[IVAN]“Do I look like someone who gives a damn about your excuses?” I barked into the phone, standing at the nearest balcony next to our table, trying to handle my work as quietly and effortlessly as possible.After handing over the tasks of the day to Dimitri, I had hoped to spend some quality time with Ana and our kids. It was the first time we had been out as a family, and damn, I had been looking forward to it. But these men I do so much to tolerate can’t even handle one task without calling me twenty times.Why do they have to run into all kinds of troubles the one day I want to spend without any disturbances? Screw it! I’m going to kill someone if they call me one more time, I swear.“It’s not an excuse, boss. The roads are actually blocked due to heavy snowfall last night, and the open routes have checkpoints swarming with the police force. I think it’s better if we hold the shipments for a day or two, let the whole commotion calm down, and then start the delivery of the parce

[ANASTASIA]Darkness. Fear. Confusion.The last thing I remembered was receiving an unknown text in the middle of the movie back at the theatre. I had assumed it to be from Nikolai. He was the only one I had texted that very morning, hoping to get some kind of word from him so he could help me find a way to get the hell out of Ivan’s prison.But I couldn’t have been more wrong.Instead of Nikolai, I was confronted by two men with guns in their hands. Despite all the security and Ivan’s men all around us, they managed to sneak their way in and take me hostage.I don’t know what to think anymore.Has Ivan gone weak? Or is someone inside his organization working as a mole for someone else? How else would you explain my current predicament? How could just someone grab the wife of a mafia boss and make her a hostage?I’m not worried about Ivan. Or at least, I tell myself that he’s a big guy who can very well take care of himself. The ones I’m growing worried sick about are my kids. I hope

[ANASTASIA]“Momma, how did you get hurt?” Tatiana asks, pouting, and trying her best not to jump on the bed and hug me like she always does. She sways on her legs, hands locked behind her, her wide-eyed innocence radiating pure adorableness.I smile, or at least I try to, and pat the bed. “I just had a bad fall, baby. Mommy is fine.”My little girl’s eyes brighten at the gesture, and she rushes to my side. But just when she’s about to hop up, someone in the room growls, and she slows down, glancing over her shoulder at Ivan Jr. The two of them exchange a silent conversation before Tati finally drops her tiny shoulders and carefully slides her butt up the bed, letting out a dramatic sigh.I cannot help but narrow my eyes at Junior. “What’s up with you two?”Junior doesn’t speak. He merely drops his gaze to the floor and stays in the corner of the room, like he has been since he came up to check up on me.I know I should talk to him about what happened. Tatiana is little, and she can’t

[IVAN]“But I already said everything I know,” the man cried, tears literally streaming down his face like the pathetic loser he was. Although he looks good with fear in his eyes this time. He now knows that he messed up with the wrong person. That this mistake he made this time would probably cost him his life.Good. I like to watch people regretting their actions. I like it when they beg.I lean back in my chair and look around. After Dimitri called and informed me that he was coming here to hand me the information about the abduction himself, I got out of the office and came back to the tool shed. This is the last place Ana and the kids would venture since it’s practically hidden from plain sight. The snow does the job well, but the trees surrounding the property also make it harder for it to stand out.Besides, it’s an old shed that I never cared to renovate. However, with Ana and the kids at home now, I don’t want to bring business to home. I have made that mistake once and ended

*A FEW HOURS AGO*A convoy of sleek black cars pulled up one by one outside the old Volkov palace. The loud screech of their tires cut through the cold air, grabbing the attention of both guards and servants who glanced up to see what was happening. The weak sunlight struggled to break through the gloomy grey clouds, giving the day a more ominous vibe than it was meant to have.Ivan Volkov stepped out of the car and paused for a moment to simply marvel at the grandeur of the site. He had been born here, spent his entire childhood running and hiding around this place. However, as he grew up, these same halls and expansive rooms began to feel like cuffs and shackles, binding him. If there was one thing Ivan Volkov could never stand, it was being lied to or manipulated. This place was the embodiment of the two things he hated the most.Dimitri Alexeev, his right-hand man, showed up behind him, his scarred face as unreadable as always. “We’re good to go whenever you’re ready.”Ivan gave a