Page 33 of The Bratva Queens' Kings

"Don't lie to me!" Lana's voice rises, sharp as shattered glass. "Your account, Roman. There's a transaction linking you to Perez. And Perez had the nerve to tell me how easy it was to buy you off. What the hell is that about?"

"I swear to you, I have no idea about any transaction. My account? I didn't authorize anything. Lana, you have to believe me." Roman's desperation is palpable, his voice edged with frustration.

"How can I believe you? You've been so distant, so fucking silent. Now this? It's like I don't even know you anymore!" Lana's fury crescendos, and with it, objects begin to fly - a vase, books, anything her hands can find.

Roman ducks, a vase shattering against the wall where his head was just moments before. "Lana, stop! This isn't you. We can figure this out."

"Figure this out?!" Lana laughs, but it's void of humor, filled instead with a bitter edge. "How do we figure out betrayal, Roman? How do we come back from this?"

Tears start to streak down her face, a visible sign of her crumbling resolve. "I trusted you," she sobs, her voice breaking. "I trusted you with my life, with our future. And you... you just threw it all away."

Roman steps forward, hands outstretched as if to plead his case. "I didn't betray you, Lana. I would never. Please, you have to believe me."

Lana, her eyes ablaze with anger and hurt, fires back, "Prove it, then! Prove that you're not lying to me right now."

"All these years I've served you, Lana. It never even crossed my mind to betray you. How can you even think that?" Roman's voice is a mix of anger and desperation.

"Because of what Perez said! Because there's money flowing into your account that you can't explain! Because you've been so damn silent recently, like you're hiding something!" Lana's voice breaks the silence of the house like thunder.

"I don't know anything about that transaction, Lana! I swear to you. Someone's setting me up, it has to be!" Roman's denial is fervent, his confusion genuine.

Lana shakes her head, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "How convenient, Roman. All of this happening, and you know nothing? Perez practically gloating about how easy it was to buy you off!"

"That's bullshit, and you know it!" Roman's shout echoes through the room. "Why would I throw everything away? For what? Money? You think I'd sell out the only family I've ever known?"

Lana doesn't back down, her sorrow turning into fury. "I don't know what to believe anymore!"

But Lana isn't listening. She's too far gone, her heartbreak manifesting into rage. "Get out! I can't even look at you right now."

From the sidelines, Luca and I exchange a look, the weight of the situation pressing down on us. I can see the same sadness in his eyes, the realization that this might be the breaking point for all of us. Our unity, our strength, it's unraveling before our very eyes.

I glance back at the chaos, at Lana's tear-streaked face and Roman's desperate attempts to prove his innocence. It's a disaster, a heartbreaking spectacle of trust broken and relationships teetering on the edge.

Lana's at her breaking point, voice like ice, "Get out, Roman. And don't come back." She doesn't wait for a response, just storms off to bed, leaving a silence that hits harder than any of her words.

Roman stands there, a mix of anger and disbelief painting his face. He turns to us, eyes searching, "You guys happy now?"

"Fuck, Roman. Of course, we're not," I say, keeping my voice low, trying to shove some sense into this mess. "This isn't what any of us wanted."

Luca nods, silent, but his face says it all. We're in the middle of a disaster we saw coming but couldn't stop.

Roman's anger fades a notch, replaced by something raw, something vulnerable. He looks at us, really looks, and I swear I can see the moment his heart splits in two. "I didn't do it," he says, voice barely a whisper, like admitting it louder would make it more real.

"We know, man," Luca finally speaks up, his voice steady. "We'll figure this out. "

But Roman's not listening. He's already retreating, a man marked by accusations, walking away from the ruins of what used to be solid. He doesn't look back.

The door slams shut behind him, and that's it. He's gone. Luca and I are left standing in a room filled with the echo of things unsaid, the weight of unsolved mysteries pressing down on us.

"I fucking hate this," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. It's a mess, all of it. Lana in pieces, Roman accused and broken, and here we are, stuck in the middle, trying to keep the world from falling apart.

Luca doesn't say anything, just starts picking up the scattered remnants of Lana's rage. I join him, because what else is there to do? Each piece we pick up feels like another piece of our unity being boxed away, stored for a time when maybe, just maybe, we can put it all back together.

After the storm of emotions settles into an uneasy silence, I decide to check on Lana. The hallway feels longer tonight, every step heavy with the weight of what's unfolded. I knock softly on her door, a quiet announcement of my presence.

"Lana?" My voice is gentle, a stark contrast to the chaos of earlier. No answer. I try again, "It's me, Grigori. Can I come in?"

A beat passes, then another. Finally, she speaks, her voice raw, "Go away, Grigori."

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