Chapter 12 #2
If the Nikitins have been systematically infiltrating our operations, they could have access to client lists, financial records, and even personnel information.
They could know about every person who matters to me, every weakness they could exploit, and they almost got away with it this time.
They could know everything about my entire life depending on how deeply their infiltration has gone.
Including Sarah.
My gut churns at the thought. “How long do you think they’ve been doing this?” I ask Will. “This is their second try in ten weeks, but how long have they been planning and getting everything in place?”
He shrugs. “Hard to say. Probably months. The dormant accounts made it easy to hide. Who checks companies that have been inactive for years?”
“Someone smart enough to know we wouldn’t be looking there.” I run a hand through my hair. “Someone with intimate knowledge of our operations. We shut them all down after Viktor, but someone managed to access the dormant accounts and reactivate them anyway.”
“An inside job?” asks Valentin.
I nod reluctantly. “Maybe, or maybe someone who used to be inside and knows our systems well enough to exploit them.” The thought turns my stomach all over again.
Betrayal from within is worse than any external threat.
At least with enemies, you know where you stand.
With traitors, you’re blind until the knife slides between your ribs.
“I want background checks run on anyone who’s had access to those dormant accounts in the past two years.
Anyone who’s worked with our financial systems, our legal teams, or our administrative staff is guilty until proven innocent. ”
Will frowns. “That’s a lot of people, boss.”
“Then we better get started.”
Valentin nods, seeming undeterred by the scope, unlike Will. “I’ll pull two of our most trusted men for the audit. If there are more compromised accounts, we’ll find them.”
“Do it quietly. I don’t want word getting back to the wrong people.”
We spend the next hour reviewing security protocols and discussing personnel changes.
The breach is worse than I initially thought.
Whoever did this had access to sensitive information about our operations, our contacts, and our financial networks.
If tricking Viktor was a test, it was a pop quiz compared to this attempt.
By the time we leave the warehouse, I’m convinced the Nikitins are testing our defenses and probing for weaknesses they can exploit later.
The clause in the contract that’s been nagging at me comes to mind again.
If I die, Katya gets control of my businesses.
Ostensibly, it’s the same if she dies, and the Barinov bratva gets one-third of all the Nikitins’ holdings when Leonid dies, but I don’t trust them.
If I sign that contract, it feels like signing an agreement to offer myself up to be sacrificed for their gain.
The drive back to the estate is quiet. Valentin seems lost in thought, and I’m processing what we’ve discovered as we wind through the hills toward home.
The Nikitins are moving against us, but they’re being careful about it.
“We need to accelerate our timeline,” I say as we pull through the estate gates.
“For what?”
“Everything. The audit, the security review, and the personnel changes. If they’re making moves, we need to be ready.”
Valentin parks near the main house and turns to face me. “And Sarah?”
“What about her?”
He’s doesn’t pull punches. “You need to decide what she means to you. If this escalates, neutrality won’t be an option. She’s either under our protection or she’s vulnerable.”
I don’t answer immediately. The truth is, I’ve already made my choice.
Sarah matters more to me than any business arrangement, and more than any alliance.
The engagement ring on Katya’s finger is just a prop in a play I no longer want to perform, and I can’t even consider signing that contract now.
My months of reluctance have clarified into firm rejection.
“I’ll handle it.” Somehow, I’ll handle Sarah and the Nikitins.
He scoffs. “That’s not an answer.”
I glare at him. “It’s the only one you’re getting.”
A few minutes later, we enter the house through the side entrance, and I head straight for my office.
The events of the last twenty-four hours have left me drained, but there’s still work to be done.
The audit needs to be organized, security protocols need to be updated, and I need to figure out how to protect Sarah without revealing how much she means to me.
I also need to avoid signing that contract.
The office feels different now. It’s less like a sanctuary and more like a war room. I pour myself a glass of vodka and settle behind my desk, spreading the warehouse documents across the surface while glaring at the engagement contract on the edge of my desk.
I’m reviewing personnel files when my phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number. The message is brief and almost cryptic: “The gardener’s flowers are wilting. Perhaps they need different soil.”
I stare at the screen, scowling. The inference is clear.
Someone is watching Sarah, knows she matters to me, and is making threats.
I delete the message and pour another drink.
If that message is from them, the stakes just escalated.
The Nikitins aren’t just probing our defense but targeting the one person who could bring me to my knees.
I’m figuring out how to respond and make things go even faster when Katya unexpectedly enters.
I glance at the clock, but she’s two hours early for the meeting to sign the contract.
She’s still wearing her engagement ring, along with a trench coat.
She drops it a moment later to reveal slinky lingerie.
“We should celebrate properly.” She moves toward my desk, her hips swaying seductively. “Just the two of us before the rest of my family shows up.”
I don’t look up from my paperwork. “You should go home, Katya. It’s been a long day, and I’m not signing the contract today. I have more important things to address.”
Her teeth click as she grinds them for a moment, revealing her irritation, but her voice is sweet and enticing. “Come now, Yarik. We’re engaged. Surely that deserves some acknowledgment.”
She inches down the strap of her bra, and I stand abruptly. “I said go home.”
She freezes, and for just a moment, her mask slips. I see the fury beneath the seductive facade, and the wounded pride of a woman who’s never been rejected. Then she recovers, easing the strap back in place with deliberate slowness.
“You’re tired. I understand it’s been a…frustrating day for you.” Her voice is sympathetic, but there’s a faint tone of taunting to it. She’s not admitting or denying anything, but she clearly knows about the second attempt to smuggle weapons under our seal this morning.
I try to avoid giving her the satisfaction of a response even as I stiffen. I keep my tone cool. “I’m being practical. This is a business arrangement, and we both know it.”
She steps closely enough that I can smell her expensive, cloying perfume that always makes me want to gag. “Business arrangements can be pleasurable too.”
I shake my head. “Leave before you make a fool of yourself.”
The words hit their mark. Katya’s smile becomes razor-sharp, with all pretense of seduction dropping away. “You’re making a mistake, Yarik. I’m not the woman you reject.”
Having made my decision, I don’t maintain any pretense when I stare at her. “You’re not the woman I want.”
She studies my face for a long moment, her gaze searching for something. Then she nods as if confirming something she already suspected. “I see. Well, then. I suppose we’ll have to find other ways to make this arrangement work.”
She turns and walks away from me, her movements fluid and predatory.
At the threshold, she pauses and looks back over her shoulder.
“Have a good afternoon, Yarik. Try not to think about what you’re giving up.
I’ll let Father know you’re rescheduling the contract signing…
again.” She hesitates. “After the engagement announcement, you can’t wait too long to sign.
” There’s a note of warning in her voice.
The door closes behind her with a soft click, and I’m alone again. I wouldn’t touch her if my life depended on it when Sarah is the only one who’s ever made me feel the depths of emotion I do with her.
I return to my desk and pour another glass of vodka.
The day is far from over, and it’s early for vodka, but I need it to fortify myself.
The Nikitins are moving against us, Katya is plotting something, and Sarah is caught in the middle of it all.
I need to find a way to protect her without destroying everything I’ve built, if that’s even possible anymore.