Klaus was pacing back and forth in his penthouse, his mind racing with questions about Anika and what she was doing. Vlad had informed him that Anika had spoken to Peter at the café, but he didn't know what they had talked about. Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that Anika was up to something, and he didn't like being kept in the dark. Finally, Anika arrived, looking frazzled and anxious. "What the hell are you doing, Anika?" Klaus demanded as soon as she walked in the door. "You've been talking to Peter, and I want to know what's going on." Anika glared at him, her fists clenched at her sides. "I was just getting some answers," she snapped. "You don't need to know everything I do." "The hell I don't!" Klaus barked. "You're my woman, Anika. You're involved in my business. You can't just go off and do whatever the hell you want without telling me." Anika rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child, Klaus. I can take care of myself. And I'm not your woman. We're just... fucking each other. Tha
Klaus looked at Peter, feeling irritated by the mere fact of his presence. But if Anika refused to tell him what the man had said, then he would find his own means, although he refused to admit how hurt he felt, especially after finally confessing his love for the woman. His heart ached for her, but all day she had been locked in her room and completely absorbed in her phone, which Klaus had promised not to intervene to get the data from her conversations. Thanks to Vlad, he knew that the woman had made some kind of friendship with Joline's saleswoman, Sonya, so they had done a couple of investigations on the woman, nothing too striking. A Colombian model with a sick father who had been working at the boutique for two years. Her main activities were limited to regular trips to the hospital and occasional visits to the theater. Apart from having frequent contact with some clients of the boutique, he would venture to say that the woman's social life was non-existent. She had been present
Klaus sat at his desk, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him. He had been up for hours, going over the same documents and emails again and again, but he couldn't focus on anything. Anika's behavior had been getting more and more erratic lately, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. He knew he needed to check on her, but he couldn't bring himself to move from his seat. Instead, he reached for the bottle of whiskey on the desk, pouring himself a large glass and downing it in one gulp. He stood up slowly, feeling the warmth of the alcohol spreading through his body. He took another deep breath and walked out of the study, down the hall and to the bedroom. She was sleeping, so he took his time to analize her, but something was off, she looked...different, Klaus took a few steps into the room ans sit by her side,Anika was lying still on the bed, her skin pale and her b
Klaus sat behind his desk, staring daggers at his soon to be father-in-law, Edgar Nightingale. He hated the man, but he needed to keep up appearances. Edgar had been responsible for the stolen merchandise, and Klaus was furious, not to mentiosn, their previous conversation, and know, knowing that Anika was pregnang, he woul never let her go again. "I trusted you, Edgar," Klaus growled, they had made a deal, he would keep Constantine in line "You were supposed to take care of that shipment. Do you know how much money we lost because of your incompetence?" Edgar shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't know what the hell happened. Constine wasn't there, I amde sure of it" Klaus sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Just make sure it doesn't happen again. Now, what do you want?" Edgar was the one who wanted the meeting a fter Klaus had cal¿¿ncel, he didn't feel good enough to deal with this Edgar looked down at his hands, fidgeting nervously. "I want to se
Klaus observed the infant with a heavy feeling in his chest. Although he had sworn to retrieve Viktoria and reunite her with her mother, he had never really considered what being a father would entail. Shit, he didn't even know how to change a diaper. His only example of parenting was his own father, and the idea of allowing Mikhail near his son made his stomach twist. He thought of Edgar and how the man seemed willing to help with Viktoria. He had been too preoccupied and irritated to analyze the man's motives, and he still had to ask the right questions about what had happened with his brother. But the images before him made him doubt everything he knew even more. He had finally gathered the courage to view the contents of his sister's USB drive. All previous attempts had only skimmed a part of the files. The content was curious. Most of the documents were reports on his father's business, photographic content, and images that could even be compromising. Too much information that co
Things were clear now, her daughter, her baby, her Viktoria was alive, and she could finally feel that the emptiness in her chest made sense, the feeling of longing and guilt that never stopped tormenting her was for her, for Viktoria, for her daughter. Klaus had shown her the original versions of the photographs, a couple of videos of their twins, seeing little Viktor again made her cry herself to exhaustion, reminding her of the old wound of his death, and as she saw images of Viktoria, her mind began to fill in the doubts and blanks, although she didn't remember everything and there was a large part of the night when Nikolay had died that she still considered unclear, she had enjoyed finally being able to talk to Klaus about their children, the man looked at her with adoration, which made her feel slightly guilty for not being able to admit her feelings, as she spoke, Klaus seemed attentive, laughing a couple of times at the videos of their children. "Where did you get this?" she a
