*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
[ANASTASIA]For the next few days, I hardly bump into Ivan. Even if I do catch a glimpse of him, it’s only in passing.I try not to be bothered by it. I mean, why should I? I should be happy and content that he is minding his own business instead of making my life harder. I’m happy with my kids, and that’s all that matters.But, stupidly enough, I can’t help but steal glances at him. I tell myself that it’s only for my own sanity and because I would hate to be surprised if he tried to approach me suddenly. But more often than not, I can tell it’s a lie that I can’t even sell to myself.I hate myself for it. I really do. But it bothers me irrationally that he’s beating himself up for what happened—the abduction attempt, that is. I can tell because it happened before, and his reaction back then was exactly the same.I still remember the night when he brought me home after rescuing me from the warehouse where I was held captive. hey demanded Ivan surrender and come alone if he wanted me
[ANASTASIA]Of course, I won’t go. The choice seems as simple as it was logical. Under no circumstances was I about to walk into the lion’s den myself. I wasn’t crazy or suicidal. I valued my dignity as much as my life. So, of course, given the obvious choices, I head to my room instead.I mean, who in their right mind would want to deal with him and his ever-changing and unpredictable mood swings? I don’t. Despite what everyone might think, I do have some love for myself. And my kids. They need me, don’t they?Or maybe I’m just a coward. Yeah, that could… that could also be true.I don’t want to be anywhere near him. Not alone. Not at night. Not in his room. Every single thing about this situation screams pure trouble. And I have learned to be wary of them. I sure as hell did.I decided to have the so-called urgent conversation the next day. I’ll wake up early, catch him before he leaves, and ask him to spare me a few minutes from his busy schedule.Yes, that’s the plan now. And I ch
[ANASTASIA]I can’t breathe.His arm, snug just below my breasts, holds me so tightly from behind that I’ve forgotten how to inhale like a regular person since last night.It’s dawn now and I haven’t slept a wink. He might not have forced himself on me like I assumed he might but that doesn’t justify the way he occupied my bed like he owned it.Fine. Perhaps he did own this technically, but it’s my room for the time being, dammit. How could he just storm in and sprawl over it like an eagle with its wings spread wide?He’s everywhere on the bed. Everywhere. Not a single spot remains untouched by his scent. It’s practically infused in every inch of the space. It’s as if this place was never truly mine.Ugh. I hate this. I hate this so much.“Ivan!” I groan out of pure frustration. I can’t take this anymore. I want my bed. I want my sleep. I want my life. “Wake up! Don’t you have work to do? People to kill? Or whatever it is that you do?”He remains unfazed, still holding me tightly from
[IVAN]I’m only half-focused on the file in front of me when Dimitri storms into the office and slams someone’s head onto the desk. My train of thought derails, and I look up, trying to figure out what the heck is happening.I turn my attention to my right-hand man, looking bored. “Do I even want to know what’s going on?”Dimitri pays no mind to the sarcasm. “Anatoly Sidorov.”I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “I suppose that’s his name.”“Yeah, it is.”“So, what did he do?”Dimitri looks puzzled. But when Anatoly attempts to lift his head, banging his hands on the table, Dimitri effortlessly keeps him down. His brows furrow deeply. “Are you okay? You look distracted. Look. If you’re stressed, boss, you should head home. Take a break. Spend time with your family. Or do whatever you usually do to relax. I can handle things here just fine.”The offer is tempting, no doubt. With Ana back in our bedroom, my thoughts are anything but sane or decent. It’s hard to believe I actually convince
[ANASTASIA]“Tatiana. Ivan. Come on. Time for bed.”“Nooooo.” Tati whines, hugging the blonde-haired doll close to her chest. “Mommy, can’t we play a little longer? Pretty please?”I give her a gentle smile, appreciating her adorable attempt to delay bedtime. “Sweetheart, it’s already late, and you need a good night’s sleep. We can play more tomorrow, I promise. Now, say goodnight to your dolls and let’s get you tucked in.”Tati pouts but eventually relents, placing the doll on the small table next to her bed. “Okay, Mommy. But tomorrow, we play a lot, okay?”“Deal,” I agree, ruffling her hair. I turn my attention to Junior, who has been glued to the video game he bought from the mall since the moment he got his hands on it. Boys and their games. Huh.“Hey, same goes for you, buddy,” I call, trying to get his attention away from the screen. “It’s bedtime, baby. You can continue your game tomorrow.”He grumbles but saves his progress and turns off the console. “Fiiiiinnne.” He rolls hi
