Page 15 of Tainted Empire

“Mikhail, you there?” Lorenzo’s voice is direct, carrying an edge of urgency.

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s going on?” I ask, my voice reflecting my own growing sense of anticipation.

Lorenzo doesn’t mince words. “I’ve been digging into the night at the restaurant. You know, the one where everything went to shit?”

I nod to myself, a grim acknowledgment of that disastrous evening. “Yeah, I remember. What about it?”

“There’s more to that night than we thought. I’ve managed to get my hands on some extra surveillance footage. Not from the restaurant, but from the surrounding area,” Lorenzo explains, his tone suggesting he’s unearthed something significant.

My interest piques instantly. “How the hell did you manage that?”

“A few well-placed favors and some persuasive tactics,” he replies, a hint of dark amusement in his voice. “It wasn’t easy, but I’ve got it.”

I lean back, processing this. “Have you watched it yet?”

“Not yet. I wanted to give you the heads up first. It’s on its way to your email now,” Lorenzo says. I can hear the faint sound of the keyboard clicking through the phone, signifying he’s sending the files as we speak.

“Anything you reckon I should be looking out for?” I ask, my mind already racing through a dozen different scenarios.

“Familiar faces? Lee mentioned you recognized a voice that night but couldn’t place it. Whatever’s on there, it might give us some clues. Maybe show us who drugged you or at least lead us to someone who knows something,” he suggests, his voice laced with a mix of hope and caution.

I run a hand through my hair, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension. “Alright. I’ll watch it and see what I can piece together.”

Lorenzo’s voice takes on a serious tone. “Be careful, Mikhail. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here. This could be bigger than we thought.”

“Understood,” I reply, my voice hardening. “I’ll go through the footage and let you know what I find. Thanks for this, Lorenzo.”

“No problem. We need to get to the bottom of this, for all our sakes,” he responds.

“Yeah, we do,” I agree.

After ending the call, I open the video files. My heart pounds as I prepare to delve into the footage. The night at the restaurant—it’s a blur, a fucking stain in my memory. But now, maybe, I’ll finally get some clarity, some fucking answers.

I stare at the phone for a moment, my mind a tumult of thoughts and emotions. Then, with a deep breath, I open my laptop and pull up my email. The file from Lorenzo sits there, a potential Pandora’s box of truths and revelations. I click on it, my heart pounding in anticipation and dread.

As the footage begins to play, I lean in, ready to dissect every frame, every fucking second. “Let’s see who has a death wish,” I say… but what I find doesn’t make sense.

Why the fuck was she there?

Chapter 10

Gabriette

There’s no such thing as simply ‘getting over’ a miscarriage, even if it only happened a few weeks into your pregnancy. The profound sense of loss and guilt stays with you, and honestly, if I didn’t have my music, I would be drowning in my sadness right now.

It doesn’t help that I don’t have Mikhail here to mourn with me

Being at the penthouse after my time apart from him turned out to be more than I bargained for. The place smelled like him, even if he hadn’t been there in days. It was just… home. It’s my home, and I missed it so damn much.

I miss him so damn much.

Who would have thought? I hated being given to him and yet now I long for my old life.

Lee had said he wouldn’t be home until later that day, so when I went to grab one of the cellos he bought for me, I left an invitation to my solo performance.

We can’t keep avoiding each other and… I haven’t told him about the baby yet. Something has to give, and although what he did left its mark, I know he’s struggling just like I am.

Someone fed into his fears of being betrayed; someone who knew about what Dasha did and used it against him. It makes sense now, since Lee said he received that picture of Damien hugging me from an unknown number.

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