Page 133 of His Forced Bride
His boy, the one I was supposed to marry, is dead and probably because of the woman I now realize I hate more than anything in my life.
"I want to destroy her," I say, surprised by the steadiness of my own voice.
"Not just stop her—destroy her completely."
Yuri's smile is sharp and approving.
"Good girl."
I stand and walk to the evidence board, studying the web of connections that make up my mother's criminal empire.
Each line represents money stolen, lives ruined, trust betrayed.
But it also represents vulnerability—points where pressure can be applied, weaknesses that can be exploited.
"She's built this network using my reputation and my father's connections," I say, tracing the lines with my finger.
"What happens when those connections turn against her?"
"Elaborate," he says thoughtfully.
"Every legitimate businessman she's partnered with believes they're working with Semyon Mirov's honest daughter. They trust her because they trusted him. But what if they learned the truth about what she's really using their partnerships for?"
Understanding dawns in Yuri's eyes.
"They'd cut ties immediately. No one wants to be associated with money laundering and arms dealing."
"More than that. They'd be furious at being used, at having their own reputations put at risk. Some of them have connections to law enforcement, government officials, international trade organizations."
I move to another section of the board, pointing at the financial records.
"She's been very careful to keep the dirty money separate from the clean money, but there are crossover points. Transaction fees, currency exchanges, timing correlations that would be obvious to forensic accountants."
"You want to expose the entire operation."
"I want to burn it to the ground." I can feel the hatred laced through my words and it feels good, like a drug making my body come alive.
"I want her to watch everything she's built crumble around her. I want her partners to turn against her, her employees to abandon her, her reputation to be destroyed so thoroughly that no one will ever trust her again."
Yuri studies me with new respect, and I realize I've passed some kind of test.
He's seeing me not as a victim to be protected, but as an ally capable of strategic thinking and ruthless action.
"It would take time to orchestrate," he says.
"Careful coordination with law enforcement agencies, financial regulators, international partners."
"But it would be thorough."
"Completely. By the time we're finished, she won't just be broke—she'll be radioactive. No criminal organization would risk associating with her."
The plan begins taking shape in my mind, each step building on the last.
We'd need to coordinate the revelations carefully, ensure that every aspect of her network was exposed simultaneously so she couldn't shift resources or warn her partners.
It would require patience, precision, and the kind of strategic thinking that my mother taught me through her own betrayal.
She made one critical mistake in her planning.