A black four-door pulled up outside his cottage in the woods, and a head full of blonde hair hopped out, carrying two shopping bags in her hands. Nikolai Petrovich stepped out of the small garage, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. Her eyes lit up when she spotted him, cheeks turning rosy from the perpetual cold. “Hey.” He tossed the rag over his shoulder and pulled her into a hug. “Missed you.” She chuckled, letting him hold her, although the bags obstructed the way. He didn’t care, pulling back and smashing his lips to hers. “I didn’t know you were coming,” he rasped between the kiss, devouring her warm mouth like a man chilled to the last bone in his body. Loving the way she smelled. All fruity and flowery. Fuck, he’d missed her. “It was supposed to be a surprise.” The bags hit the snowy ground this time, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her breath turned into white smoke. “Guess surprises aren’t your thing?” “Are you kidding me?” He swept her into his arms. She s
[IVAN]“Here goes the last one,” Dimitri says, tucking his gun back into the holster and watching his handiwork with dark amusement in his eyes.And Ana calls me sick. I scoff. The things this man could do to a human being are beyond imagination. Even I can’t match his barbarity sometimes. Not that there’s some sort of competition.On the ground, before his feet, two dead men are crumpled, the bullet wounds in their heads and over their hearts. A halo of blood beneath their lifeless bodies.I huff out a smoky breath and look up at the gloomy sky. It’s been a quiet and cold night for the most part, but then I get a call from Dimitri, saying I’m welcome to watch if I fancy seeing the last mole in our organization go down. I was more than thrilled to accept it. With this piece of shit gone, the gang finally got rid of any loopholes that my so-called mother could take advantage of.I should have done this years ago, but I naively thought that after our last face-off, she would know better
[NIKOLAI]Once we finally get to his office, Konstantin takes his seat behind the desk and raises an eyebrow. He looks kind of pissed, but not enough to end me right here and now.He might have the power to do that and carry on with his day as if nothing happened, but I know in my gut he won’t. He made a promise to our parents that no harm would come to me. And if there’s anyone I know who keeps their word, no matter the circumstances, it’s him. My very own, very infuriating brother.“So,” he drawls, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. “What do you want to talk about?”I don’t sit in the chair in front of me; instead, I start pacing the room. I glance around and find it exactly how our father designed it. Not a single thing has been changed or moved. It’s like walking into a museum of old memories.“I want to challenge Madam Volkova,” I say, almost expecting him to scoff.But he doesn’t. Instead, he tips his head to the side. “Wh
[NIKOLAI]I hang up the phone and stare hard at the ground.“Fuck you, Dimitri!” I growl, clenching the phone tighter and huffing out a heavy breath.The bastard has the audacity to make me responsible for everything that happened to Ana and Ivan. But is it? Am I really the one to blame?I look away, peeling my back off the car and slipping inside.I put my hand on the steering wheel, unable to shake his words from my mind.Shit. If only I had known the consequences of my actions, maybe this day would have never come. Maybe Ana would still be safe, and Ivan would still be breathing on his own, not with the help of some fucking machine.“Fuck!” I punch the steering wheel, growling louder.I turn the key in the ignition and drive away from the motel. I’m not sure if what I’m about to do next is the right choice, but it seems like the only option I have left. I can’t go back to Madam Volkova after my fallout with her, and Dimitri doesn’t seem interested in having me by his side either.I
[DIMITRI]I storm out of the building and light a cigarette, unable to think of anything else.I breathe in the smoke and then blow it out, hoping it will take away the stress pressing on my chest, making my lungs incapable of doing their job.I don’t know what to do anymore. Ana is finally awake, which is good news, of course.But what the hell do I tell her when she wakes up next time and asks the same questions all over again? How do I give her the answers that are sure to crush her?Maybe I’ve developed a new weakness these days—maybe falling in love makes you a fucking weak asshole—but I can’t seem to bear seeing that woman cry. I just can’t.It fucking stabs me right in the throat to see those tears streaming down her face, to see that fear in her eyes that seems to linger around her whenever she asks about Ivan.I take another big breath of smoke and then drop it, crushing it under the tip of my boot.“Fuck!”My phone rings just then. I thank God for the fucking distraction and
[ANASTASIA]“Mommy!”One word, and my heart shatters into a million pieces.Before I even turn my gaze to the door, warmth floods through me, and tears well up in my eyes.My little girl comes running into the room, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail bouncing with every step. Her eyes are sharp, excited, and filled with so much love. Her face is a canvas of every emotion I’ve ever seen her wear in my entire life.I don’t even realize it, but my arms open on their own, my chest aching to feel her little heart against mine.But just when I think she’s about to jump onto the bed and throw herself into my arms, she stops and stands there with her hands behind her back, her little legs fidgeting as she looks up at the doctor, her small eyes seeking some kind of permission.I suppose the last two months have changed a lot. My daughter, who used to storm in and out of any place she wanted, now suddenly looks afraid of hurting me.Tears race down my face. I wipe them as quickly as I can,
