Chapter 13 - Anka
The elevator’s polished steel doors reflected her image back at her—sharp navy blazer, cream silk blouse, hair pulled into a sleek bun that made her feel like she could conquer boardrooms and broker deals.
It was her third day as Viktor’s assistant, and the transformation still felt surreal.
Three days ago, she’d been drowning in the suffocating luxury of being nothing more than a trophy wife.
Now, she was walking into the Nikolai Building with purpose thrumming through her veins.
The lobby’s marble floors clicked beneath her heels—a sound that had become her favorite symphony. Power dressed in Italian wool and determination, she felt like she was finally inhabiting her own skin instead of playing a role in someone else’s production.
“Good morning, Mrs. Nikolai,” the security guard nodded respectfully as she passed. Not with the careful deference reserved for a boss’s decorative spouse, but with the acknowledgment due to someone who belonged here, who had earned her place.
She’d insisted on starting from the bottom, and Viktor had honored that request with a ruthlessness that both impressed and challenged her.
No special treatment, no cushioned assignments designed to make her feel important without actually contributing.
He’d thrown her into contract analysis, financial auditing, and due diligence reports with the same expectations he’d have for any new hire.
The difference was, she was excelling in ways that surprised even her.
“Morning, Sarah,” she called to Viktor’s secretary as she passed the reception desk outside his office suite.
“He’s already in the conference room with the Winthrop account,” Sarah replied without looking up from her computer. “Asked me to send you in as soon as you arrived.”
Anka’s pulse quickened. The Winthrop account was a major shipping contract worth eight figures—not the kind of meeting where assistants were typically invited to observe, let alone participate.
But Viktor had been including her in more and more significant discussions, testing her insights and valuing her perspective in ways that made her feel intoxicated by possibility.
She grabbed her tablet and the analysis she’d completed the night before, then headed toward the glass-walled conference room.
Through the transparent barriers, she could see Viktor in full command mode—shoulders squared, jaw set, every inch the formidable businessman who could make grown men reconsider their life choices with a single look.
God, he was magnificent like this. All controlled power and razor-sharp intelligence, wearing authority like it was tailored specifically for his frame.
The way he dominated space without raising his voice, the way his presence seemed to charge the very air around him—it made her blood run hotter than any designer suit should reasonably allow.
Focus, she commanded herself. You’re here to work, not to fantasize about your complicated husband’s competence kink.
But as she entered the conference room and Viktor’s ice-blue eyes met hers with something that looked almost like pride, focusing became significantly more difficult.
“Gentlemen,” Viktor said smoothly, “I’d like you to meet Anka Nikolai, our new contracts analyst. She’ll be reviewing the terms we’ve discussed.”
The three men around the conference table—Winthrop himself and two lawyers who looked like they billed by the minute—turned to assess her with expressions ranging from polite skepticism to barely concealed condescension.
“Of course,” Winthrop said with the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “How lovely to have a fresh perspective.”
Fresh perspective. As if she were an intern brought in to take notes and fetch coffee. The dismissive tone made her teeth clench, but she kept her expression pleasant as she took the seat Viktor indicated.
“I’ve had a chance to review the proposed terms,” she said, opening her tablet with deliberate confidence. “There are several areas that warrant discussion.”
Winthrop’s eyebrows rose slightly, as if surprised she could speak in complete sentences. “Such as?”
“The liability clauses in sections twelve and fifteen create asymmetrical risk exposure that heavily favors your organization,” she began, her voice steady despite the way Viktor’s attention was focused entirely on her.
“Additionally, the force majeure provisions are unusually broad and could potentially void our obligations under circumstances that would typically be considered foreseeable business risks.”
One of the lawyers leaned forward, suddenly more attentive. “Could you elaborate on your concerns regarding section fifteen?”
For the next twenty minutes, she dissected the contract with surgical precision, identifying loopholes, questioning ambiguous language, and proposing modifications that would create more equitable terms. She could feel Viktor’s gaze on her throughout, intense and evaluating, but also something else—something that made heat pool low in her belly despite the professional setting.
“These are... very astute observations,” Winthrop admitted when she finished, his tone considerably more respectful than it had been at the start of the meeting. “We’ll need some time to review your proposed changes with our legal team.”
“Of course,” Viktor said, standing to signal the end of the meeting. “Take all the time you need. We’re in no rush to sign anything that doesn’t serve everyone’s interests.”
After the Winthrop team filed out, Viktor closed the conference room door and turned to face her. The sudden privacy made the air between them crackle with electricity.
“That was impressive,” he said, his voice lower than it had been during the meeting.
“You sound surprised.”
“Not surprised. Satisfied.” He moved closer, and she caught the subtle scent of his cologne—something expensive and masculine that made her want to bury her face in his neck. “You just saved us approximately two million dollars in potential liability exposure.”
“Just doing my job.”
“Your job was to observe and learn. What you just did was...” He paused, seeming to search for the right words. “You just negotiated like someone with twenty years of experience, not twenty minutes.”
The pride in his voice made something warm unfurl in her chest. When was the last time someone had praised her competence instead of her compliance? When had anyone looked at her like she was brilliant instead of just beautiful?
