Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ivan
I went back to the study.
I couldn't answer Anna's question, and it wasn't because I didn't trust her. My identity was too complicated. Normal people couldn't handle it. I loved her, loved her so much I was terrified this identity would drive her away from me.
So I ran like a coward.
I leaned back in the chair. Even away from her, my body stayed wound tight.
Around Anna, I was like an animal in heat. Every second, all I wanted was to take her. Take her hard.
Maybe this was what they called physical attraction.
The door swung open just as I grabbed my cigarette pack. I thought it was Anna coming to find me and looked up—
Sharp heels clicked out a rhythm that struck straight to the heart.
The hallway lights flicked on. A figure stepped into view, familiar yet strange.
Victoria.
She dressed bold. Wine-red velvet slip dress, slit all the way up to the hip, collarbone exposed, skin glowing ivory under the lights. Her full breasts rose and fell with each breath. Everything designed to hook a man was on display, perfectly calculated.
Any other man would've found it sexy as hell. I just felt irritated. Didn't even light the cigarette I'd pulled out.
"Who let you in?"
Victoria wasn't scared off by my cold face. She clicked closer on those stilettos, perfume thick enough to choke on. I wrinkled my nose.
When did she get so cheap? I couldn't even stand to look at her.
"Ivan." She slid onto my lap uninvited, arms looping around my neck. "Such a beautiful night. How could you bear to turn me away?"
Same old Victoria. She knew exactly how to serve herself up like a piece of meat.
I turned my head, grabbed her arm, and hauled her off my lap. "How did you get in here?"
I'd specifically told the guards to keep her out.
Victoria's face crumpled. "I missed you."
Tears dripped down, landing on my pressed slacks.
I pulled my foot back in disgust. "Answer my question. How did you get in here?"
Victoria wouldn't answer. She just kept sniffling and pressing closer. "Ivan, remember how close we used to be?"
Her fingertips brushed my collarbone, deliberately teasing.
Before Anna, maybe I would've been moved by this scene—
Victoria was a flawless beauty. She knew how to stoke a man's desire. But now? I just felt uncomfortable all over, like a fly had landed on my skin.
Honestly, my marriage to Victoria was a family arrangement.
I'd never been head over heels for her, but I'd treated her as a lifelong partner. Respected her. Cared for her. Anything she wanted, I could lay at her feet.
But the moment she betrayed me, we had nothing left to say.
I stared at her, eyes landing on her dark brown hair.
Her deliberate flattery didn't surprise me.
Victoria's last few years had been rough. I'd stripped her of all privileges. She'd wilted like a rose pulled from water, none of that bright, bold energy left. Just a wrinkled shell holding up appearances.
Before, she never would've bent. But now...
Was Anna's appearance making her uneasy?
I wasn't sure.
But I knew for certain that the arousal Anna had sparked in me died the instant Victoria sat down.
She pressed her whole body against me. That soft contact didn't provoke any physical response. Instead, my earlier hardness deflated completely.
I looked at that carefully maintained face and saw only a skull painted with makeup. Pretty, sure, but I couldn't muster even a flicker of interest. Looking at her felt like a waste of energy.
"Ivan."
Her body slid down from my lap as she tried to push my thighs apart.
Fuck, something was really off.
I'd drawn a clear line between us years ago. She'd stayed in her lane. Why would she suddenly show up tonight? And if she'd convinced my guards to let her in, that alone raised questions.
Maybe...
I grabbed her chin. "What do you really want?"
Victoria's eyes shifted. "I just want to make you happy."
Make me happy?
What a joke. I didn't believe a word.
Sergei had always wanted back in. He'd definitely plant someone close to me again.
Could the mole be her?
I let go of her chin and didn't pull her away.
Let's see what game she's playing.
"Ivan, can we start over?"
Victoria saw I'd released her and got bolder.
She started tugging at my zipper, fingers stroking my soft cock.
"I know you're still angry. Everything before was my fault. I'll change, I swear I'll change..."
I was too tired to hear this fake bullshit.
These words—I'd heard them a thousand times after Anna left.
