Chapter Nineteen
Aleksei
I settle back at my desk, phone at my ear, my eyes narrowing as I listen to Sasha’s report.
Three hundred thousand. Gone. And we still don’t have our hands on the little cunt who took it.
My jaw clenches at the thought of Nico and Gianni both having access to those accounts.
“No sign of him?” My voice comes out deadly quiet.
“We had him, boss. But he slipped through our fingers and—”
“Slipped through your fucking fingers?” I slam my palm against the desk. “ Blyad! What the fuck am I paying you for?”
Silence on the line. Good. Let him sweat.
“He must’ve known we were coming—”
“Because my own men were too incompetent to find one little pizda who’s barely cut his teeth in this business.” I run a hand over my stubble, containing the urge to throw something. “First the shipment goes missing, now this shit. Do I need to start replacing people, Sasha?”
“No, boss. We’ll handle it.”
“Like you handled the security protocols?” Ice coats each word. “Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet in your head myself.”
“We’re tracking the money now. Preliminary traces show—”
“I don’t want traces. I want results.” My free hand curls into a fist. “Find him. And when you do, bring him to me personally.”
I end the call before Sasha can respond. Twice now, my operations have been compromised by sloppy oversight. Pure incompetence.
My reputation cannot afford such weakness. The other families are watching, waiting for any sign of vulnerability. And now these cretins have given them exactly that.
I lean back in my chair, memories of Larkin’s death report flickering through my mind. Another fuckup. The coward took the easy way out. We should have crippled him, not kill him.
The image of his broken body crushed beneath his vehicle should satisfy me. But it doesn’t. I wanted him to suffer, to experience the same helplessness my son faces every day because of his drunken negligence. Instead, he got the quick way out.
“ Chert. ” The curse escapes through clenched teeth. And then, there’s his wife. These pizdas couldn’t even handle Larkin without his wife witnessing it.
Sasha’s text alert pulls me from these useless thoughts. More problems with the missing shipment. I force my attention to the present crisis, pushing aside old grievances that can’t be settled now.
The immediate threat demands focus. Three hundred thousand missing, weapons unaccounted for, and a network compromised by either stupidity or betrayal. This requires swift, decisive action before our competitors catch wind of the weakness.
I stalk through the mansion’s halls, my thoughts swirling darkly. The last thing I need is word of this theft spreading before tonight’s gathering. One hint of weakness and my enemies will circle like sharks.
I pause as I hear sounds coming from my bedroom. Sofia’s voice drifts through the door — another thing I don’t have patience for right now. But as I hover in the doorway, she spots me in the mirror and puts down her phone.
“There you are.” She applies another coat of red lipstick, her eyes never leaving my reflection.
“What are you doing here, Sofia?”
“Can’t a girl wait for her fiancé in his bedroom?” She gives a catlike smile.
“No.” I step into the room. “I have things to do. What do you want?”
“Just some time alone with you, rodnoy .” Her eyes flicker. “We haven’t had a chance to talk much lately.”
“What do you want to talk about?” I fold my arms over my chest.
“I want to spend more time with you, Aleksei. It is my place, after all.”
“It’s not. You know that.”
“It is a wife’s duty to be at her husband’s side when he goes about his public duties. You know this is true.” Her eyes narrow. “Functions. Charity events. I should be there to keep your company.”
My back stiffens. “I don’t need your company, Sofia.”
“I heard you had quite an interesting time at that charity event. The one for the sick children,” she says abruptly.
I lean against the doorframe, keeping my expression neutral. “Business as usual.”
“Really?” She sets down the lipstick with precise movements. “Because Elena Petrova says she saw you leave with some suka .”
A string of vivid memories flashes through my mind before I can stop them. The way she’d melted into my touch, how her breath caught when-
“What the fuck are you talking about, Sofia. That was weeks ago.”
“Weeks in which people have been talking, Aleksei.” Her voice rises. “I will not have you running around with some cheap—”
“I don’t have time for your paranoid fantasies,” I stop her.
Sofia turns to face me, her perfectly made-up face twisted with spite. “Don’t lie to me, Aleksei. I know when you’re hiding something.”
The woman from the charity event intrudes again — her vulnerability in that quiet corner, the taste of her on my lips. I push the thoughts away.
