Poison

In Bulgaria, Sergei sat across from the Bulgarian contact — they had one mafia business matter to settle. Smoke thickened the air, curling lazily above the table as Sergei checked over a spread of guns and ammo. Beside him, a heavy case bag stuffed with dollars sat like a silent witness to the deal.

Paine stood close, watching with sharp eyes, while the other man’s assistant mirrored his position on the opposite side.

A call buzzed on Sergei’s phone. Paine glanced at the screen, his jaw tensing when he saw the name: Petrov — the head maid, Sergei’s second set of eyes. He answered.

“Anything?” Sergei’s voice was low as he looked at her through the video feed.

“The spy you sent to watch Avery… isn’t found. He vanished today,” she reported.

Sergei’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “How the fuck is that possible? She has no idea about him.”

“Sir, you shouldn’t underestimate her,” Petrov warned. “She’s sharp. Witty.”

“Put more eyes on her. Double the spies,” he ordered.

“Sure thing, boss,” she replied before Paine ended the call.

Back at the table, the Bulgarian man frowned as he counted the cash Paine pushed toward him. “This isn’t complete,” he said in his thick accent, his hand sliding toward the gun at his belt. He aimed it at Sergei, demanding the rest.

Feigning compliance, Sergei gestured to his men to bring “the remaining.” As soon as the man’s guard slipped, a single shot cracked through the smoke. His body dropped, blood pooling under his head.

Sergei laughed, his Russian accent curling around his words. “So foolish. Clear the body. Tell the men you never saw him.”

The men nodded. Sergei and Paine walked out into the cold night.

*

At the wives’ gathering, silence slammed down after the heated blow. You could hear a pin drop — hell, even an ant’s footsteps would echo. Avery walked away from Lilia without a second glance and sat beside Lisa.

“Let the meeting continue,” Avery said, leaving Lilia standing with a bloody mouth.

The wives forced themselves to act like nothing happened. Lilia stormed out, fury in her wake — no one cared. Avery scanned the faces around the table. Most of them were young; she recognized Anya and Malina, but the rest were strangers.

The second wife — clearly of noble birth — barely spoke, probably married in for political alliance. She was the mother of Maksim. The third wife, Russian, was mother to Denis and Viktor. The sixth wife, stunning and still young, was mother to Ivan. The rest were clearly for Sergei’s pleasure… except Avery.

When the second wife began discussing rules and power, Avery’s mind wandered — until she heard they were going on a mission. Her interest spiked instantly. Time for action.

*

That night, Avery rolled in bed, sleepless again. Every time she shut her eyes, his face appeared — irritating as ever.

In pajamas, she slipped through her hidden passage, silent as a shadow. She reached his chamber, finding it dark and still… until she tripped over something and almost screamed, thinking it was the snake.

The lights snapped on. Kieran stood there, face hard, eyes narrowing at her.

“Intruding again?” His tone was cold steel.

“I was bored,” she said with a shrug, brushing herself off. “Everyone’s asleep.”

Before he could answer, she headed into his kitchen. “I’m starving—ugh. Are you even human? You’ve got nothing in here. Just an apple.” She came out munching it, unbothered.

Kieran ignored her, sitting down. She sat beside him, leaning in when he shifted away.

“Are you allergic to women or something?” she teased. “Nope, you’re not. You probably screwed your stepmom. Speaking of which—yeah, I told her off and gave her a nice punch at the gathering today.” She smirked.

He didn’t react.

“You’re not mad I did that?” she asked.

No answer.

“You’re going to get punished?” This time there was a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

He turned to her, his voice like a blade. “Why the hell do you care? You’d probably enjoy seeing me take the fall.”

“I did it to shut her up, not for you,” she shot back.

Silence again.

“You just stay here and… do nothing?” she pressed. “No clubs? No music? No hobbies?”

“I don’t,” he said flatly.

“Such a boring life,” she sighed.

“You should leave.” His eyes closed like he was done with her.

Her gaze drifted to a photo on the table — a woman with black curls, grey eyes, dimples, smiling warmly. The resemblance to Kieran was undeniable, except for the smile. She wore a silver chain.

“Is this your mother?”

His eyes snapped open, red with fury. He snatched the frame from her so roughly his nails scratched her skin.

“Don’t you ever touch that again,” he bit out, his voice low and venomous. “You walk in here like you own the place, running your mouth, poking into things you have no business in. You don’t know anything about me. You never will. And trust me, if you think I give a damn about your games, you’re even dumber than I thought.”

Avery froze, hurt flashing for just a second before she covered it. “You know what? You’re a psycho. You push everyone away. No wonder you’re rotting here alone. I should’ve never gotten tangled with you. I’ll make sure I stay the hell out of your miserable, isolated little world.”

She threw the half-eaten apple at him and stormed out.

Kieran stayed still, eyes red, veins tight in his neck as he watched her leave.

*

Meanwhile, Lilia, still seething, went to Kuznetsov Hospital where Denis was perfecting poisons. She removed her shades, revealing her injured face.

“Who ruined your face, stepmother?” Denis asked mockingly.

“I need the poison you’re working on.”

“We can’t release even a drop,” Denis replied coolly. “If Silence finds out, it’s over.”

“Then give me something else. I have a pest to get rid of.”

He shrugged, leading her to another lab and handing her a vial of bright green liquid — Viper’s Breath. A single sip could rot a person’s insides in hours, leaving them convulsing until their lungs collapsed.

Lilia left with a smile. At home, she caught a maid about to enter her room. Grabbing her arm, she hissed a threat about her family. The maid, torn between the danger of Sergei’s wrath and Lilia’s threat, chose the lesser evil.

Shaking, she poured the poison into Avery’s water.

Avery, still boiling from her encounter with Kieran, gulped the glass down without a thought.