Page 58 of Royal Beast
I nod. “Anatoly’s reign ends now.”
Rory places a stack of files on the desk between us, smacking it with his hand. “If we’re hitting his political contacts, we need precision,” he says, opening the folder on top.
I lean over, scanning the contents. Names, addresses, dates… it’s all evidence Anatoly’s high-ranking allies never wanted to see the light of day. Rory's thorough, as usual.
“These are the officials we know frequent the Delphine Club,” he continues, referring to one of Anatoly’s most exclusivegentlemen’s clubs. “Councilmen, judges, even a couple of senators. They’re not just customers. They’re in his pocket.”
I knew my brother was smart, but this is proof of why, even though he’s second-born, he’s the leader.
“Perfect,” I mutter. “We leak this. Not all the names, just a few, enough to make a stir. Make it clear that Anatoly can’t protect them anymore.”
Rory smirks. “You want the press to eat it up?”
“That’s the point,” I reply. “We feed the reporters just enough to make it look like they’ve uncovered something big. Anatoly’s image takes a hit, and his allies start scrambling to save their own necks.”
Rory nods, tapping the desk thoughtfully. “Who do we leak to? We need someone hungry enough to run with it but not so reckless that they blow our cover.”
“How about Lorelai Hunter?” I ask without hesitation. “You know she’s been itching for an in with us. She’s going to get all she wants and more with this lead. I bet she’ll be looking to keep her best informants happy once we hand this over to her. We’ll turn this into a scandal Anatoly can’t clean up.”
Rory grins. “Good call.”
I sit back, the weight of the plan settling into place. “I’ll arrange to meet with her somewhere discrete and out of the way. If I turn over a select few items, just some photos, transaction records, and a few names, she’ll start digging deeper. It’ll be easy to get her on our side after this.”
Rory hesitates. “And when Anatoly retaliates?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“He’ll be too busy dealing with the fallout,” I tell him. “His allies will start pulling away, and his men will see the cracks in his armor. It’ll destabilize him. That’s when we strike.”
Rory leans forward, his expression serious. “We need to be careful, Kellan. This is high stakes. If we slip up, we’re done for.”
“We won’t. Anatoly’s been a thorn in our side for too long. It’s time to show him what happens when you come after the Brannagans.”
Rory nods, reaching for his laptop. “I’ll start assembling the package. Photos, documents, everything we’ve got on these officials.”
“And I’ll make sure Hunter gets it,” I add. “Once it’s out there, there’s no taking it back. This will be the first domino.”
Rory smirks, his eyes glinting with anticipation. “Then let’s make sure it falls hard.”
Once it’s done, the fallout is immediate.
By that evening, every major news outlet has picked up the story. Grainy photos of high-ranking officials entering and leaving the Delphine Club dominate the headlines, alongside accusations of bribery, racketeering, and ties to organized crime. Anatoly’s name is brought up, woven into the narrative just enough to implicate him without stating it outright.
The next day, I step into the office, the chaos hitting immediately. Phones are ringing off the hook and my cell hasn’t stopped buzzing since six that morning.
“It’s everywhere,” Rory says, standing in the doorway of his office with a cup of coffee in hand, a smug grin on his face. “Everyone is talking about it.”
“Good,” I say, heading for my own office, almost running into Clary, who is busy trying to manage the office phones that are ringing nonstop. Everyone from the press to people from Anatoly’s team are trying to call right now, wanting statements, wanting to make threats, but we’re ignoring it.
I know that the fallout from this is imminent, but for the moment, there’s a sense of satisfaction from hitting Volkov where it hurts. He’s taken too much from us already. I refuse to let him take another thing.
If it’s a war he wants, it’s a war he’ll get.
29
DARCY
As I sit at my desk, staring at my inbox, I sigh, leaning on my hand. Work is a bust today. My only meeting gets canceled at the last minute, leaving me staring at my calendar with nothing to fill the gap. After a few minutes of aimlessly scrolling through emails, I decide to call it quits and head home.
I grab my things and head back to the penthouse. I miss Rose, and a quiet day together feels like exactly what we both need.