“The only thing I’m hiding is my growing irritation with these accusations.” I straighten, done with this conversation. “You need to go home.”
“But I need to get ready for the party—”
Striding up, I grab Sofia’s arm, yanking her up from the vanity. “That’s enough.”
“Let go of me!” She tries to twist away, but I tighten my grip.
“You don’t live here. You don’t have the right to come into my bedroom whenever you want.” I drag her toward the door, past her scattered makeup and clothes. “This isn’t your house, and I’m not your husband.”
“You will be! The arrangements are made—”
“Arrangements can be broken.” The words come out like ice. “Remember that.”
Sofia’s face contorts. “You wouldn’t dare. My father—”
“Your father knows exactly who I am and what I’m capable of.” I pull out my phone, stabbing at the screen. “Taxi. Now.”
“I won’t leave! I have every right—”
“You have the rights I give you. Nothing more.” I release her arm with a shove. “Get your things and get out.”
“Aleksei!” She stumbles backward. “You can’t treat me this way!”
“Watch me.” I turn to the hallway. “Dmitri! Get up here and escort Ms. Novikova out.”
Sofia’s shrieks echo through the mansion as my security guard appears. She throws a perfume bottle that shatters against the wall.
“You’ll regret this! I’ll tell everyone about your whore!”
The sound of heels clicking on marble makes me turn. Diana stands at the end of the hall, taking in the scene with raised eyebrows.
“Get her out.” I gesture to Dmitri, who grabs Sofia’s arm firmly.
“ Suka! ” Sofia spits as Dmitri leads her away, her voice carrying up the stairs. “You think you can replace me with some whore who—”
The front door slams, cutting off her tirade. Blessed silence falls.
“Well, that was dramatic,” Diana says as she emerges from the living room.
“Not now, Dee,” I mutter, stalking out to the pool area. The afternoon breeze does little to cool my temper.
Diana trails after me, settling onto one of the loungers beside the pool. She’s already lighting one of her slim cigarettes, her movements precise and controlled despite the tension radiating between us.
“You can’t keep antagonizing the Novikovs,” she says, exhaling smoke. “The alliance—”
“Fuck the alliance.” I drop into one of the loungers beside her. “I don’t need their protection.”
“Bobik does.”
My jaw clenches. Trust Diana to go straight for the jugular. “Don’t.”
“Someone needs to say it, Aleksei.” She turns to face me, shadows playing across her features. “The Novikovs have connections we need. Medical connections. The kind that could help with experimental treatments.”
“I have my own connections.”
“Not like theirs.” Diana’s voice softens. “Think about what Sofia’s father could do for Bobik’s care. The doors he could open—”
“At what cost?” I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Living with that suka watching my every move? Having her stick her nose in my business, in Bobik’s life?”
“It’s called marriage, brat . Sometimes we make sacrifices—”
“Don’t lecture me about sacrifice.” The words come out like gravel. “Everything I do is for him. Everything.”
Diana takes another long drag, considering me through the smoke. “Then consider this another thing you could do for him. The Novikovs’ medical connections in Switzerland alone—”
“I said don’t.” I push up from the chair, my muscles coiled tight. “My son is not a bargaining chip.”
Diana stubs out her cigarette, her eyes fixed on me with that familiar mix of concern and stubbornness. “You’re being reckless.”
“I’m being practical.” I rise abruptly and pace along the pool’s edge, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the water. “Sofia is a liability.”
“She’s connected. Her father—”
“Her father can go fuck himself.” My shoulders tense at the thought of that pompous bastard. “I don’t need his money or his influence.”
“This isn’t just about you anymore.” Diana’s voice carries that maternal tone I hate. “Think about—”
“I said enough.” The words come out sharp enough to make her flinch. “Sofia will never know about him. Never.”
Diana rises, smoothing her skirt with practiced grace. “You can’t protect him forever by keeping him hidden.”
The truth in her words stings, but I push it aside. “Watch me.”
She opens her mouth to argue further, but something in my expression makes her pause.
With a slight shake of her head, she stands smoothly and turns toward the house.
“Just don’t do anything stupid, brat .” She tosses her cigarette on the floor and stubs it out with the toe of her shoe before moving off.
