Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

DMITRI“Mr. Pavlov is waiting in your office,” Jakob, my secretary, says as I stride in.I nod, not breaking pace, and push open the door.Igor Pavlov, thepakhanof one of the New Jersey Bratvas, stands as soon as he sees me. His massive hand stretches out, and I grasp it firmly. “Orlov,” he greets me with a smirk. “You could’ve scheduled this for another time.”“Why would I?” I drop his hand and move behind my desk, letting my briefcase hit the floor with a thud.He shrugs, watching me with sharp, calculating eyes. “You just got married. Figured you’d be on your honeymoon. Or are the rumors true?”I arch an eyebrow, leaning back in my chair. “Rumors?”Before he can answer, there’s a knock. The door swings open, and Alexey steps in, anotherpakhan,with a reputation as unpredictable as his temper. He doesn’t bother with formalities, taking a seat next to Igor like he owns the place.“Roman won’t be joining us,” Alexey informs us, lighting a cigar with a flick of his lighter. “He’s dealin

DMITRII head down the hallway from the conference room, just having concluded a meeting with other members of the Bratva who’ve come to pledge their allegiance and support to the Orlov enterprise.Some of them, like Alexey, didn’t seem so willing, but I could tell theyknewthey didn’t have a choice. I didn’t give them one.And they don’t deserve it, either, because many of them have forgotten what they did to my family after my father died.Nikolai Petrov might have committed the biggest betrayal, but the others aren’t blameless. They all tried to take a piece of what’s mine, coming through side channels because they thought I was too wrapped up in grief to notice.I suppose, in some way, I have to thank Nikolai for being so bold in his claim. If he weren’t, I wouldn’t have gained the upper hand I now enjoy. Even though his daughter tests my patience every single day and I have to summon every shred of self-control I have when I’m around her.She’s an expert at getting under my skin.

ANAI hesitate to open my eyes, even though the sunlight has already flooded the room, casting long beams of warmth across my face. I’ve been lying here, awake, for what feels like hours, but it’s probably only been fifteen minutes. Still, I don’t want to move. There’s no reason to.In my old life, weekends meant something. I would’ve called my father, maybe spent the day at his house helping him with the legal tedium of his business. Or I’d have gone grocery shopping and stocked up on things I enjoyed. My weekends had a purpose back then.But none of that matters here. Not in this empty, echoing house. Not in this cold, new life where the rooms are too big, silent, and suffocating.I sigh, throwing the covers off and rolling out of bed with the grace of a sloth, letting myself collapse onto the floor with a dull thud. The pain is minimal, just enough to remind me I’m alive. I drag myself upright, rubbing the spot on my arm that hit the ground harder than intended.“Why did I do this?

She pauses. “Is everything okay?”“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice tight. “He wasn’t answering, and now I can’t even dial his number. Could you call him? Don’t tell him I asked you to.”“Of course. I’ll do it right now.”I hang up, and the wait feels like an eternity. Seconds turn into minutes, and I catch myself biting my cuticles—an old habit I’d kicked, which seems to resurface whenever Dmitri’s involved.My phone rings. The moment I hear it, I snatch it up, pressing it to my ear. “Yes?”“You were right, his phone’s still off,” Daria says, her voice careful. “But I called his second line, and he picked up. He told me to tell you he’s fine.”I freeze, processing her words. Hissecond line? I didn’t even know he had another phone.“Did he say anything else?” I ask, the knot in my stomach tightening.“No, Ana. Just that he’s fine.”My forehead wrinkles in confusion, and anger begins to simmer under my skin. “He didn’t say he’d call me back?”She hesitates. “No.”I’m about to say somet

I’ve been staying in my penthouse in the city, keeping my distance to avoid getting tangled up in emotions I never intended to feel. Since the wedding, things have changed. I find myself thinking about her at random moments. The defiance in her eyes when she tells me I have no right to control her life. The stubborn set of her chin when she demands I fight my own battles, leaving her out of it.I shouldn’t be thinking about her, but I do. Too often.The worst part? I wasn’t even angry when she called me a hypocrite for doing exactly what her father did, only with more power. I should’ve been, but all I could think about was how she masked her fear and stood toe to toe with me, unflinching. No one’s ever done that before. Not even Alexey, who came crawlingwith an apology after today’s meeting to avoid the inevitable consequences.But Ana got under my skin. She told me shehatesme. Those three words echoed in my mind all night, twisting and turning until I couldn’t sleep. Why the hell do