CHAPTER TEN

ALEXEI

Zoey’s defiance rattled me. I had expected fear, submission, anything but the steely resolve that burned in her eyes. She was a viper in a velvet dress, her beauty a disguise for the venom she carried within.

I watched her leave, her emerald gown trailing behind her like a war cry. A slow smile spread across my face. I had underestimated her. That was a mistake I wouldn’t make again.

As I sat alone in the dimly lit private room, I replayed our conversation in my mind. Her words echoed in the silence: “You are not invincible.”

A wave of anger washed over me. Invincibility was the very foundation of my power. I had built an empire upon it, brick by bloody brick. To let even a shred of doubt creep in was to weaken the entire structure.

Zoey was a threat, yes, but a manageable one. She was a lone wolf, armed only with words and a fragile sense of justice. I, on the other hand, had an army at my disposal,