The tension coils tighter in my muscles as I watch her leave. Too much energy, too many thoughts circling like vultures. I need to move, to burn out this restless anger before it consumes me.
The gym calls to me — my private sanctuary where problems can be reduced to sets and reps. Where I can pound these frustrations into submission until my body is too exhausted to think about Sofia, about Diana’s warnings, about any of it.
I head for the basement stairs, already pulling off my shirt. The familiar scent of leather and metal welcomes me as I descend. Here, at least, everything makes sense.
The weights slam together as I power through another set, sweat dripping onto the rubber mat below. My muscles burn, but I push harder. One more. Then another. Each rep driven by Sofia’s shrill accusations echoing in my head.
“I know when you’re hiding something…”
The bar crashes down. I add more plates, ignoring the protest in my shoulders. The woman from the charity event flashes through my mind once again — her vulnerable eyes, the soft curve of her neck. The memory only makes me grip the metal harder.
Diana’s words cut through next. “You can’t protect him forever…”
A growl escapes as I drive upward, veins standing out on my forearms. The tattoos ripple with each movement — ink marking victories, losses, promises of vengeance. My body knows this language of pain and power.
The familiar ache spreads through my chest and arms, but it’s not enough. Not yet. I need to push until these thoughts dissolve, until there’s nothing left but the burn of exertion.
“The Novikovs have connections we need…”
My jaw clenches. Another set. Faster now. Sweat stings my eyes, but I don’t stop. Can’t stop. Not until this restless energy is beaten into submission.
Finally, my arms give out. The weights crash onto the safety bars with a deafening clang. I collapse onto the bench, chest heaving, mind blissfully empty except for the sound of my own ragged breathing.
In this moment of clarity, one truth emerges: I don’t need the Novikovs. I don’t need anyone. Everything I’ve built, I’ve done on my own terms. And that’s how it will stay.
I towel off and head back to my room, phone already in hand. Sofia’s perfume still hangs in the air, making my nostrils twitch. I yank open the windows, letting the breeze clear out her scent.
“Sasha. Status update.” I pull a fresh suit from the closet while he reports.
“Still no sign of Nico, but we’ve traced some unusual transfers through Gianni’s accounts.”
“Interesting.” I lay out a black Tom Ford jacket, examining it for lint. “How unusual?”
“He recently made a withdrawal.”
My hand stills on the fabric. “When?”
“Yesterday. In cash.”
I process this, methodically selecting a tie. “Have someone watch Maranzano. Closely. And get me everything on his recent movements.”
“Already done, boss.”
“Good.” I end the call, scowling as my phone buzzes with a text. It’s from Diana.
“You’re making a mistake with Sofia.”
I delete it without responding.
I shoot off instructions to my security team about tonight’s arrangements, doubling the usual personnel. With a guest list that includes most of the city’s biggest names, the last thing we need is a breech.
My thumb hovers over Sofia’s contact info. Time to make this break permanent, clean. No more of her theatrical scenes or possessive demands. The party tonight will be the perfect opportunity to make it public — ensure everyone understands exactly where things stand.
I start typing out instructions to have her removed from all guest lists when another call comes through. Time to focus on business. The rest can wait.
As I speak, I adjust my cufflinks, the platinum catching the light.
“ Da ,” I tell Dimitri as he checks in with a question about the catering. “Sasha has the details.” I wave him off then examine my reflection. The Tom Ford fits perfectly, its severe lines emphasizing authority. Power. Control.
My phone buzzes again — another message from Diana. I don’t need to read it to know she’s furious about Sofia. My twin has always been protective of our family’s alliances, even at the cost of my sanity.
The tie slides through my fingers as I knot it with practiced precision. Tonight needs to send a clear message.
No more arranged marriages.
No more political games.
The other families can whisper all they want about tradition and obligation.
I slide on my watch, the weight familiar against my wrist. The sound of cars arriving draws my attention to the window. Early preparations for tonight’s event are already underway. Security teams doing their sweeps, caterers setting up in the kitchen below.
I straighten my tie one final time, push thoughts of Diana’s disappointment aside.
Tonight isn’t about family politics. It’s about maintaining control.
And Sofia and the Novikovs need to learn exactly who holds that control.
Because I’ve already had a taste of the kind of woman I want to have in my life.
And it’s not her.