Vying for His Father’s Love: Anatoly at Odds with Gabriel

(Excerpt from Anatoly Medlov: Complete Reign (c) 2010 RiverHouse Publishing, LLC)

Anatoly watched from a far as his father approached Gabriel.  They looked more like Medlov men than he as they stood face-to-face.  They both were unmistakable giants in stature, muscular in size, and most of all beautiful.  Their features appeared to be carved from the most stunning stone, every careful definition of their faces perfect and startling.  These were the type of men that people wrote about, that people marveled over and worshipped.  Anatoly hated that.  It was hard enough to live up to his father, now he had this bastard here vying for his attention, begging to outdo him.  He stood up from the window seal and cleared his throat.

In Anatoly’s story, one of the biggest components is the struggle for our main character to accept who he is and to grow into who he will be.  However, the wild card is the newest cousin, Gabriel. 

Do you ever remember vying for a parent’s love?  Whether it was a battle between siblings, cousins or an outside figure, competing for the affection of your parent is a painful and relentless process.  We remember that Anatoly only found his father as an adult.  So, we question how much love a father can actually have for a son in such a short time.  We will revisit this same question after the book comes out in the first weeks.  After reading, I want to know your thoughts about this.

There is also another sibling in the mix.  Anya.  However, the relationship is so different.  In many families, the age gap prevents rivalry.  Often we see the older sibling and younger sibling feel that they are not competition.  And with Dmitry and Anya, there is a special bond:

(Excerpt from Anatoly Medlov: Complete Reign (c) 2010 RiverHouse Publishing, LLC)

At the top of the stairs appeared the little girl from the funeral.  With caramel smooth skin that was only interrupted at her rosy cheeks, she appeared to be a living doll.  She stood barely three feet tall, a slender 50 lbs with liquid, long black hair and startling blue, hypnotizing eyes.  Clinching a teddy bear in silence, she watched the men as they talked with a clever grin on her face as if she knew exactly what was going on.  Gabriel peered over at her, unable to take his eyes off the beauty. 

“Daddy, can I come and sit with you?” she asked.  Her clear voice carried across the room like a song, stilling the quiet chaos that ran feverishly through the men’s pensive stares. 

Dmitry stopped his conversation in mid-sentence.  Eyes lighting up with every step that she took toward him, he extended his arms, received her with a homecoming hug, and pulled her into his embrace.  Gabriel watched in amusement. Such a small child commanded such reverse between the two men.  He looked over at his cousin and realized that even he had switched his focus.  While just a moment ago, he was adamantly opposed to him being in the room, he had all but forgotten him long enough to admire the young girl.  And his uncle was completely entranced.  It was evident without saying so that she was his reason for retirement.  The love was unmistakable.

Is it possible that Anya existence only fuses father and son further?  Does it bond them?  Does it give them something more in common? 

Anatoly and Anya do have a commonality that no one else in the world has…Dmitry.  At least for now, as we know, Royal is incubating a new Medlov…possibly the upcoming boss, possibly something far less sinister. 

However, we see Royal, in this book, take on a more controlling demeanor.  We also see how all the tragedy in her life is shaping her.  The bond of the Medlov family is almost complete:

 (Excerpt from Anatoly Medlov: Complete Reign (c) 2010 RiverHouse Publishing, LLC)

Their philosophical moment was over, however, when the black woman walked into the room, whom Gabriel assumed was this family’s Helen.  She strode in with her eyes locked on him like he was a leper or a snake.  With eyebrows spike and hands slipped into the pockets of her pants, she made her way over to Dmitry and stood behind his chair.  Placing her hands lovingly on the back of the chair as if to protect her small family, she broke her silence.

“I was wondering where you had run off to,” she said to her daughter. 

“Daddy’s having a meeting,” Anya informed her mother.  Looking over at Gabriel, she smiled.  “Who is he, daddy?” she asked in a near whisper. 

Gabriel thought that it was clever that the young girl had not asked the question when she had first come into the room.  Rather, she waited until her question would carry the most wait, garner the most attention, before she posed it.  Already methodical. 

“This is Gabriel,” Dmitry explained.  He would not clarify his presence any further, at least until he had irrefutable proof via DNA that the man was anything more to him. 

“Like the angel,” Royal said with a crooked smile.  He eyes gazed over him for a moment, summing the man up.  “Are you an arch angel, Gabriel?” she mocked.  “Have you a message from God?”

Gabriel could tell that he didn’t like her, but he knew that she was his key to get into this family.  The men couldn’t love the daughter as they did without loving the mother. 

“I guess that it is ironic that a man like myself would be given the name,” he agreed. “A Medlov could hardly ever be a messenger of God.”

“So you believe in nature versus nurture, do you?” Dmitry joked.  He raised Anya carefully off his knee and guided her to her mother.  “Love, let us finish this, da.  I’ll be in for dinner in a moment.”

“Alright, baby,” Royal said, taking her daughter’s hand.  Walking past Anatoly, she rubbed his back.   It was obvious she only approved of her stepson.  There was a bond there that was undeniable as well.  Her caring gaze turned from her pseudo-son to Gabriel and immediately turned to fire.  Gabriel knew that if he were not completely careful, this woman would be his end.

But the bond is not only about the traditional family.  Let’s not forget Davyd:

(Excerpt from Anatoly Medlov: Complete Reign (c) 2010 RiverHouse Publishing, LLC)

 An older man was standing in the corner looking at them the entire time, listening to their conversation and watching Gabriel’s every move.  He was stocky with a head of blondish gray hair tapered carefully around his pale face and startling blue eyes.  In a pair of black slacks and a black shirt, he brandished two very powerful weapons in holsters under his massive arms.  As Royal approached the stairs, he turned his attention and followed her and the child back into the other rooms of the suite.  Gabriel automatically assumed the man must have been their bodyguard as he could feel emanating across the room another aura of protection. 

Once Dmitry was sure that his wife was gone, he focused his attention back to the young men.  He had been calm the entire time, choosing his words carefully and keeping the conversation light for the most part.  Gabriel found it odd that he was so gentle.  He had expected a brooding man full of threats and words laced with violence, instead he had greeted by a man who had been all but forgiving of his father and respectful of everyone around him.

One thing that we must all remember is that the Medlov family is complex. And what is sweet in one taste can turn sour very quickly.  Gabriel doesn’t understand this, but he will soon find out.  This is going to be a mind game for both young men.  With Ivan out of the picture, the control is in Dmitry’s hands.  And we know that’s a very dangerous place to be.