جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 90

The mansion was darker than usual that evening. Shadows stretched across the polished marble floors, and the flicker of candlelight cast long shapes against the walls. Elena carried a tray of tea, her hands steady but her mind racing.She had learned to move silently, but tonight, the silence felt heavier. Something was wrong.Dante’s office door was closed, yet she could hear low voices from inside. Guards shifted nervously in the hallway. Her stomach tightened.“Elena,” a soft voice called. It was one of the younger guards. “Stay here.”She nodded, trying not to shake.Inside, Dante stood behind his desk, his expression unreadable. Across from him, a man she didn’t recognize was speaking. Words like “weakness,” “threat,” and “target” floated faintly to her ears.Dante’s hand rested lightly on the desk, fingers tapping. Calm. Controlled. Dangerous.The stranger’s voice rose. “You can’t protect her forever. She’s a liability.”Elena’s chest clenched. Her heart raced. He wasn’t talking

The Volkov estate did not look like a home.It looked like a fortress.Tall iron gates. Stone walls. Armed men at every corner. The cars drove through without stopping. No one questioned Alexei Volkov.Anya watched everything through the tinted window. She memorized turns, doors, guard shifts. Habit.The car stopped in front of a wide staircase. The house was dark except for the entrance lights.Dmitri opened her door.“Welcome,” he said flatly.She stepped out without touching his hand.Inside, the air smelled like smoke and expensive wood polish. The floors were black marble. No pictures on the walls. No warmth.“This is where you live?” she asked.“This is where we work,” Nikolai answered.Alexei walked ahead. “Come.”They entered a large room with a long table in the center. Documents were already laid out. A priest stood near the fireplace. Two older men she did not know waited silently.Anya stopped walking.“You’re doing it tonight,” she said.“Yes,” Alexei replied.“Efficient,

By noon, the war had a shape.Anya sat at the long table downstairs. The laptop was open in front of her. Files were projected onto the wall screen. Names, numbers, routes.The Volkov brothers stood across from her.Not like husbands.Like generals.“This account,” she said, pointing to a line of code, “is the spine. Everything feeds into it.”Nikolai studied the screen. “It’s clean.”“It looks clean,” she corrected. “That’s the point.”Dmitri leaned forward, palms on the table. “How many layers?”“Seven.”He let out a low whistle. “Your father was paranoid.”“He was careful,” she replied. “There’s a difference.”Alexei had not spoken yet. He watched her instead of the screen.“Show me the failsafe,” he said.She typed again. A hidden folder opened.“If the main account is breached, funds split automatically into smaller shells,” she explained. “Each under a different sector. Agriculture. Shipping. Medical imports.”Nikolai nodded slowly. “Smart.”“He trusted you with this?” Dmitri as

“Is it ours?”Dmitri’s question cut through the room like a blade.Anya did not flinch.The doctor shifted uncomfortably. “The pregnancy is recent, but not recent enough to have started here.”Silence.Nikolai closed the study door slowly.Alexei’s eyes stayed on Anya. “How far?”“Six weeks,” the doctor replied.Six weeks.Before the marriage.Before the game ended.Before the Volkov estate.Dmitri stepped back as if something had struck him. “Who?”The question was sharp. Dangerous.Anya held his gaze.“It doesn’t concern you,” she said quietly.“It concerns this house,” he shot back.Alexei raised a hand. Dmitri went silent, but barely.The doctor gathered his things. “She needs rest. Stress is not good.”“You can leave,” Alexei said.When the door closed behind the doctor, the room felt smaller.No one spoke first.Anya refused to look away.Nikolai was the one who finally broke the silence.“Does your father know?” he asked.“No.”“Does the man?” Dmitri demanded.Her jaw tightened

The Volkov estate did not look like a home.It looked like a fortress.Tall iron gates. Stone walls. Armed men at every corner. The cars drove through without stopping. No one questioned Alexei Volkov.Anya watched everything through the tinted window. She memorized turns, doors, guard shifts. Habit.The car stopped in front of a wide staircase. The house was dark except for the entrance lights.Dmitri opened her door.“Welcome,” he said flatly.She stepped out without touching his hand.Inside, the air smelled like smoke and expensive wood polish. The floors were black marble. No pictures on the walls. No warmth.“This is where you live?” she asked.“This is where we work,” Nikolai answered.Alexei walked ahead. “Come.”They entered a large room with a long table in the center. Documents were already laid out. A priest stood near the fireplace. Two older men she did not know waited silently.Anya stopped walking.“You’re doing it tonight,” she said.“Yes,” Alexei replied.“Efficient,