Page 53 of Crimson Sin
“My best friend. And the one person who will gladly tell you that men who threaten women at their own celebration don't belong here.”
The words ring with quiet authority. This is my territory now. My kingdom. My family. And I will defend them.
For a heartbeat, Viktor’s mask slips. His smile falters and his eyes darken with the ugliness and violence that he can't quite hide. And I know I've struck him where it hurts. In public, in front of witnesses, where his charm can't cover the crack I've opened in his facade.
The party continues around us in oblivious celebration. A photographer captures the moment from across the room, probably thinking he's documenting a pleasant conversation between the evening's hostess and a distinguished guest. Finally, Viktor exhales a low chuckle, then steps back with a mock bow that's all grace and menace. “Fiery. I like that. You'll be even more fun to break.”
I lean in, my lips curved in a smile sharp enough to cut glass. “You'll never have the chance.”
The fury in his gaze is unmistakable before he masks it again, retreating into the crowd with ease. But I've seen behind the curtain now. I've seen the rage that drives him, and the desperation beneath the polished exterior. And I'm not afraid anymore.
Charlotte lets out a shaky breath, clutching my arm tighter. “Naomi, what the hell was that?”
“That was Viktor Zorin,” I reply, though my heart is pounding, and my blood is rushing in my ears like a symphony of defiance.
When I glance up, Lex is still watching me, his jaw clenched, his brows drawn tight. He saw everything. He knows Viktor's threat was real. But I stood my ground. And for the first time tonight, beneath the ache of Daniil's absence, a quiet realization settles in my mind. I am not just Daniil's liability. I am not just a pawn in this war. I can stand in the lion's den and not be devoured.
19
DANIIL
Lex's voice has the sting of bad news as he delivers the report, but I feel the fire climbing through my veins with every word he utters. Viktor didn't just show his face at Naomi's exhibit. He lingered there like a shadow, whispering poison into the ears of skeptics and sowing doubts where he could. And even worse, he dared to circle Naomi herself, moving close enough that she knew he was there, and his presence was a threat.
The image of Viktor standing too close to what belongs to me tears through me. Wearing that smug smile he reserves for moments when he thinks he's outsmarted everyone in the room. Treating her as though she's already marked as his, and her fate has been decided without my knowledge or consent.
My hands curl into fists on the desk. “She didn't tell me,” I mutter, my voice dropping to that dangerous octave that makes grown men step backward. The betrayal cuts deeper than Viktor's bold move. She knew. She knew he was there, breathing the same air, and she chose silence.
Lex doesn't answer. He knows that my anger needs space to burn before it can be reasoned with. His silence is wise.Any defense of her choice would only fuel the venom already consuming me from the inside out.
I end the call and hit Naomi's number on my phone, my thumb pressing the contact forcefully. She picks up on the second ring, her voice soft and cautious, like she's testing the temperature of water before diving in. “Daniil?”
“Why didn't you tell me?” The question comes out sharp enough to cut steel.
She pauses, and I can hear her breathing on the other end, considering her words carefully. When she finally responds, her tone is steady but defensive. “Because there wasn't an immediate threat. I had Lex, Maksim, and Roman with me. I wasn't unprotected.”
The casual way she dismisses the danger stokes the anger already gnawing at my chest like a living thing. She doesn't understand. She can't comprehend what Viktor's presence means, and what it signals about the war brewing between us. “It was Viktor. Do you think their presence changes anything? Do you understand what it means that he showed up there?”
“I understand perfectly,” she snaps back, her own temper flaring now. “But this was the most important night of my life, Daniil. My dream realized. And you weren’t there. I wasn't going to let your temper ruin it.”
My jaw clenches until I can feel the muscles straining. “My temper? He was there, circling you like a wolf stalking its next meal, and you think I care about anything else?—”
“I didn't want chaos,” she cuts in, her voice rising with each word. “I didn't want my exhibit to become another battlefield for you and Viktor. This was mine, Daniil.Mine.And for onenight, just one night, I wanted to stand in it without you tearing everything apart.”
Her words feel like a slap across my face. Because she's right, and that truth infuriates me more than any lie could. She's right that I would have torn through that gallery like a hurricane and turned her moment of triumph into a scene of violence and chaos. She's right, and I hate her for it.
I rise from my chair abruptly, the leather creaking as I abandon it to pace the length of my office. My voice is scraped raw by the emotions I'm struggling to control. “Do you even hear yourself? You're telling me you'd rather protect your pride than your life.”
“Don't twist my words.” Her voice shakes now, but not with fear, with anger that matches my own. “I wanted one night where I wasn't just your liability, or your burden to bear.”
The word ‘liability’ snaps something fundamental inside me. “Liability? That's what you think you are to me?”
“What else could I be?” she fires back without hesitation. “You drag me into your world, cage me inside your estate like some exotic bird, and now what? You'll keep me under lock and key until Viktor decides to stop haunting your shadow? I want to go home, Daniil. Back to my apartment, and back to my life. I don't need your protection.”
My breath is sharp and quick, my hands curling at my sides as I fight the urge to put my fist through the nearest wall. “You don't need?—”
But she's not finished destroying me yet. Her voice lowers, cutting deep. “Maybe this is about Sasha. Maybe you're just trying to replace her with me. Another woman you can lock away and pretend you're protecting while you play God with her life.”
White-hot fury blinds me completely. “Don't you dare,” I seethe.