She didn't want to come back. She wanted to feed. Once my power stopped supplying her, she needed a new host.
And that host...
Could be anyone.
"Enough." I kicked her shoulder. "Victoria, get out. I lost interest in you a long time ago. Don't think you're getting anything from me."
She crashed to the floor, hit the nightstand corner, and curled up on the carpet.
But she recovered fast, yanked down her strap, and cried out. "I don't believe it! All those years together, and they don't mean more than a few days with that whore?"
"Ivan! Look at me! You love me!"
I stared at her.
She'd stripped herself naked. Her pale skin gleamed in the dim light. Not just that—she even had a butt plug in, pretending it was a tail.
How slutty. How filthy.
And she had the nerve to call Anna a whore? In my eyes, Anna was a thousand times better than her.
I lit a cigarette, leaned back in the chair. Smoke curled up slowly.
"Stop fooling yourself. Look at you—acting like a cheap slut. What gives you the right to judge Anna?"
Victoria's face went white.
"You—you're comparing me to that whore?"
I laughed, tapping ash off the cigarette. "No, you're wrong. I'm not comparing you to her."
I looked straight into Victoria's eyes, utterly mocking. "You're not qualified."
Victoria's expression froze.
Her pupils dulled bit by bit, like she'd sunk into despair.
Watching her like this, I stood without hesitation. Staying any longer would just disgust me more.
But the second I took a step, Victoria grabbed me from behind.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"
I frowned, about to push her off.
Just then, the doorknob turned slightly.
Before I could speak, the door cracked open.
My heart sank. I looked up.
Anna stood in the doorway, face white as paper.
Her gaze swept over Victoria's naked body, then slowly landed back on me. Her lips pressed tight. She said nothing. Just turned and walked away.
"Anna!"
My heart dropped. I shoved Victoria aside and chased after her.
She ran fast, straight to the bedroom. The lock clicked.
I stood outside, heart pounding, fists clenched. "Anna, it's not what you think. Open the door. Let me explain."
Silence inside.
After a long moment, I heard her voice through the door, cold as ice. "No need to explain, Mr. Volkov. We're nothing to each other. You don't owe me an explanation."
"Anna, don't do this." My throat tightened. "It's not what you saw. She broke in on her own. Nothing happened between us."
"Really, there's no need." She kept refusing me. "You don't need to report anything to me. I'm just your daughter's tutor. An insignificant employee. You don't need to explain anything to me."
My throat felt even more blocked.
"Anna, you're not insignificant to me. Come out. Let's talk."
But all that answered me was endless silence.
I didn't blame her.
Anyone who saw that scene would misunderstand, especially given my other connection to Victoria.
Even if that connection was dead, it still raised questions.
So she minded. That disappointment in her eyes—I couldn't forget it.
Maybe I really needed to define our relationship. Then she wouldn't overthink anymore.
I took a deep breath.
"Anna, give me some time tomorrow. I have things I need to say to you. Everything—I'll tell you everything, okay?"
I'd come clean. Show her the real me. No more hiding, no more hurting. I'd open every door to my world for her.
Silence inside the door. No response.
But that was okay. I knew she'd soften. Anna always gave me endless chances, like how even after I hurt her, she still cleaned my wounds.
I leaned against the door for a long time, until the hallway motion lights went dark.
A soft sound came from inside. Stifled, rapid breathing seeped through the wooden door.
I sighed long and deep.
Don't push her anymore. Give her space.
Don't dominate her time so forcefully, her body, without ever giving her room to breathe.
Anna was right. She wasn't a pet for my entertainment. She was a person. She needed her own space.
I pressed my forehead against the cold door. "Anna, I'm going back to my room. I'll come to you tomorrow."
I took one last look at the closed bedroom door and turned away.
Wait a little longer. Give her time to cool down. We had a lifetime ahead. No rush over a day or two. Once her anger faded, once she was willing to hear me out, I'd confess everything. I'd tell her about my identity. Tell her how terrified I was of losing her. Tell her I loved her.
There was still time for everything.