5. Nikolaos

Bastien

I had hoped that seeing Niko would offer some form of reprieve, but the reality was that it only served to intensify the uncertainty and concern of the entire situation.

Niko is the first to break the silence as I sit down fow lunch with him and Mia, his tone teasing but laced with genuine concern. “Here I thought you’d wear a happy expression after your auction. Not enough assholes selling their souls?”

A wry chuckle escapes my lips, the irony of the situation not lost on me. “Good to see you walking around again, little brother. But no, I’m currently buried under the stress of what happened at my auction.”

Niko’s brow furrows, his gaze piercing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Taking a deep breath, I laid out the details. “Diavolos snuck a woman into my auction; apparently, I had given my go-ahead because it was the fifth year of my success and, I quote, ‘anything goes’.”

Niko’s reaction is immediate and visceral. “A fucking... wait, is she a human?”

I nod, feeling a weight grow heavier on my chest. “A human, but she might as well be a ghost since I haven’t found any trace of her even existing.”

His gaze flits to Mia. “That’s eerily similar to what happened with Mia; Maxim found every trace of her biometrics erased. Is this woman linked to Mikhail in any way?”

I shake my head, frustration evident in my voice. “She doesn’t recognize him. But I’m not exactly counting on her being honest with me. I mean, what parent would want their children erased?”

Niko looks thoughtful, a shadow passing over his face. “If they don’t want them to exist, they’ll find a way to make sure they don’t,” he mutters, his gaze distant. It was clear he was drawing parallels with his own experiences with Mia.

After a moment, Niko asks, “So, what will you do for now?”

Rubbing my temples, I breathe out a sigh before replying,“I bought her for three million; she’s my responsibility now until I can find her family.”

His eyes widens in disbelief. “Three million?” He glances at Mia, whose knowing expression spoke volumes. “Well, I wish you the best, brother. Just don’t allow yourself to get fixated on this girl before she leaves.”

I smirk, sensing an opportunity for some light-hearted teasing. “Oh, so you’re advising me not to fall for my captive, are you?” I say, and he rolls his eyes.

“Ha, ha, very funny.”

After our meal, Niko and I make our way toward my office. The rhythmic tapping of our shoes on the marble floor echoes in the silence between us. We both had a lot on our minds, and the situation with the mysterious Russian woman only added to the complex web of politics and personal vendettas that defined our world.

As we walk, Niko finally breaks the silence, his tone more serious than earlier. “I’ll have Maxim look into this Anika. He had a damn hunch about Mia’s ties to Mikhail, so maybe he can sift through this mess, too.”

I nod, appreciative of the initiative. “It’ll be good to have Maxim on this. We need to know who the hell she is.”

Niko shoots a pointed look in my direction. “Bastien, I don’t fucking like this. An unidentified Russian woman being in your territory, especially considering our history with the Bratva Alphas, can only spell trouble. Our past run-ins with them were nothing short of bloody.”

“Trust me,” I reply tersely, “I’m not exactly thrilled about this either. But she’s here, and we can’t ignore the potential threat.”

Pausing momentarily, Niko inhales deeply. “Alright, just be on your guard. If she’s hiding shit, we need to uncover it.”

As we approach Anika’s room, I motion for Niko to follow. “Let’s see what you make of her.”

"Leave it to me; there's something I want to see ad if I'm correct..." he trails off as he clenches his jaw.

We enter the room, and the atmosphere shifts instantly. Anika’s posture straightens, her gaze darting between me and Niko, and her eyes grow wide. It was clear that she was intimidated, and knowing my brother’s inherent ability to command respect and fear, it wasn’t surprising.

As we approach her, Anika seems to retreat into herself, her eyes darting anxiously between the two of us.

“Anika,” I say, trying to introduce some semblance of civility, “This is Nikolaos, my brother.”

She hesitates for a moment before managing a weak, “Hello.”

Niko tilts his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “So, you’re the mysterious ghost from Russia? You certainly don’t resemble anyone significant, especially not someone like Mikhail.”

