Page 3 of Shadows of Obsession

That sound. God, I hate that sound.Eleven years of hospital visits and it still turns my stomach.

Is ironic, really. Blood and torture? Those bring me peace, sometimes even pleasure. But these machines at Northwestern? They set my teeth on edge.

I've walked these halls monthly since Victoria was six, since epilepsy decided to make itself at home in my baby sister's brain. Darkest day of my life, that diagnosis. You'd think watching our parents die would've been worse - hell, running Chicago's Russian mafia, death's just part of the business. But seeing Victoria seizing on our kitchen floor that Christmas Eve? That image is burned into my soul. I was twenty then, and even now, over a decade later, the fear of losing her still keeps me up at night.

"Mr. Borisov?" A voice cuts through my thoughts. I look up to find a nurse watching me with that familiar hint of unease in her eyes. It's nothing new - everyone in Chicago knows who we are, or at least they think they do. To most, we're just another success story, a family that struck gold in business. Sure, some suspect there's more to it, but with half the police force in our pocket, suspicions are just that - suspicions.

"She done?" I ask, already knowing Victoria's checkup schedule by heart. She should be walking out any minute now.

"Yes, sir. The doctor will be right with you," she manages, scurrying away with one last anxious glance over her shoulder.

I could've put Victoria in any private hospital, kept her under constant watch. But thankfully, her seizures are rare - they only hit when something triggers them. Truth is, I keep coming to this public hospital for one reason: Kai. Known him forever, and he's the only doctor who'll give it to me straight, no sugarcoating. Not afraid of me either, which is pretty damn ironic considering he saves lives while I take them. But hey, I've seen weirder friendships. He gets my world, and I respect his need to stay in his.

“Roman,” he says, already heading to his office, “we need to talk. Victoria will join us in a minute - she's already up to speed on what I'm about to tell you.” His office is basically a glorified closet - honestly, I've seen walk-in wardrobes bigger than this. I've offered to throw some money his way, get him a proper space, but Kai being Kai, he redirected every cent to the new oncology wing. Even someone like me knows cancer's the real monster in this world. If my blood money can help fight that battle...well, at least some good comes from what I do.

"What do you want to discuss? Is something wrong with her tests?" I ask while sitting down and notice a bit too late the tone I've started with. It's the one I use with my employees and soldiers and sometimes it's too much for normal people, but Kai doesn't even blink twice and answers me while pouring coffee into his cup.

"I want Victoria to wear a monitoring bracelet," he tells me while sitting down and taking a sip of coffee, and I gesture for him to continue.

"We're collaborating with a small company that's trying to help the medical field, and their latest prototype they sent us has been very useful, so I thought we could test it on Victoria," he says and looks at me waiting for a reaction.

"Why does she need monitoring?" I ask while taking his cup to get two sips of coffee because, damn, it's eight in the morning and my head already hurts.

"Victoria still has seizures where we couldn't identify the stress factor, and I was thinking that if we could have some concrete data at the moment they happen, we could deduce what's causing them," he tells me, and I understand what he's talking about. Although Victoria's episodes are rare and many are justified by school stress or when something upsets her strongly, there have been episodes for which we have no explanation, and the only way I can keep her safe without locking her in the house is to know what triggers these episodes.

"Alright, if you think it can help us," I tell him while taking my phone from my suit pocket and calling my brother, Niko, who answers almost instantly. I don't even let him say good morning before I tell him the decision I just made.

"I need to buy a company. Now!"

Kai confirms Victoria’s next appointment and says something about a visit to test the new bracelet and its statistics.

After dropping Victoria at her ballet studio, I head to one of our warehouses, where a weapons shipment is due. Lately, I've been trying to delegate more responsibilities because of these daily migraines.

Fury floods my veins as I feel control slipping between my two personalities. The monster in me wants to break free from my 'CEO' version - too charismatic and soft for its taste. Maintaining these two facades daily is becoming increasingly exhausting.

Niko's already at the warehouse, talking with Denis, our cousin. We grew up together - his father died when he was a child, and his mother moved onto our property with him when my mother decided her sister couldn't stay in Moscow with a five-year-old boy.

“Ro, heard we acquired a medical bracelet company,” Denis says, amusement making his blue eyes sparkle.

“Yes. Kai thinks they have potential, and I agree.” That's all I offer because he doesn't need to know about Victoria and how this bracelet will help her.

“Is it profitable?” Denis asks, glancing at Niko, knowing who's the numbers guy between the two of us.

“Not yet, but it will be,” Niko offers before looking my way.

His hair's messy and his navy suit looks slightly rumpled.

“Rough night?” I ask though I know the answer.

My brother probably has a woman on speed dial for every square foot of this city. I swear, if I didn't know he had brains, I'd have him tested for every disease, with all the sex he has.

He fixes me with his sage-green stare while that stupid smile plays on his lips - his eternal expression that I bet his lovers adore.

“You should ask Lorelai. She spent all night on her knees.”

Denis and I both laugh at that. Knowing Niko, that woman probably had to beg him to get on her knees.

“Friday's shipment secured?” I ask Denis.

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