“It felt good,” she admitted. “Using my brain for something that matters, contributing something real instead of just... existing prettily.”
“You’ve never just existed prettily, Anka. You’ve always been brilliant. The difference is that now you have somewhere to direct that brilliance.”
The intensity in his gaze made her breath catch.
They were standing close enough that she could see the flecks of darker blue in his eyes, could count the individual lashes that framed them.
The memory of how those eyes had looked when he’d kissed her, when he’d touched her, when he’d worshipped her body like it was something sacred—
“Mrs. Nikolai?”
They sprang apart like guilty teenagers as Sarah’s voice came through the intercom.
“Yes?” Anka managed, proud that her voice sounded relatively steady.
“There’s a gentleman here to see you. Says his name is Marcus Fleming?”
Anka frowned. She didn’t recognize the name, but Viktor’s expression had gone carefully blank in the way that meant trouble.
“Send him in,” Viktor said.
Marcus Fleming turned out to be a tall, lean man in an expensive suit who carried himself with the kind of easy confidence that suggested he was used to being the smartest person in any room.
He was attractive in a polished, sophisticated way—the sort of man who probably collected art and spoke multiple languages and knew which fork to use for the fish course.
“Viktor,” he said warmly, extending his hand. “Good to see you again.”
“Marcus.” Viktor’s handshake was firm but brief. “What brings you by?”
“Actually, I was hoping to steal a few minutes with your lovely wife, if she’s available.” Marcus turned to Anka with a smile that was probably meant to be charming. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about your work here.”
Something cold settled in Anka’s stomach. She’d been in this world long enough to recognize when someone was fishing for information, and Marcus Fleming definitely had an agenda.
“I’m flattered,” she said carefully, “but I’m not sure what wonderful things there could be to hear. I’ve only been working here for three days.”
“Ah, but what an impressive three days they’ve been. The Winthrop contract revisions, for instance, are brilliant work. Really demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of international shipping law and risk management.”
How the hell did he know about the Winthrop contract? That meeting had ended less than an hour ago, and the proposed revisions hadn’t even been formally submitted yet.
“Marcus works in acquisitions,” Viktor said, his voice deceptively casual. “Always keeping his ear to the ground for promising talent.”
Acquisitions. Right. The kind that probably involved acquiring more than just business assets.
“How kind of you to take an interest,” Anka replied, matching Viktor’s casual tone while her mind raced. “Though I’m quite happy where I am.”
“Of course, of course. But surely you’d be open to exploring other opportunities? Someone with your skills could write her own ticket at any number of firms. Particularly firms that might offer more... collaborative working relationships.”
The implication was subtle but unmistakable. He was suggesting that working for her husband might not be the best use of her talents, that she might find more fulfilling opportunities elsewhere, away from Viktor’s influence and protection.
“I appreciate the interest,” she said, standing up to signal the end of the conversation. “But as I said, I’m very happy with my current position.”
Marcus’s smile never wavered, but something sharp flickered in his eyes. “Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”
After he left, the conference room felt charged with tension. Viktor was staring out the windows with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture rigid with barely controlled anger.
“Friend of yours?” Anka asked.
“Business associate. Sometimes.” He turned to face her, and the cold fury in his expression made her breath catch. “He’s also connected to several organizations that would benefit from having inside information about Nikolai operations.”
“You think he was trying to recruit me as a spy?”
“I think Fleming doesn’t do anything without multiple motives. And I think his interest in your capabilities has very little to do with your professional development.”
The protective edge in his voice sent heat spiraling through her. This was Viktor at his most dangerous—not the controlled businessman or the careful strategist, but the predator who eliminated threats to what belonged to him.
“So what do we do?” she asked.
“We do nothing. You stay alert, you trust no one outside this family, and you remember that your loyalty belongs to me.” He moved closer, his presence overwhelming and intoxicating. “Can you do that, Anka?”
“My loyalty has always belonged to you,” she said softly. “Even when I couldn’t show it.”
Something shifted in his expression—surprise, maybe, or recognition. The air between them grew thick with unspoken tension, weighed down by their shared history and the electric pull that had never truly disappeared.
“Viktor,” she began, not sure what she wanted to say but needing to fill the charged silence.
But before she could finish the thought, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. The moment shattered, and he stepped back with visible effort.
“We should get back to work,” he said, his voice rough. “I have a feeling this Marcus situation is going to require some strategic planning.”
As he answered his phone and launched into another crisis management conversation, Anka remained by the windows, her pulse still racing from their near-miss moment.
Three days of working together had already shifted something fundamental between them—the careful distance they’d maintained since their wedding was eroding, replaced by a collaboration that felt dangerously intimate.
She was playing with fire, letting herself get drawn back into Viktor’s orbit like this. But God help her, she’d never felt more alive than she did when his ice-blue eyes lit up with approval for her work, when he looked at her like she was brilliant and dangerous and exactly where she belonged.
The smart thing would be to pull back, to maintain professional boundaries and protect what remained of her heart.
But Anka had never been particularly smart when it came to Viktor Nikolai.