Chapter 20 - Viktor
The satisfaction of watching Adrian squirm had become Viktor’s favorite form of entertainment.
Three weeks had passed since their initial confrontation, and Viktor had settled into a rhythm that felt like justice finally being served.
Nothing too obvious—he wasn’t interested in drawing attention from other family members or creating unnecessary complications.
Just steady pressure applied with surgical precision, designed to make Adrian understand exactly what it cost to interfere with a Nikolai’s life.
A shipping delay here, a permit complication there, the sudden appearance of regulatory scrutiny at precisely the wrong moment.
Each setback could be explained away as routine business friction, but the pattern was clear enough for someone with Adrian’s intelligence to recognize.
Viktor was dismantling his operations one carefully calculated move at a time.
The beauty of it was the specificity. Viktor had made a deliberate choice to focus his attention exclusively on Adrian, leaving the other Volkov siblings untouched.
He wasn’t a monster—Anka’s sisters had done nothing to deserve his wrath, and even Matvei had simply been following family protocol when he’d supported the alliance.
This was about one man’s choices and the consequences that followed.
Adrian seemed to understand the boundaries, which made his latest attempt at negotiation all the more pathetic.
“This needs to stop,” Adrian said, his voice carrying the kind of controlled desperation that suggested Viktor’s campaign was having the desired effect. They were standing in the parking garage beneath Viktor’s office building, surrounded by concrete and shadows that would muffle any conversation.
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” Viktor replied mildly, adjusting his cufflinks with deliberate calm. “Are you having business difficulties? How unfortunate.”
“Cut the performance. We both know what you’re doing.” Adrian stepped closer, his usual composure cracking enough to show the fury beneath. “The Kozlov contracts, the shipping disruptions, the sudden interest from financial regulators—it’s all connected, and it’s all you.”
Viktor allowed himself a small smile, the kind that had made enemies reconsider their life choices in the past. “Business can be unpredictable. Perhaps you should diversify your interests, reduce your dependence on any single revenue stream.”
“Why are you still doing this?” The question burst out of Adrian with more emotion than Viktor had expected. “We have an alliance now. Our families are connected through marriage. What more do you want?”
The genuine confusion in Adrian’s voice was almost insulting—as if four years of believing himself betrayed by the woman he’d loved could be erased by political expedience and strategic partnerships.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Viktor said, his tone shifting to something colder and more final. “You’ve never lost someone who mattered.”
“Lost someone?” Adrian’s laugh was bitter and completely humorless. “I lost my sister, too, you know. The day she married you became the day she stopped trusting me, stopped looking at me like I was someone worth loving instead of someone to be feared.”
The observation hit Viktor like an unexpected blow, but he pushed the discomfort aside. Adrian’s relationship with Anka was irrelevant compared to what he’d stolen from Viktor’s life.
“The difference,” Viktor continued, “is that you chose to lose her. You made a deliberate decision to destroy her happiness to serve your own purposes. I’m simply ensuring you understand what that choice costs.”
Adrian stared at him for a long moment, something that might have been pity flickering across his features. “You’re going to destroy everything good in your life for the sake of punishing me. You realize that, don’t you?”
“What I realize is that some debts require payment regardless of convenience.” Viktor turned toward the elevator, dismissing Adrian with the kind of casual disregard reserved for irrelevant obstacles.
“I’d focus on salvaging whatever you can from your remaining ventures.
Things are likely to get worse before they get better. ”
The encounter should have left Viktor feeling satisfied, vindicated by Adrian’s obvious frustration and growing desperation.
Instead, he found himself thinking about Adrian’s words as he returned to his office, particularly the suggestion that his pursuit of justice might cost him something valuable.
But what could be more valuable than ensuring that the people who’d hurt him understood the consequences of their actions?
Adrian had stolen four years from Viktor’s life, had manipulated Anka into believing lies that had torn them apart.
The man deserved every moment of suffering Viktor could devise.
