Se connecterViktor pov.
The room felt like a pressure cooker. Every man in my inner circle sat around the table, faces grim, tension thick enough to choke on.I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled under my chin, forcing myself to appear calm even though fury roiled in my chest.Yuvi spoke first, his tone clipped. “Whoever did this wanted to send a message, Pakhan. They know Vlan was more than just a consigliere to you.”My jaw clenched. “It’s not about the message. It’s about tViktor pov.The room was deathly silent. The kind of silence that wasn’t peace—it was the calm before a storm. I stood at the center of it, my presence heavy, commanding. Around me, faces flickered between rage and confusion. And Anya—my kukolka—knelt on the cold marble, clutching her trembling hands as if holding herself together.I should have felt anger, and I did, but it was layered with something far worse—doubt. Was she telling the truth? My instincts warred with logic. Instinct told me to trust her, but logic whispered she’d betrayed me. She looked up at me, her tear-streaked face raw with desperation. “Viktor,” she began, her voice trembling but determined, “I can prove what I’m saying.” Irina scoffed from behind me. “Enough of this nonsense,” she snapped, her voice like the crack of a whip. “This girl is wasting our time. Her lies will only drag you down further. She needs to be eliminated.” “Babushka, zatknis’,” (Grandmother, shut
Anya pov.The air in the hall was suffocating, heavy with judgment and the weight of Viktor’s fury. I knelt on the cold marble floor, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would break through my ribs. Every pair of eyes in the room was on me, their silence more terrifying than any shout or accusation.Viktor stood towering above me, the embodiment of power and anger. His icy blue eyes burned with a fire I’d never seen before, and his grip on the folder trembled slightly—just enough for me to catch. He was holding himself together by a thread, and I knew that thread was about to snap.“”Skazhite im,” he growled, his voice low but deadly. (Tell them.)His Russian was sharper now, slicing through the room like a blade.“I didn’t do anything,” I said, my voice cracking. It was the truth, but I could see it in his eyes—he didn’t believe me.The man I’d spent months trying to understand, the man who had let me see the pain behind his cold exterior, was g
Viktor pov.The walls of my office were suffocating, shadows creeping in from every corner. A half-empty glass of whiskey sat on the table, untouched. It had no effect anymore—not after Vlan. His death gnawed at me relentlessly, sharp and unforgiving. “Vlan… otets,” I muttered, my voice hoarse. (Father.) That’s what he’d been to me in every way that mattered. And now, he was gone—stripped from me by enemies who thought they could outmaneuver me. The pills sat on the desk, I grabbed the bottle, shaking two into my hand. The bitterness burned down my throat as I swallowed them dry.It didn’t matter. What mattered was vengeance. A knock interrupted the stillness. My muscles tensed. “Come in,” I barked, my voice colder than I intended. Yuvi entered, his face grim. His expression told me everything—he wasn’t here for pleasantries. In his hands was a folder, thick with papers I didn’t want to see. “Pakhan,” he started, tone cautious, “
Anya pov.The mansion felt different after Vlan’s death, as if the walls themselves were mourning. It was quieter, heavier. I wandered through the halls, trying to shake the unease that had settled deep in my chest. But no matter how hard I tried, the feeling wouldn’t leave. I found myself drifting toward the quieter parts of the house—the ones no one seemed to use. Maybe I needed space to think, or maybe I was just looking for something, anything, that could make sense of the chaos Viktor’s world had thrown me into. It was in one of those halls that I heard the voice. “…his strength finally snapped. We’ll see how long it takes for him to crumble.” I froze. The voice belonged to Anton. He was speaking in hushed tones, his back to me, phone pressed to his ear. My heart started to race. Those words—they felt loaded, dangerous. Anton paused, listening to whoever was on the other end of the line. Then he muttered something I couldn’t cat
Anya pov.The mansion had its own way of holding secrets. The walls whispered things when no one was looking—words you weren’t meant to hear but couldn’t ignore. That morning, as I lingered near Viktor’s study, the low rumble of voices reached me. “…you can’t afford sentiment,” Yuvi was saying. His voice was sharp, like a blade slicing through the air. “Not now. Especially not for her.” For me. I froze, my fingers gripping the edge of the wall. My stomach knotted as shame burned through me. “She’s not your problem, Yuvi,” Viktor replied, his tone colder than I’d ever heard it. “I’ll handle her.” Handle me? What did that mean? I felt my chest tighten, their conversation pressing down like an anchor. Yuvi didn’t back down. “You’re distracted. Don’t deny it. You think Boris won’t notice? That he won’t use it against you?” “Enough.” Viktor’s voice dropped, low and deadly. “Do your job, and I’ll do mine.” The scrape of a chair made
Viktor pov.The room felt like a pressure cooker. Every man in my inner circle sat around the table, faces grim, tension thick enough to choke on. I leaned back in my chair, fingers steepled under my chin, forcing myself to appear calm even though fury roiled in my chest. Yuvi spoke first, his tone clipped. “Whoever did this wanted to send a message, Pakhan. They know Vlan was more than just a consigliere to you.” My jaw clenched. “It’s not about the message. It’s about the cowardice. Execution-style? At the docks? They didn’t even have the decency to look him in the eyes.” “Or maybe,” Yuvi continued, his dark eyes meeting mine, “they wanted you to feel the sting. They think you’re weak now. Exposed.” I let out a low growl, slamming my palm onto the table. “Do I look weak to you, Yuvi? Does anyone here think I’m exposed?” No one answered. Silence fell over the room like a heavy blanket. Yuvi finally broke it. “It’s not about what we think
Anya pov.The mansion felt more like a cage with each passing day. No matter how much I tried to blend in, to stay invisible, I could feel the invisible strings pulling me tighter into his world. And every time I thought I had my emotions under control, he’d do something that made everyt
Anya pov. Viktor’s voice still echoed in my head, sharp and commanding, from the dinner. “Enough, Isabella.”The way he’d defended me—it wasn’t just unexpected; it was dangerous. I had no room for confusion when it came to him. I couldn’t afford to see cracks in the armor he wore so conf
Anya pov.The mansion always felt too big at night, especially when I couldn’t sleep. The silence wasn’t comforting; it was heavy. I walked the halls quietly, my thoughts were louder than my footsteps. I didn’t mean to hear what I did. If I could go back, I would’ve stayed far away from
Anya pov.I didn’t mean to overhear. I never intended to. But the hallway was quiet, too quiet, and my footsteps, soft as they were, felt too loud as I passed by the main hall. Irina’s voice cut through the silence, sharp, a bit too pleased.“Yes, it’s all set,” she said, the words carefu







