Page 6 of Relentless Sinner

Cillian and I were able to get to Estes before he boarded his flight.

The motherfucker tried to run the moment he saw us. He managed to get outside in the parking lot. That’s where we caught up with him and took him and his men down.

Now for the next phase of the night.

Home is a welcome sight after a long, fucked-up day.

My Gothic-inspired manor looms before me at the end of the long, winding driveway, like a dark fantasy painting with the silver moon in the background.

Its towering spires pierce the dark, wispy sky, and gargoyles cling to the gables of the roof, their stone eyes watching over the grounds like silent guardians.

This house is one of my biggest achievements in life. While everyone else in the family was either given their mansions and millions when they reached a certain age, I bought everything I own. And I’m a billionaire.

I’m a weapons technology engineer by trade. Like most of the men in my family I work at Bortsov Tech, my family’s weapons technology company. My side hustle is trading stocks. That’s what got me my own empire outside the family business. I also like investing in other businesses and ventures.

My mind is always looking for new ways of expanding and reaching new heights. But there are some things in life—like being Pakhan—that have to be earned, even with the money behind it.

That is the only thing I want from my father. I no longer care about getting his love or respect. Those are as mythical to me as unicorns and leprechauns.

Any love and respect that existed in my father’s cold black heart was reserved for Jacob, my brother. Those emotions died with him.

Jacob was supposed to be Pakhan when Father retires. It was a given. Father always said so. Were Jacob still alive, there would be no questions asked, no hoops to jump through and no one to challenge him.

Not like with me.

Fate was already against me for being the second-born son. Although subordinate positions are inherited in the Vysotsky Bratva the rules change when there is to be a new leader.

The current leader is allowed to call the shots, so my father could have picked me. Problem solved. But because he hates me I had to fight for my birthright. Something that should be rightfully mine.

No one works harder than me in the company and the Bratva yet my father sought to screw with me by making me compete against my cousin Levi for the position.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that the old man is breaths away from his deathbed and isstillscrewing with me. It’s always been that way.

This is just the one fucking time that matters most.

That’s why I had to bring my game to the table and find a way to win hands down without leaving any room for anyone to fuck with me.

Marrying Gabriella De Costa does that.

She and her sister are heirs to Exyian, an oil and gas company worth over four hundred billion dollars.

Salvatore doesn’t own it. His wife did. She left it to her daughters, who would become the legal owners once they turned twenty-fiveandgot married.

Natasha turned twenty-five last month. Gabriella will be twenty-five next fall.

Salvatore already had Natasha set to wed one of his lackeys when I stormed in like a wild card and tied his hands behind his back in such a way that he will never be able to unravel himself.

Natasha will still own half the companyifshe gets married, but owning the other half with Gabriella is more than plenty for me and will serve its purpose.

When I hit my father with the news of my marriage to her he couldn’t believe it. Our company earns billions but having an on-par oil and gas company under our belt would take us to the next level. More importantly, it would mean achieving a higher rank in the Creed.

With the exception of its leader, Dante Levitsky, membership and status in the Creed is based on wealth. The seat you hold at the high table is representative of that. We are the only Bratva at the table with a lower rank.

Dante is the head, Virgo Antonov is his second-in-command and holds the second seat, Brahm Sluskia holds the fourth seat. We hold the eighth seat, falling behind the Italians and the second Irish clan, which my father absolutely loathes. He especially hates the Irish—Cillian in particular, because he holds the third seat.

That’s not likely to change because Dante, Virgo and Cillian have an alliance on their own, but my new venture will bump us up to the fifth seat. That is something that no one else in my family has managed to do.

When I reach the drive I see Salvatore’s car parked in front of the house.

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