Anika closed her eyes, her nails digging into Klaus's shoulders as the devastating orgasm tore through her, his words echoing through the room and in her chest, her heart pounding as she tried to take in what had just happened. "I love you, too" Klaus whispered back, sending a shiver down her chest, the man kissed her gently, sliding gently off her. "It's not fair," she finally whispered, trying to ignore the sweet sensation of his touch. "I never said it would be," he replied, sitting up enough to look into her eyes. "Do you regret it?" he asked, Anika took a deep breath, but finally let her breath go. "No" she admitted reddening "I…love you" the words although strange after so long, they felt right, Klaus smiled softly, looking like a contented child, which made his heart clench again "I love you" she repeated forcefully , finally assimilating the words as a fact, it would be ridiculous not to admit it after so much, too much had happened since their first meeting, to deny that t
Klaus observed Anika wrinkling her nose at the cannoli plate. It had been a couple of days since their meeting with the Wagners. Recognizing Viktoria as their own in front of the couple had been a positive change for her. Edgar, Klaus, and Horace had met, but things had not ended well, especially after the deal they had made just before the adoption bomb exploded. The little girl, who did not really understand what was happening, had remained calm most of the time, but Adeline had clung to her with fear, and Horace was definitely hiding something. But finally, Anika had appealed to Adeline's motherhood so fervently that even Klaus had been affected, wishing more than ever that he could go back in time and have been there to protect her. The women had come to a silent agreement in which, at least, Anika could see the girl, without telling her the truth, which both he and Anika had accepted, aware that the transition would be difficult for the little one. So Klaus had finally decided t
The Wagner's funeral would be televised, which made Anika uneasy. She knew that the fact that Viktoria was now officially with her would not bring about good opinions regarding the adoption. However, Klaus had insisted that showing up and facing the situation would be the best for everyone, not to mention that Viktoria had the right to attend and see her relatives.While getting the girl ready, Anika couldn't help but think that maybe staying away from her would have been the best choice. Even if she wasn't responsible for the Wagner's death, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. After all, if it weren't for her, the Wagners would have returned home, and Viktoria would still be a happy little girl. Even if she didn't know the truth, it was the only way Anika could imagine her daughter being completely happy.She dressed the little girl in the same way Adeline used to, with a black tulle dress and a small bow at her back. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. Anika herself wore a d
Anika's hands trembled uncontrollably as she looked at the small urn in front of her. Her legs gave way completely, a sense of weight settling in her chest, and the pain, raw like that first day, along with the memories, hit her abruptly. She carefully took the urn, it was light, perhaps too light, but she cradled it against her chest as tears fell down her cheeks, and a cry of pain escaped her lips. "My baby," she cried as she kissed the lid of the urn, while memories forcefully invaded her. For years, she had done everything possible to push away the pain, to hide it in the deepest part of her mind, just like the things Mark had done to her, deceiving herself and forcing herself to remember only what was necessary to not lose herself in madness, in the pain that now invaded her. The memory of her little son and what she had suffered to bring him into the world came rushing back. Closing her eyes, she thought of the feeling of holding him in her arms, the adorable laughter she had on
Anika was startled by the sensation of Klaus sliding into bed next to her, all the anxiety and tension she had been feeling for days finally disappearing as she felt the man's arms around her body. "You're back," she said, her eyes filling with tears of relief as she clung tightly to his chest. Klaus looked tired, but he hugged her back tightly. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "It will be now," he assured her, taking a deep breath. "I took care of Gregory, Otto is not happy, but Ryan is somewhat... rational about his brother." "So, he did it? Was it him...?" she asked, swallowing hard, not daring to say the words outright. Klaus ran a hand over his face, the dark bags under his bloodshot eyes were prominent. "My men are searching the hangar right now... Your father fulfilled his part of the deal, and Constantine backed off... I asked Vlad to bring Viktor's ashes here," he added, gently stroking her face. Anika felt a knot in her chest and nodded. "Would you like to know what's in
