Page 6 of Sinful Embers

“Yes,” Nikolas replies. “Your mother and my late sister, Thea, were best friends. They met at an elite Swiss boarding school.” His eyes softening and there’s something in his tone as he speaks about my mother that puts an edge on my nerves. “Galina spent a lot of time visiting us in Greece and London when she was younger. Your mother met Carlos on numerous occasions.”

The mention of his sister blindsides me. “Thea was your sister?”

His voice tightens, his jaw clenching. “Yes. And we believe Carlos killed her as well.”

The weight of his words presses down on me. “Jesus,” I mutter. “Was he cleaning house? Trying to wipe out the Vasilikis family to get his hands on the Matriarch money?”

Nikolas nods grimly. “We believe so. He wants to hand it to his lover.” His eyes narrow dangerously. “Matriarch Corporation isn’t just powerful—it’s a cornerstone of global innovation, and it always has been. It was founded during World War II by my great-grandmother, a widowed Greek immigrant who developed groundbreaking electronics to aid the British war effort. What began as a small operation manufacturing radar components and cryptographic devices quickly grew into an empire. By the time the war ended, Matriarch was already branching into consumer electronics and early computing.”

He pauses, his jaw tightening. “Over the decades, the company has expanded into automotive technology, state-of-the-art recording equipment, private banking, and advanced military weaponry. It doesn’t just touch lives—it controls industries, governments, and even the flow of information.”

The weight of his words settles heavily in the room, but Nikolas doesn’t stop. “Matriarch has always remained in Vasilikis hands. By tradition, it passes to the eldest sibling of the family. That means it’s mine—or my heir’s—until the day I die. And Carlos knows that. He knows that if he becomes me, he doesn’t just take my name or my life. He takes Matriarch. The control. The power. Everything.”

The air feels thinner as his words sink in. Fuck. I’d known Matriarch was powerful—my mother had made sure of that—but this... this is an entirely different league. This isn’t just about wealth or status. It’s control. Global, all-encompassing control.

And Leigh—my wife—is part of that legacy. By marrying her, I’ve tied myself to one of the most influential families in the world. Nikolas isn’t just sharing this to explain Carlos’s obsession—he’s warning me. I’ve stepped into a world far bigger,far more dangerous, than I ever imagined. My enemies already circle like vultures. If Leigh claims what’s hers, the stakes will be beyond anything I’m prepared for.

I exhale slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. “Lover?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at Nikolas, needing to find the thread that ties Carlos to all of this.

Nikolas exhales sharply, leaning back. “My cousin, Carlos, is head over heels in love with the head of that fucking Russian syndicate—obsessively so.”

“Really?” My brows raise curiously.

Nikolas gives a curt nod. “Twenty years ago, Carlos’s father, Costa Senior, disowned him, with full support from my father and Carlos’s identical twin brother, Costa Junior.”

“Why was he disowned?” I press.

Nikolas’s expression becomes grim. “Our fathers wanted Carlos to marry a heiress. They wanted something innovative her father designed. But Carlos refused. He came out as gay and declared he was already in love.”

I wince, knowing they’re Greek, and how, if they were religious, that would go down. “Strict Greek Orthodox family?”

He snorts bitterly. “Exactly. Carlos wouldn’t comply. They disowned him.” Nikolas shakes his head. “My family doesn’t fuck around when it comes to things like that. My father and uncle were fair, but go against them…”

“Yeah, I can relate.”

Nikolas nods. “Carlos disappeared for a year after that, and during that time, a Russian syndicate rose in Europe. Guess who was affiliated with them?”

“Carlos,” I whisper, the name heavy on my tongue.

“Not just affiliated with them either. Carlos is the leader of the Russian syndicate’s right-hand man,” Nikolas says, his voice sharp. He glances down at the screen, his jaw tightening. “That Russian bastard stays hidden in the shadows and uses Carlosas the face of the syndicate.” His gaze darkens further. “Let me correct that statement—he uses my face as the face of the syndicate.”

I scoff, leaning back in my chair. “Fuck, he really does look like you. Are you sure he’s not obsessed with you?”

Nikolas lets out a brittle laugh, the sound cold and humorless. “He’s always been jealous. It’s not just about looking like me—it’s about what I have. Matriarch, Archontis... everything he couldn’t touch.” He shakes his head, his lips twisting in disdain. “He hates that I was set to inherit it all while he was left with far less than what he thinks he deserves.”

My eyes narrow as I consider his words. “What I don’t understand, is why he’d want to become you, if your mother and Mark think you killed your father, uncle, and cousins.” I pause, then add thoughtfully, “If the heir to two such powerful empires was seen to align with a Russian syndicate, it would destabilize everything—the companies, the shareholders, and the military wouldn’t be too happy about that especially because you mentioned Matriarch created weapons.” I raise my brows knowingly. “Not to mention the scandal it would cause if it got out that the very same heir aligning with a Russian syndicate also killed his father, sister, uncle, and cousins.”

Nikolas exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “They didn’t know who’d killed my father and uncle for a few months after it happened.” His jaw tightens, and I can see the weight of the memories pressing down on him. “But after Thea was killed, the agency and I decided we had to sever Carlos’s connection to Matriarch completely. We figured the only place he’d have left to go was the syndicate.”

“How did you do that?” I prompt curiously.

I can see whatever’s coming has haunted him. “We sent a recording to my mother and Mark—the agency I work for doctored the security footage I had taken from the companythe day Carlos had killed my father and uncle. The footage showed Carlos, looking like me, standing in the boardroom and announcing that he didn’t need Matriarch anymore. He claimed he was building something far bigger with his partner—the king of a new Russian syndicate.”

My brows shoot up, startled. “You framed yourself? That’s fucked up.”

“We knew what my mother would do.” Nikolas’s voice was bleak. “She’d be forced to have to cut me completely out of everything associated with Matriarch and her family’s organizations. To protect them, and Leigh.”

“By declaring you dead.” Realization dawns on me. “That way if the video was leaked or Carlos did anything as you, she had plausible deniability.”

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