LOGINKATYA“What are you doing here?” I asked, still standing in the doorway staring at him. “Last I checked, this was my house.” He said,“Right,” I replied, “I just… I thought you'd be in some meeting right now or something."Of all the places I expected to find him, the library wasn't exactly high on the list.Nikolai glanced up from the title he was examining."Normally, I would be." He said, I slowly stepped inside, shutting the door. "Then what happened?"He shrugged."Today I wasn't really in the mood for any of it."It was pretty obvious even now that there was a lot on his mind, and I wondered what it was. Actually, it was quite expected for there to be a lot on his mind, especially considering everything that had happened so far. He placed the book back on the shelf."I simply wanted to clear my head." He finally said, “And the library helps with that.”His gaze drifted toward the endless shelves.“Besides, I had a feeling I would eventually run into you here.” He said,"Oh,
KATYA Over the past couple of weeks, the library had become my favorite place in the entire estate. It was one of the few places where I could pretend my life wasn't completely insane, and I could get lost in the fantasy world for just a little bit. Escaping this reality fully. I had been really happy when Nikolai sort of relaxed the restrictions concerning my movements, even though it was still a lot some times. I was also happy that his recovery was progressing faster than expected. Apparently, nearly dying had done absolutely nothing to improve his personality. If anything, he had somehow become more overprotective. The man practically had guards following me with their eyes every time I left a room. It was ridiculous. Then again... I couldn't exactly blame him. His paranoia was definitely justified with how crazy the past days had been. Mine definitely was. I rounded a corner and now stopped, as a voice drifted through the hallway. It was low at first, but I could hear
"I should have fucking killed him when I had the chance!" Lily yelledThe vase she just threw exploded against the wall as the ceramic shattered across the apartment floor.Lily stood in the middle of the destruction, chest heaving as rage burned through every part of her body.Another crash echoed through the room now.A picture frame flew from her hand and struck the fireplace.She didn't care about any of this right now. All she could see was Nikolai's face and everything that he had told her. "The engagement is over."“Who the fuck does he think he is to tell me those things?” She said to herself, “After everything I have done for that man.”She had spent years setting herself up to become his wife. Years of sacrifice and loyalty. All for it to be thrown away because he had found a new plaything. "Fuck!"Her voice echoed through the apartment as she paced furiously back and forth. Trying to think and force herself to breath so she doesn’t lose all control. Unfortunately, she
NIKOLAI"Oh, this is shocking." Lily's voice dripped with sarcasm as she stepped into my study.Lily glanced around the room before fixing her gaze on me, as a cold smile spread across her face."You still require my presence?" she asked. "Have you gotten tired of your little toy that quickly?"Her snide jokes normally might have earned nothing more than annoyance from me, but today, it took considerable effort not to put a bullet through the wall beside Lily's head. Sergei had told me to be calm about things, so I was going to try my best do that. "Sit down." I said, the seriousness fully in my tone.Lily noticed I wasn’t in the mood for games and slowly sat down. The silence stretched between us for a couple of seconds as I watched her carefully. "What is this about?" she finally asked, as she crossed her legs. I leaned back in my chair."I recently came into possession of some new information." I said, “And I thought I should share it with you.”Her expression remained neutra
NIKOLAI "You are staring again."Katya's voice pulled me from my thoughts.I looked up from the armchair positioned beside the fireplace and found her sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a book balanced in her lap.A small smile tugged at her lips."What?" I frowned."What do you mean, 'What?'""You have been staring at me for the last five minutes.""I have not.""You absolutely have.""I was thinking." I replied, as my eyes narrowed.Her grin widened.“I wonder what about.”Arrogant little thing.Somehow, in the days since my near death, she had become increasingly bold. Not that I could entirely blame her. I had admittedly relaxed some of the restrictions surrounding her. Allowing her to move around the house more freely and all.The doctor claimed I was recovering better than he expected me to.In fact, every doctor who had examined me since the attack seemed baffled that I was still alive.The poison should have killed me. That much was certain. And yet somehow I had survived.
"I want to see your boss." Sergei said as he casually strolled into the clubhouse where the Crimson Order usually gathered.A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward him almost immediately, as the men stationed throughout the building immediately straightened as they sized him up. Some leaned against crates. Others stood near weapon racks or folding tables littered with maps and ammunition. Every one of them looked dangerous.The largest among them stepped forward. He was built like a tank, with thick arms and a shaved head covered in scars."You got a death wish?" he asked.Sergei smiled faintly."No."His gaze swept lazily across the room."I simply have better things to do than explain myself to hired muscle."The giant's expression darkened in rage."Watch your mouth."“Like I said before,” Sergei looked at him, "I'd like to speak with your boss."The man's jaw tightened."And I'd like a private island."A few chuckles echoed through the room, while Sergei remained unmoved.“It is in yo
KATYA"Get up.”The command cut through the silence of the cell so abruptly that I startled. I had spent so many hours curled up against the cold wall replaying every terrible decision I had made that had landed me in this exact spot. Perhaps if I hadn’t followed Daniel to that club in the first
NIKOLAIThe heavy metal door slammed shut behind me, echoing through the small room, as I made my way into the room, or rather, dungeon, where Katya was. She didn't react when I walked in.She was curled up in one corner of the room with her knees drawn to her chest. The tray of food the guards h
“If you're asking whether I think the shipment route is secure, then my answer hasn't changed."The man sitting across from Viktor Orlov shifted uncomfortably in his seat."The route is secure."Viktor didn't respond, as the silence stretched across the room.Around the conference table, half a doz
NIKOLAI"I told you there was something off about her from the beginning."Sergei's voice grated against my already frayed nerves as I stood in the study, staring down at the phone.My jaw was so tight right now that it physically hurt.I couldn’t believe that it had been under my nose this whole t