The rationalization felt less convincing than it had weeks earlier, but Viktor pushed his doubts aside and focused on more immediate concerns.
Marcus had compiled intelligence on Adrian’s latest independent venture—a shipping deal with Eastern European partners that existed outside the family’s consolidated operations.
It was perfect for Viktor’s purposes: significant enough to cause real damage, isolated enough that its failure wouldn’t implicate other family members.
One phone call to the right contacts, one carefully placed piece of information about regulatory concerns, and Adrian’s deal would evaporate. Another lesson in the consequences of crossing a Nikolai.
Viktor was reaching for his phone when his office door opened without warning, admitting Matvei with the kind of purposeful stride that suggested this wasn’t a social visit.
“We need to talk,” Matvei said, closing the door behind him with deliberate force.
Viktor set his phone aside, studying his brother-in-law’s expression with growing wariness. Matvei looked like a man who’d been putting pieces together and didn’t like the picture they created.
“About what?”
“About why my brother looks like he’s been systematically destroyed by someone with extensive resources and specific grudges.
” Matvei settled into the chair across from Viktor’s desk, his posture radiating the kind of calm authority that had made him an effective leader.
“About why Adrian’s business ventures keep encountering improbable obstacles at precisely the wrong moments. ”
Viktor kept his expression neutral, though his mind was already calculating responses and contingencies. “Adrian’s business difficulties are unfortunate, but hardly my concern.”
“Really?” Matvei leaned forward, his dark eyes carrying intelligence that Viktor had learned to respect. “So it’s just a coincidence that every setback can be traced back to contacts you’ve cultivated, regulators you’ve influenced, partners you’ve compromised in the past?”
The detailed knowledge was unsurprising—Matvei hadn’t built his position by missing important patterns. But Viktor had been careful, had ensured that each individual action could be explained away as routine business maneuvering.
“You’re seeing connections that don’t exist,” Viktor said, though the words felt hollow even to him.
“I’m seeing a man who’s letting revenge poison his judgment.
” Matvei’s tone was blunt but not unkind, carrying the weight of someone who understood the costs of unchecked anger.
“Adrian made terrible choices four years ago. He manipulated Anka, lied to both of you, and caused damage that’s still affecting your marriage.
But this path you’re on—it’s going to destroy more than just Adrian’s business ventures. ”
Viktor felt his control beginning to fray at the edges. “Adrian took her from me. He stole four years of our lives based on lies and manipulation. He deserves whatever consequences follow.”
“Maybe he does,” Matvei agreed, which was not the response Viktor had expected. “But what about the rest of us? What about Anka?”
“This doesn’t involve Anka—”
“Everything you do involves Anka now. She’s your wife, she loves her family despite their flaws, and she’s going to be caught in the crossfire when this escalates beyond your ability to control it.
” Matvei’s voice carried the kind of certainty that made Viktor’s chest tighten with unwelcome awareness.
“Because it will escalate, Viktor. Men like Adrian don’t just accept systematic destruction passively. ”
The implication hit Viktor like cold water, forcing him to consider angles he’d been deliberately avoiding.
Adrian was still a Volkov, still connected to one of the most powerful crime families in the region.
His tolerance for Viktor’s campaign had limits, and those limits were probably closer than Viktor had calculated.
“Are you threatening me?” Viktor asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
“I’m trying to save you from making a mistake that will cost you everything that actually matters.
” Matvei stood, his expression shifting to something that looked almost sympathetic.
“You have Anka back. You know the truth about what happened. You have the chance to build something real with her, something that could last for the rest of your lives. But if you keep prioritizing revenge over everything else, you’re going to lose her again. ”
The words lodged in Viktor’s chest like shrapnel, painful and impossible to ignore. He could see the truth in Matvei’s analysis—Anka had already begun pulling away, had started looking at him with the kind of wariness that suggested she was recognizing patterns she didn’t like.