Page 86 of Ruthless Serenade

"You’ve lost me, doc." I’m playing dumb while my mind races.

She lets out a laugh that could shatter glass. "Then let me connect the dots for you, nice and slow. Astoasium. Ring any bells? Your precious Tramoxine may be legal, but that little component isn’t. Quite the oversight on your end." She pauses, savoring the moment. "See, I’m not just Eva’s sister. I’m a clinical psychiatrist who specializes in addiction. I watched that poison eat away at her brain while I tried to save her. But astoasium? That shit’s different." Her voice cracks, but the threat beneath is steel. "When you tossed her aside, she took too much of your illegal cocktail and it killed her. Simple as that."

Shit.

"You see, Mr. Korolev," Rachel’s voice turns lethal, "being a clinical psychiatrist opened all the right doors. Her autopsy report told quite the story." She lets the words hang. "You killed my sister and her unborn child. And as both her sister and a doctor who knows exactly what was in those pills..." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I’m going to make damn sure you pay for every single milligram."

I grind my teeth, muttering curse after curse under my breath. But fuck it. If this bitch wants a war, I’ll give her one. And she won’t fucking like it.

"What do you want?" I ask, each word grinding through my teeth.

"Simple math, Mr. Korolev." Her voice is as cool as ice. "Actions have consequences. Consequences have prices."

The rage builds in my chest like a pressure cooker. "How. Much."

"Ten million. And Tramoxine disappears. Forever."

A savage laugh rips from my throat. She can’t be serious. "You’re fucking delusional, doctor."

"I expected that response." Her cool tone makes my skin crawl. "So let me be clear - this isn’t a negotiation. These are terms."

My grip threatens to shatter the phone. "Is that a threat?"

"A promise." She doesn’t miss a beat. "I’ve been studying you, Mr. Korolev. Very carefully."

"That right? And what bedtime stories have you heard about me?"

"Everything." The smug bitch says. "Your Bratva connections. Organ trade. All that blood money from your dirty deals. And Tramoxine?" Her voice cuts deeper. "Those autopsies tell quite the story. So many victims of your miracle drug."

Ublyudok!

The bitch has to die!

This isn’t some grieving sister with an axe to grind. She’s dug deep, pulled every fucking string, called in God knows how many favors. The kind of intel she has? That takes serious money and even darker connections.

"Still with me, Mr. Korolev?"

"Yeah." It comes out like gravel.

"Good. While you weigh your options, here’s one final factor to consider." A pause. "I know all about Sharon."

The rage hits like a nuclear blast. White-hot. All-consuming.

"If you so much as breathe my daughter’s name again-"

"Oh, but your daughter’s already part of this, isn’t she?" Rachel interrupts, her voice dripping honey-coated venom. "Such a precious little thing. Even with her... defect. Selective mutism, isn’t it? Such a shame. Let’s hope she stays healthy enough to overcome it."

Red bleeds into my vision. Every cell in my body screams for her blood. My knuckles crack against the phone and my heart pounds in my ears. I’m already planning how to hunt this bitch down and tear her to pieces. "Touch her and I’ll-"

"You’ll what?" She cuts through my threat like it’s nothing. "Go to the police? The media? I’m sure they’d love to hear about Tramoxine’s special ingredient. Not to mention your Greatest Hits collection." Her voice hardens. "Ten million. Tramoxine gone. Or your daughter pays for daddy’s sins. Simple math."

I’ve weathered storms before. Survived threats, blackmail, enemies. It’s the cost of doing business in my world. Hell, I could even stomach pulling Tramoxine if I had to. But threatening Sharon? That awakens something primitive. Something lethal.

"You even think about my family," my voice drops to a murderous low, "and they won’t find enough pieces to bury."

Silence stretches for three heartbeats.

"My twin sister was everything to me, Mr. Korolev." Her voice cracks with genuine pain. "You took my other half. The only thing that’ll ease this agony is watching you lose what I lost."

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