Page 13 of Crown of Hate

They’ve barely disappeared when Semyon walks into the foyer. “Can I have a word?”

I nod and lead the way to my study.

The second the door clicks shut, he rounds on me, “Just one question: what the hell are you doing?”

“Settling down.”

“I don’t trust that girl.”

I plop down on the couch across my desk and cross my legs. “She’s my future wife, not yours. Your trust is irrelevant.”

Semyon’s face contorts, looking like he’s trying to contemplate whether to argue more or give up. He chooses wisely. “When Akim finds out about this… fuck, it could mean all-out war. Why not just follow his original proposal?”

“We’re already at war,” I counter. “This is just the cherry on a bloody sundae. That bastard needs to get the message that peace is off the table until he returns what’s mine.

Semyon paces like a caged animal before finally collapsing beside me. “And the girl? What happens to her when all this is over?”

Truth is, I haven’t planned that far ahead yet. Women usually bore me within a week. But Alya… she’s different. This isn’t just a fling. This is strategy. This is war.

And I fucking love war.

“If she proves entertaining, I might keep her.” I spring to my feet and walk to the minibar at the corner of my office. There, I grab a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. “She’s just a chess piece, Semyon. A useful pawn I’ll transform into a queen. Her father’s name still carries weight. I’ll use her to crush that weight, along with anyone else who gets in my way.”

Returning to the couch, I pour us each a shot.

He downs his in one swig. “How?”

“Beating Boris and Akim doesn’t mean winning the war. That’s just the opening move. Then, I’ll have to earn my men’s loyalty.” I take a sip of my drink, wincing as the liquid fire scorches my throat. “Marrying Vladmir’s only daughter gives me a legitimate right to the throne.” I shrug. “But if that doesn’t work, then bloodshed will.”

Semyon reaches for the tequila bottle. “Ilya won’t like this one bit.”

“Ilya can focus on things in Chicago. That’s his turf now. I’ll help where I can, but my eyes are on Russia. I want what I left behind. Ineedit back. I’ve never hidden my true focus from him.” I swirl my drink, lost in thought.

I talk a big game, but the truth is, I will consult with Ilya… eventually. Not because he’s some big, powerful mob boss, but because he’s my best friend. Because he’s married to my little sister, Kira. They deserve an explanation, even if they both owe me a favor after I rushed back to Chicago after all those years just to save their asses.

If they hadn’t been in trouble, I’d still be ruling the Russian underworld.

I won’t rest until I have the best of both worlds.

“Anything else?” I grunt.

Semyon opens his mouth to say something but stops himself. Instead, he takes another gulp of his drink and slams the empty shot glass on the coffee table. But then it comes out anyway. “That girl will never be your perfect little wife, Mikhail. She’s not docile. She’s not loyal. She’ll run off to Akim first chance she gets.”

My eyes narrow to slits. “That’s for me to worry about. You just focus on figuring out a way for us to break Boris’s grip on his soldiers.”

He nods. “Anything specific you need?”

“A list of all his trusted allies,” I say. “I need to know who to break first. If his own men turn against him, infiltrating his territory will be child’s play.”

“If they can betray him, they can betray you too,” he warns. “You can’t trust them.”

I chuckle. Trust. That word doesn’t exist in the underworld. Anyone can slide a knife into your back at any moment.

Those men turned their backs on me the second I left Russia. I’d be a fool to trust them again. “Fuck their trust. Their fear is all I need.”

“They may not want you as their leader if they fear you,” Semyon argues.

I rub my temple, irritation spiking. Of course, Semyon has always been the deep thinker, carefully strategizing before making a move. But me? I’m a starved animal. I’ll pounce on my prey without hesitation.

---