A shadow crossed Anika’s face. The briefest hesitation, the subtlest shift in her posture. It didn’t go unnoticed.

Niko leans in close to her, his voice dripping with cruelty. “You know, I took great pleasure in ending that fucker’s life for what he did to my Mia. The way he begged...” He pauses, savoring the memory, “It was music to my ears.”

For a fleeting second, I see it – a subtle flicker of recognition, a tiny shift in Anika’s demeanor. It's brief, but it didn’t go unnoticed by either of us.

Feeling the need to intervene, I step in, placing a protective hand on Anika’s shoulder. “Enough, Niko.”

His chilling gaze flickers to me, a silent challenge. Anika trembles slightly under my touch, a deer caught between two predators.

Niko’s cold green eyes, scanned Anika from head to toe, his judgment apparent in his gaze. “You may not see it, but I do. Every inch of her screams deception.”

“We have discussed what needs to be discussed. Let’s take this elsewhere,” I say, guiding the conversation away from Anika, feeling her palpable relief.

Niko gives one last, lingering look at Anika before turning on his heel. “After you,” he says with a smirk, gesturing towards the door.

Once we were back in the familiar confines of my office, Niko pours himself a drink, his movements precise. “Did you see it?” He asks, not bothering to face me, his voice eerily calm. 

“The reaction when you mentioned Mikhail’s name? Yes, I saw it.”

 “She knows something; that reaction wasn’t just fear. It was recognition,” he says, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes still fixed on the amber liquid. “Whether she’s directly involved or just an unwitting pawn, she’s tied to this.”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration mounting. “I know. But what I can’t figure out is why she’s here and what she’s hoping to achieve. I want to believe there’s an explanation. A reason for her being here that doesn’t lead back to our old enemies.”

Niko fixes me with a piercing gaze. “Hope is a dangerous thing, brother. It clouds judgment. Be careful,” he pauses, his gaze more intense. “And remember this: if she’s aware of Mikhail, there’s a chance she knows about his old man.”

The edge in his voice sends a shiver down my spine and I glance down at the ring still on my finger. I nodd, taking his warning to heart.

“I will be. But for now, we need to tread carefully and find out what her real game is. She won’t be going anywhere until we figure this out.”

Niko gives me a terse nod. “Just keep your eyes wide open, brother. With the Bratva, it’s never just a game. Of all the complications we could have right now, an unknown Russian woman is the last thing we need. Whatever her game is, you need to be careful. Our history with the Russian Bratva is stained with blood and deceit. If she’s connected to them, directly or indirectly, it’s a threat we can’t ignore.”

I can’t help but be pulled back into memories of Isla. My beautiful, vibrant Isla. The hope I’d felt during our time together was unlike any other. Every glance, every touch, every whispered promise had been filled with dreams of a shared future. I’d believed that together, we could overcome any obstacle, stand against any enemy.

But hope had betrayed me. It had painted a rosy picture, obscuring the dangers lurking just out of sight. My enemies had exploited that blind spot, targeting my one vulnerability. In my hope for a peaceful life with her, I’d let my guard down. The memory of finding her, the feeling of sheer helplessness mixed with blinding rage, was a wound that had never fully healed.

I feel Niko’s hand on my shoulder, grounding me in the present. “I know you’re thinking about her,” he says his voice softening. “But we have to stay focused now. We can’t let history repeat itself.”

I look up, meeting his gaze. “You’re right,” I say with a sigh. “We have a potential threat in our midst, and we need to handle it. But damn it, Niko, it’s hard not to draw parallels.”

Niko nods, understanding clear in his eyes. “We learn from our past, Bastien, but we can’t let it dictate our future. We move forward, with caution and clarity.”

Drawing in a deep breath, I felt the weight of responsibility settle back on my shoulders. “You’re right. Let’s deal with this before I jump to conclusions. The last thing I want is...”

But I can't even finish the sentence.