Chapter 2 – Danil #2
“You know how I am when surrounded by beauty. It was a fabulous trip; I didn’t want it to end,” he answered, settling into the couch beside mine.
“Are you sure you’re talking about a business trip?” I asked him.
“Of course. I didn’t stay within walls the whole time,” Konstantin answered, taking his suit off.
“So, what’s the important development?” Eduard inquired.
“It’s about one of our offshore companies,” I revealed, sitting more upright. “Luka, share your findings with us.”
The air in the glass-walled office was all business instantly.
“Earlier today, we got an alert that—” Luka started before the sound of the door being pushed open interrupted him.
Matvey entered the office in a well-worn designer suit, his demeanor grave as always.
I had only invited Eduard and Konstantin, not wanting to bother our older brother with something we would handle in no time. Matvey never showed up casually; his presence was more than enough proof that the issue at hand was more serious than I thought.
“I assume this meeting is about the calls I’ve been getting about the Cyprus company,” he stated, sitting on the couch to Eduard’s left.
“It is, brother,” I answered, gesturing for Luka to go on.
“Katria Wolfe, Kyle Wolfe’s daughter, triggered an alert earlier today when she got hold of the ownership papers of Sivella Holding Company,” he revealed.
“Wait, Kyle Wolfe, the guy who was killed for treason?” Eduard asked.
“Yes, sir,” Luka said.
“I didn’t know he had a daughter,” Konstantin commented.
“The company is based in Cyprus, and Kyle Wolfe was listed as the custodian. It was once part of an offshore financial web tied to the Yezhov Bratva. The Bratva used the company to clean money from black ops funding, arms deals, and crypto laundering over a decade ago. Until he was executed for treason, he remained the custodian of the asset. But, in his will, he transferred all his rights and assets to his only daughter,” Luka divulged.
“Including Sivella Holdings…” Matvey pointed out.
“Yes, sir. The company was covertly dissolved and its records were absorbed into a buried archive under the Bratva seal.”
“Then the company is no longer in existence?” Konstantin asked.
“It still exists as a separate entity. Since it’s based in Cyprus, it wasn’t entirely erased. The foundations of Sivella Holdings still remain.”
“Now that is unfortunate. We’re looking at a chain of legal and criminal liability,” Konstantin commented.
“How?” Eduard questioned.
“The company’s records can create a paper trail.
It will expose the Bratva’s laundering operations.
It’ll also prove that Kyle’s daughter and the whole bloodline still have inheritance authority over the dormant asset, which is linked to the Bratva.
This asset we’re talking about has definitely compounded into a massive amount over the years,” Matvey explained.
Eduard’s single nod expressed his understanding.
“So, a young girl with no allies, no Bratva knowledge or training whatsoever, has just landed smack-dab in a loaded mafia business. She doesn’t even know what she has, yet every rival family and organization would be on her for both the money and her link to our name,” I proclaimed.
“Exactly. Eradicating her won’t be a good decision,” Konstantin uttered, sighing.
“It’s too late to do that because the public already knows about her. Killing her would only cause more issues with asset claims. We need to find a cleaner way to finish this—one that keeps the money, information, power, and assets with us,” Eduard continued.
“Right,” Matvey agreed, sending his pointed gaze my way. “There is only one clean solution. And, since you were in charge of Kyle’s execution, it’s only fair that you handle this.”
There was a brief, silent moment as his insinuation sank in.
“I will not marry her. I can’t,” I declared, my voice coming out louder than I intended.
“Let me hear the alternative solution, then,” Matvey challenged, his serious expression unchanged as he stood. “You will marry her, Danil. It’s not a matter of choice; it is to be done.”
My eyes met Eduard’s, and he didn’t volunteer more than a blink.
He knows I hate it, but also agrees with Matvey.
Fuck! This can’t be happening.
Marriage? Out of all things to do?
A wife? Out of all things to have?
“You need to do it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we’ll be dealing with a bigger problem,” Matvey revealed before turning toward the door.
As I watched Matvey leave, Katria Wolfe’s face popped up in my mind.
I remembered the defiance beneath her tears when I killed Kyle Wolfe that night. I should have killed her along with her mother, but I didn’t have the strength to hurt either of them. I only took out the traitor I had come for.
That defiance was still in her; I saw that much.
I was sure she wouldn’t agree to marry me, whether or not she remembered who I was. No sane person would want to marry someone they barely knew, not to mention someone who took them against their will.
But if I don’t have a choice, then she doesn’t either.
“We’ll get married in a week,” I proclaimed, standing from the couch.