Page 32 of The Bratva's Secret Twins

“I don’t give two fucks who you work for, nor am I interested in knowing who your sponsors are.” I slightly eased the strength of my pull so he would enjoy a few seconds of relief. “You see, my friend, my beef with you is strictly personal; you didn’t just kidnap my milaya…you went ahead and attempted to have your way with her!” I lifted him together with the chair and flung him against the wall.

The man slammed into it, the impact shattering the wooden chair as he dropped treacherously to the ground, groaning and coughing blood.

“Nobody”—I walked up to him and seized his head—“touches my milaya and goes free!” On each word, I dented his skull into the wall, his body convulsing in a desperate bid for survival.

I towered over him, eyes fixed on the struggle playing out on his face as life clung to his battered body by a thread.

He was a traitor to the organization he worked for, and if he was one of my men, he’d suffer a fate worse than death. I was doing his sponsors a favor, eliminating the rats amongst them.

His eyes froze, his body going limp as the life force flickered out. The faint twitch of his limbs ceased, and his chest stilled, no longer struggling to draw in air. The flutter of his eyelids slowed, then stopped, leaving only a vacant stare. A thin trickle of blood traced a path down the wall, a stark contrast to the pale skin that seemed to drain of color before my eyes. The faint gurgle of his final breath whispered through the silence. He was dead.

I adjusted my jacket and cracked my neck.

“Take care of his body,” I said to Andrei and headed out.

“And the others, what should we do with them?”

I stopped in my tracks, pondering for a moment.

“Do with them as you please. But keep them alive. They might come in handy later.”

He nodded, and I left the basement, the creaking steps drowned by the wails behind me.

Heaven dreaded the fate that awaited anyone who would ever lay hands on my milaya again.

People said that I was a madman; some said that I was a demon from the depths of hell, that I was the devil incarnate. But they were wrong—all of them. I wasn’t any of those things—I was worse.

Vivian was mine and mine alone. If anyone tried to find her and got lucky, I would end them without thinking twice, without breaking a sweat.

I knew she saw me as a monster, and she wasn’t wrong. But if the beast in that fairytale could find a beautiful lover, then why couldn’t I?

She would learn to love me whether she liked it or not. Vivian had managed to unlock something in me, something I had buried a long time ago. She was the one I wanted, and I always got what I wanted. She wasn’t like the other girls, but I still couldn’t isolate the exact reason why I liked her so much, why I was obsessed with her.

I walked away from the window and picked up the remote on my table, stretching it toward the TV hanging on the wall. I turned on the CCTV footage of Vivian’s room.

That stubborn beauty was sulking like a petulant child, her full lips pouted and her eyes flashing with defiance. She lay on her bed, her slender body tense with frustration and her usual radiance dimmed by a scowl.

I could sense her anger and resentment emanating from the screen, her body language screaming, Let me go!

A smile lined the corner of my lips as I enjoyed her little show. However, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance at her behavior, yet a part of me wanted to reach out and soothe her ruffled feathers.

As I continued to watch, Vivian’s gaze flickered to the camera, her eyes flashing as if daring me to return to her. My lips curled into a wry smile, acknowledging the silent challenge. She just wouldn’t learn. I knew that look, that spark in her eyes; it was a warning, a signal that she was not to be trifled with. And yet, I was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

I watched her get up and walk around the room aimlessly, occasionally eyeing the camera because she knew I was definitely watching her. With a frown on her face, she walked to the camera and stood under it, seething silently. Instantaneously, she lifted both her middle fingers at the camera before returning to the bed.

“She’s feisty, this one,” Andrei said, walking into the office.

I must have been so carried away by her that I didn’t hear him knocking.

“Yes. A wild one,” I replied and faced him. “A wild one that I will tame.” I took a seat in my chair, letting out a relaxing sigh.

“I don’t doubt that.” Andrei took his eyes off the screen and faced me. “You always get what you want, do what you want…like sinking a whole fucking ship. I have to admit, I did not see the coming.” His tone was polite, but I could tell he wasn’t in approval of what I had done, given that he’d still been amused till now.

“You think it was reckless, don’t you?” I asked, leaning in my chair.

“What I think doesn’t matter,” he replied. “I’m just amused at the length you went for this girl. No one has ever moved you the way this girl does—and I know how obsessed you were with her.”

“That should tell you something,” I replied casually. “I merely sank a ship. Men used to start wars over women back in the day. And you know my rule; whenever I want something, I always get it.”

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