[ANASTASIA]“How long was I out?” I whisper, lips trembling. “How long was I unconscious?”Lena, now standing in front of me, looks like the words are stuck in her throat. She swallows thickly and squeezes my hand, a sad smile playing on her lips.“Two months,” she says, but it feels like she’s talking about someone else. “You’ve been in a coma for two months.”This can’t be true. It can’t be.Tears burn my eyes. My heart feels like it’s on fire. “What the hell do you mean by that? How can I be… how is that even… I can’t… I mean… this can’t be…”I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but I know I don’t believe her.Frustration grates beneath my skin. “Just call Ivan. If he says the same as what you’re all saying, then I’ll believe you. Just call him, Lena. Where is he anyway? Shouldn’t he be here? Sitting next to me, taking care of me? He promised he’d never leave my side again. He promised, Lena. He fucking promised.”“I know,” she sobs, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
[DIMITRI]A week later, we both sit in the car and stare at the huge gates ahead.“This is it, I guess,” she says softly, for the first time not so eager to talk about leaving.It’s strange how the last few days changed everything. They changed me. Who would have thought an asshole like me could ever fall for an angel like her? Nadia is an angel. She’s the most beautiful, pure-hearted, a little fiery, but the best of the angels out there. In fact, if you ask me, she’s the only angel out there.My angel.I let out a sigh. “Yep. This is it.” I turn to look at her and can’t help grabbing the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss. A long, deep, and passionate kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her—her lips, her body, everything about her. “I’m going to miss you like hell.”She grins, her pale blue eyes twinkling, her stubborn blonde curls escaping the trap of her knitted cap. “I’ll miss you like hell too. In fact,” she brushes her nose against mine, “I think I’m going to mi
[NADIA]I’m not sure what to say.And if I look like someone who has been slapped across the face with a hand as cold as ice, then maybe I do look like that person, because apparently, I feel like that person.Every word coming out of Dimitri’s mouth is like slap after slap.But not in a bad way, of course. More like a slap of surprise. Or shock. Or whatever I’m feeling right now that has no name.“What did you say?” I can’t help but ask. There’s still a chance I heard that wrong. Never before has Dimitri talked about my Uni of his own free will. So, to think he not only brought it into the conversation but also seems happy about it is a little hard for me to believe.He gives me a look—of course, he does—but doesn’t try to argue. “I said you’re going back next week. They’re expecting you to continue your semester and sit for the final exams.”“But what about my attendance? I’m way behind—”“It’s been taken care of,” he says, but the smug look on his face is scary as hell.I tilt my h
[DIMITRI]I should’ve known my words would get twisted like that. And of course, it would end up hurting my woman in the worst way possible.But God knows that wasn’t my intention. I just have a crude way of speaking and often forget not everyone can take it. It’s an old habit, one I need to work on changing.I cup Nadia’s face, wiping her tears with my thumb. I should be comforting her after everything she just blurted out, but instead, I can’t help it—I start laughing. I can’t stop until she looks up at me like I’ve completely lost it.Her eyebrows snap and her lips upturn in a deep frown. “You think it’s funny?”“No!” I shake my head, meaning it, but laughter simply bubbles out of me. I turn around to take a breather, and when I think I’m in better control of myself, I turn back around to face her.Only to find her gone.Whatever lingering smile on my face dies right away. “Nadia?”I glance toward the door and see her rushing out of the room.“Shit!” I bolt after her down the hallw
[NADIA]After getting another round of hot sex out of our system, with both stayed sprawled out on the carpeted floor of his office, with me using his arm as a pillow.I sigh. “I can’t believe the kind of stamina I suddenly have.”Dimitri chuckles, the deep sound vibrating through my entire body. “And I can’t believe I get to make love to a woman without her screaming within five minutes how she can’t handle someone like me.”I turn over my stomach, resting my chin on his chest. “Really?”“Yep!” He says, casually, entwining my fingers with his and kissing the tips of each one. “You’re the only one to never have complained about anything. Not even my ugly face.”“Hey,” I shush him, placing my finger on his lips. “Never say that again.”He quirks up a brow. “Why? You want me to say I’m fucking beautiful instead.” He rolls his eyes.“You ARE beautiful,” I say, more stubbornly because he seems to be in the mood to not take me seriously. I can tell. I sure as hell can. “Sure, you have scar