carla.” Ava said firmly.

"Thank you, Ava. I knew I could count on you," Bailey said, feeling a bit more at ease.

After ending the call with Ava, Bailey stood on the balcony for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She knew she couldn't let Carlos find out about Carla. It would only give him more power over her.

When Bailey returned to the living room, Carlos was waiting, his arms crossed.

"Who was that?" he asked, suspicion evident in his tone.

"Just a friend," Bailey replied, avoiding his gaze.

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "You seemed pretty stressed out for it to be 'just a friend.' What’s going on, Bailey?"

"It's nothing that concerns you," Bailey said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Carlos's eyes narrowed. "Everything you do concerns me, Bailey. You know that. How else would I know when you start cheating again?"

Bailey took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Carlos, I told you, it's nothing. Can you just drop it?"

Carlos stared at her for a long moment, then finally nodded.

"Fine. But don't think for a second that I believe you."

Bailey felt a wave of relief as Carlos turned and walked away. She knew she had to be more careful.

The next morning, Bailey was still on edge. She had barely slept, her mind racing with worry about Carla and the mysterious man. How did anyone know about Carla?

As she sat at the kitchen table, lost in thought, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Dimitri:

"Got some information. Meet me at our usual spot in an hour."

Bailey quickly got dressed and told Carlos she had to run some errands. He didn't question her, too absorbed in his affairs to care.

When Bailey arrived at the coffee shop where she usually met Dimitri, she saw him sitting at a corner table. His expression was grim.

"Dimitri, what did you find out?" Bailey asked, sitting down across from him.

"I'm close to identifying the man. He’s connected to someone with a lot of power," Dimitri said, his tone cautious.

"Do you think he’s working for my father?" Bailey asked, her voice trembling.

It had been her fear for a while. If her father wanted to control her, he could do that easily with Carla.

"It's a possibility. But until I have concrete evidence, I can’t say for sure," Dimitri replied.

Bailey felt a chill run down her spine. Her father’s reach was longer than she had realized.

"So what do we do now?"

"We need to find out exactly what this man wants and who he's working for. I’ll keep digging, but you need to be careful, Bailey. This could get dangerous," Dimitri warned.

"Thank you, Dimitri. Please keep me updated," Bailey said, her mind racing with the implications of this new information.

Back at home, Bailey tried to act normal, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread.

She went out to the balcony and called Ava.

"Ava, I have more information. The man asking about Carla might be connected to my father," Bailey explained.

“Damn, Bailey. This sounds serious.” Ava said, her voice worried.

"I agree. Can you look into this man and see what you can find?" Bailey asked.

“Absolutely. I'll start digging right away.” Ava promised.

"Thank you, Ava. I don’t know what I’d do without you," Bailey said, feeling a bit more hopeful.

"Stay strong, Bailey. We’ll get through this.” Ava said before hanging up.

As she turned to go back inside, Carlos appeared in the doorway.

"Who were you talking to this time?" he asked, his tone cold.

"Ava. She’s helping me with something personal. When did you start keeping tabs on me.” Bailey snapped at him, hoping he wouldn’t press further.

"Fine. Just remember, Bailey, secrets have a way of coming out. Don’t let yours destroy you or implicate you."

Bailey forced a smile. "I’ll keep that in mind."

As Bailey was washing the dishes, Carlos walked into the kitchen, his expression unreadable.

"We need to talk," he said.

Her heart beat faster as she wondered what he wanted to talk about.

"About what?"

"About your secret calls. It's getting on my nerves." Carlos said, his tone surprisingly calm.

Bailey took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Carlos, there are things you don’t understand. Things I can’t tell you."

Carlos's eyes narrowed. "And why is that? Do you not trust me?"

"Trust goes both ways, Carlos. You've given me plenty of reasons not to trust you."

"And you've given me reasons to question everything you say and do, Bailey." His expression was still unreadable.

Later that night, after Carlos had gone to bed, Bailey sat in the living room, her mind racing. She couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom.

Bailey quickly dialed Dimitri's number.

"What’s the update, Dimitri?" she asked, her voice trembling.

“I've got a lead on the man. But it’s not good, Bailey." Dimitri said.

"Dimitri, what did you find out?" Bailey asked.

“I can't give you all the details right now, but this man is dangerous, and he's not working alone,” Dimitri said.

Bailey felt a chill run down her spine. "What do we do?"

“Stay low for now. Keep Carla safe. Goodnight.”

“Why do you have Dimitri Volkov’s contact?”

Bailey turned to see Carlos standing behind her.