Page 46 of His Grip

The cold edge in his voice made her hesitate, but only for a moment.

"We need to talk," Sofia said, her tone steady despite the storm raging inside her.

That caught his attention. Viktor’s head lifted, his sharp eyes narrowing as they pinned her in place. He leaned back in his chair, exuding a dangerous calm.

"Talk, then," he said. "But be careful what you say."

She hesitated, fingers curling into fists at her sides. There was no easy way to say it, no way to soften the blow.

"It’s about my father," Sofia began, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. "And what he did—to you, to your family."

Viktor froze, his expression darkening like a thundercloud. His voice, when he spoke, was deathly quiet. "Choose your next words carefully, Sofia."

The warning sent a chill through her, but she pressed on. "Konstantin... he wasn’t just involved in laundering money for the Bratva. He—he was part of the plan. The one that led to your family’s deaths."

The silence that followed was deafening, a void that reverberated around the walls of the room. Viktor’s face was unreadable, his eyes locked on hers, but the tension radiating from him told her everything she needed to know.

"You’re lying," he said.

"I’m not," Sofia replied, her voice firm. "He admitted it to me. He was part of the betrayal. He set you up, Viktor."

She saw the moment the truth landed, disbelief giving way to something far darker. Viktor stood abruptly, the force of his movement knocking the chair backward.

"You knew," he said, his voice rising, each word laced with venom. "You knew, and you didn’t tell me."

"I only just found out," Sofia said quickly, taking a step back as he advanced. "I didn’t know how to?—"

"Don’t," Viktor cut her off, his hand slamming down on the desk. "Don’t you dare stand there and make excuses."

His rage was a living thing, filling the room and pressing down on her. For the first time, Sofia felt the full force of Viktor Ivanov’s fury, and it terrified her.

"I was trying to protect you," Sofia said.

"Protect me?" Viktor’s laugh was cold and hollow. "You protected him. Your father. The man who had a hand in murdering my family. And you expect me to believe you didn’t know?"

"I didn’t!" Sofia shouted, tears welling in her eyes. "You think I would keep something like that from you? I hate him for what he did, Viktor. I hate myself for not seeing it sooner."

Viktor wasn’t listening. He turned away, pacing like a caged animal, his hands raking through his hair.

"You should have told me the moment you found out," he said, quieter but no less dangerous.

"I was scared," Sofia admitted. "I didn’t know how you’d react."

Viktor spun to face her, his eyes blazing. "You didn’t know? I’ll tell you how I react, Sofia. I react by questioning every word you’ve ever said to me. Every touch, every look. Was it all a lie?"

His words cut deep, and Sofia felt the tears spill over. "You don’t mean that."

"Don’t I?" Viktor challenged, not hiding the scorn. "You’ve been in my bed, in my life, and all the while, you’ve been hiding this."

"It wasn’t like that," Sofia said, sounding desperate now. "I’m trying to make it right."

"Make it right?" Viktor barked out a laugh. "There’s no making this right, Sofia. Not for him. Not for you."

The room felt like it was closing in, the raw emotion between them a raging storm. Sofia moved closer, her tears falling freely now.

"Please," she choked. "You have to believe me. I’m on your side, Viktor. Always."

Sofia's chest rose and fell rapidly, her heart hammering in her ears as Viktor's cold eyes bore into her. The quiet between them stretched, thick and suffocating, and she could feel every inch of her skin tingling from the fury radiating off him. He was still angry. Still betrayed. And she had no right to expect otherwise.

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