Klaus got out of the car, furious, pulling Gregory along with him. Vlad and Igor had done their job and had recovered the son of a bitch, who was probably under the influence of something judging by the shitty smile on his bloodied lips. Otto, his brother, was waiting for him in the cellar, clenching his lips as he watched them with a tight jaw. "I told you to control him," Klaus growled, pushing Gregory towards his brother. The younger Urich was battered and had a deranged look on his face, but he stumbled into Otto and fell to the floor, pointing an accusing finger at him and spitting in his direction. "He killed three of my men, sold the damn weapons to the Kasakovs." "Are you crazy?" Otto asked, looking at his brother, his face turning red. Gregory spat. "I only did what you and Ryan refused to do," he complained. "Too scared of the Petrovs to get the money." "Shut the fuck up," Otto growled, hitting his brother in the face and pushing him against the wall, causing him to stum
She had managed to process what had happened; her heart sank immediately at the memory of the Wagners. Even though she had been tempted to permanently keep Viktoria away from them, knowing that her little one would not only have to endure being separated from them but also her death, even if she was too young to truly remember, made her heart ache. To make her daughter suffer so early in life caused her heart to constrict with pain."Klaus?" she asked as she sat up. She was on a couch that seemed vaguely familiar. After leaving the police station, she had tried to get some sleep in the hotel room Klaus had arranged, but it wasn't long before they had to move again. All the movement was mainly exhausting for little Viktoria."Shhh, I'm here," Klaus said as he approached her. They were in a small but comfortable room. Klaus knelt in front of her, with dark circles under his eyes. He wore the same shirt as the day before, though without a tie and unbuttoned. His hair was disheveled. "Are
Klaus left Anika and Viktoria to rest in the room before meeting with Igor. According to his man, all the guards were under investigation, so the unnecessary attention from the police had quickly raised his father's alarms. Mikhail called around five in the morning, sounding angry."What the hell is Constantine doing searching your house?" his father asked with an annoyed shout."Take it easy, I have nothing incriminating in the penthouse," Klaus assured, taking a cigarette from the pack that Igor handed to him. He took a deep drag, grateful for the nicotine to relieve the stress, and sank into the sofa."How the hell did you let this happen?" his father insisted. "Constantine right under our damn noses," he grumbled. "You're lucky the lawyer found a way to get you out of there.""I can handle it," Klaus insisted. "I had nothing to do with this shit... although it's suspiciously convenient. I need Ixander. I'm sure they're watching me. For anything else, Igor and Vlad will go in my pl
"Are you really doing this?" Constantine squinted his eyes in his direction before sitting down in front of him. Slowly, he laid out the crime scene images. Klaus observed them but forced himself to look at the pictures. The bodies of Adeline and Horace had been left in the middle of the rented room. Their hands were tied, and from what he could tell, it had been a quick execution. "What I really want to know is why your fingerprints are all over the crime scene," Constantine said, placing his hands on the table. "A man like you... I'm sure you would do whatever it takes to get Anika's daughter back without the Wagners getting involved." "Oh, you're right about that," Klaus replied, leaning forward. "I was in the suite. Anika and I went for Viktoria, just like we've been doing regularly for the past two months," he assured. "I have all the evidence you want, and we both know I'm not stupid enough to do something like this," he added, annoyed. "What do you gain from all this?" Const
Anika stood up, trying to avoid waking up the girl before looking at Klaus. The man opened the door to the room, and Anika followed, curious to hear that Constantine was in the building, with a search warrant? Following her fiancé, Anika blinked as she saw all the guards in the living room. Around ten men in suits were standing, their serious gazes and the way Klaus seemed to tense up made her immediately uneasy."What's going on?" she asked as they headed towards Klaus's office, but the man shrugged before Vlad, who was waiting for their arrival, opened the door for them. Inside, Detective Eric Constantine and four policemen were standing, looking around. Upon seeing Constantine, Anika felt a chill run down her spine. The man was a friend of her father, with a penetrating gaze, threatening blue eyes, short blond hair styled in a military fashion, a loose-fitting brown suit, and a notepad and pen in his hand."Anika," the man greeted her."Eric," she responded automatically, forcing a
Klaus looked at his friend, Otto, who was laughing amusedly at Klaus' obvious lack of enthusiasm. Klaus rolled his eyes while signing the papers."Oh, brother, that woman has you completely under her control," the man said, his face slightly contorted due to the scar that ran across it. "Did you really cover for me by saying it was because of me?""I panicked," Klaus complained, taking a deep breath but admitting that it had been ridiculous. "Not that she should know," he added."Oh, but you definitely owe me a session now," Otto asserted, taking the contract and glancing at it while Klaus rolled his eyes. Although he hadn't lied when he said it wouldn't be the first time he shared a woman with Otto, Anika's adverse reaction had touched a sensitive nerve. While he didn't intend to force her due to the situation, he was beginning to think that maybe he should do it. Making her let go of all her barriers was something he would immensely enjoy. "Do you really think she's good?" Otto aske