LOGINAnya pov.
The garden felt emptier after Yuvi and the others left, but my mind was anything but. Viktor’s words replayed in my head like an unrelenting melody.“Do you know what it’s like to lose everything you love in one breath?”I did. Far too well. And maybe that was why his confession struck me harder than it should have.I hadn’t planned for this—for him to reveal parts of himself that didn’t fit the image I had of him.The ruthless mafia boss who loomed over thiViktor pov.I stood in my study, watching the estate’s security feed on the monitor. My men were already moving, preparing for what was bound to be a bloody confrontation with Boris. This wasn’t just about Celine. It was about sending a message: no one crossed Viktor Romanov without consequences. I turned to Yuvi, who stood silently by the door, his ever-disapproving gaze locked on me. His silence spoke volumes, but I didn’t have the time—or the patience—to entertain it. “You know what to do,” I said, my voice clipped. “Tell the soldiers to keep an eye on the household. Double the perimeter guards. No one comes in or out without my approval.” Yuvi nodded, his expression neutral but his jaw tight. “Understood.” “And Anya…” I hesitated, hating the flicker of vulnerability in my tone. “She’s to stay in her room. If she steps out, I want to know about it.” Yuvi raised a brow but didn’t comment. He knew better than to question my orders, especially
Anya pov.When Viktor left my room, the door slammed shut with a finality that echoed in my chest. I sat there, staring at the empty space where he’d stood, his words still ringing in my ears.You don’t leave. Not now, not ever.My heart hammered against my ribs. The way he said it—like I was something to be owned, controlled—made my skin prickle. But beneath the possessiveness in his voice, there was something else. A promise. A twisted, terrifying promise that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.And yet, it wasn’t safety I felt. It was suffocation.I pressed my palms against my thighs, trying to steady the tremble in my hands. Viktor had said he would save Celine. That should’ve been enough to calm me. But the price he was asking? It felt like I’d traded one set of chains for another.I didn’t belong to him. No one owned me.Even though he bought me, even though I felt something I shouldn't feel for him, I still always dreamt of being
Viktor pov.When I stepped into her room, the air shifted—like it always did around her. Anya sat at the edge of the bed, her hands twisting in her lap. She looked up as I entered, her wide eyes trying to read me, to gauge the storm brewing behind my expression. I didn’t waste time. “Tell me how I can recognize Celine,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. Her brows furrowed in confusion, and she blinked like she hadn’t heard me right. “Celine?” she repeated, her voice soft, uncertain. I crossed the room. “Yes, Celine. Your friend,” I said, biting out each word. “The one you conveniently didn’t tell me about earlier.” Her lips parted as if to defend herself, but no words came out. She looked away, her fingers curling tightly in her lap. “I didn’t know how to bring it up…” “Try harder,” I snapped, my patience wearing thin. “If I’m going to save her, I need to know where to start.” Her head shot up, eyes wide with shock. “Save her?”
Anya pov.When Viktor told me to go to my room, I obeyed without hesitation, but my legs felt like they were made of lead. Every step down the hall seemed heavier than the last. I didn’t know if I was walking toward a safe space or my grave. The memory of Anton’s gun aimed at me still burned in my mind, his finger twitching, ready to end everything. I had never felt so close to death. For a moment, standing in that hall, surrounded by Viktor’s men, I thought I was going to die. Umeret’, the Russian word for death, floated in my mind. I had always imagined it as something distant, a shadow in the corner of my life, but tonight it had stood in front of me, inches away. I’d seen the look in Viktor’s eyes when he dragged me in front of everyone—anger, betrayal, and something deeper, something I couldn’t quite name. And yet, I hadn’t begged for my life. I couldn’t. To beg would have meant admitting guilt, and I wasn’t guilty—not in the way they thought
Viktor pov.The room was deathly silent. The kind of silence that wasn’t peace—it was the calm before a storm. I stood at the center of it, my presence heavy, commanding. Around me, faces flickered between rage and confusion. And Anya—my kukolka—knelt on the cold marble, clutching her trembling hands as if holding herself together.I should have felt anger, and I did, but it was layered with something far worse—doubt. Was she telling the truth? My instincts warred with logic. Instinct told me to trust her, but logic whispered she’d betrayed me. She looked up at me, her tear-streaked face raw with desperation. “Viktor,” she began, her voice trembling but determined, “I can prove what I’m saying.” Irina scoffed from behind me. “Enough of this nonsense,” she snapped, her voice like the crack of a whip. “This girl is wasting our time. Her lies will only drag you down further. She needs to be eliminated.” “Babushka, zatknis’,” (Grandmother, shut
Anya pov.The air in the hall was suffocating, heavy with judgment and the weight of Viktor’s fury. I knelt on the cold marble floor, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would break through my ribs. Every pair of eyes in the room was on me, their silence more terrifying than any shout or accusation.Viktor stood towering above me, the embodiment of power and anger. His icy blue eyes burned with a fire I’d never seen before, and his grip on the folder trembled slightly—just enough for me to catch. He was holding himself together by a thread, and I knew that thread was about to snap.“”Skazhite im,” he growled, his voice low but deadly. (Tell them.)His Russian was sharper now, slicing through the room like a blade.“I didn’t do anything,” I said, my voice cracking. It was the truth, but I could see it in his eyes—he didn’t believe me.The man I’d spent months trying to understand, the man who had let me see the pain behind his cold exterior, was g
VIKTOR POV.The scent of burning tobacco filled the air as I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling like a ghost of the past.The crystal glass in my other hand was half-filled with whiskey, the golden liquid catching the dim glow of the office lamp.
ANYA POV.The silence was suffocating. Every ticking second in this gilded cage gnawed at my patience, my sanity. I didn’t want to explore like Nikolai suggested—I wanted out. I paced the room, restless, frustrated. If I sat still for another moment, I’d lose my mind. Steeling myself, I yanked o
ANYA POV.I woke up to silence. My body ached. My throat was dry. For a brief, stupid moment, I thought maybe it had been a nightmare. Then I saw him. Viktor. Sitting in the chair across the room. Waiting. He wasn’t on his phone. He wasn't looking at the time. He wasn't doing anything exce
ANYA POV.Pain.That was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A dull, throbbing ache behind my eyes, pounding like a drum. My head was splitting, my body stiff and sore, my wrists raw from the cuffs that had bound them.I sucked in a sharp breath and winced. Even that hurt.The scent of expensiv







