Page 48 of Used By the Merciless Bratva
His gaze held mine until I blinked.
He’s not lying.
And I fucking hated it. I should be able to hate him.
I walked past him and stormed out of the office without another word.
Chapter 14 – Danil
The air in the meeting room was heavy with the scent of old leather and expensive cigars. The room itself was a relic—a circular library at the heart of the estate where generations of Yezhov leaders gathered to discuss the affairs of the Bratva. Today, it was filled with familiar faces. The old guard, Lidia among them, were seated around the large, polished table. Konstantin and my other Yezhov brothers were present. And of course, Feliks Durov.
The meeting was a formality, an operational discussion about the recent resurgence of our enemies after the whole Sivella Holdings scandal. Everyone believed it was a reaction to the public news of my marriage to Katria and the official transfer of her assets. They saw it as an opportunity to weaken us, to test our strength.
But I knew the truth was something else entirely. My primary purpose for this meeting had nothing to do with external threats. It was about internal ones.
I had a single objective: to watch Feliks closely.
I hadn’t told anyone about the video on the thumb drive Katria had found. It was a secret I intended to keep until I had all the pieces of the puzzle. It was a single piece of evidence that could either prove her father a liar or expose a traitor in my own ranks.
The video showed Feliks. Feliks, the man my father had trusted, the man I had trusted, being accused by Katria’s father of laundering money. My mind kept going back to the way her father had looked in that video, the dare in his eyes. And then I remembered the way Feliks had looked at Katria at the party, his smile just a little too fake, a little too strained.
I played along, acting casual and nonchalant, my face a perfect mask of bored authority. I greeted everyone, my voicecalm and even. I even thanked Feliks again for the party, the words feeling like ash on my tongue. He just smiled, a thin, knowing expression.
My eyes went to Irene, who was standing beside Konstantin, a silent battle already brewing between them. They had always been at odds, a cold war between two people who could not see eye to eye on anything, not even a sunny day. The only Yezhov Irene had ever been friends with was me, a silent ally in her feud with my cousin.
The meeting started, and I sank back in my chair, listening as the reports were read, my mind elsewhere. I was watching Feliks, noting every subtle shift of his weight, every glance, and every movement of his hands. I was looking for a sign, for something, anything that would tell me he knew the thumb drive was gone.
The meeting continued, everyone giving their reports. I listened with half an ear, my focus a sharp point on Feliks. My mind kept relaying the image of the thumb drive, the video of Katria’s father’s. I was waiting for him to make a move. And he didn’t disappoint.
In the middle of a discussion about our current financial standing, Feliks spoke up. “Danil, if I may interrupt? I have a proposal.”
“Speak your mind, Feliks,” I said, my voice even.
He leaned forward, his smile confident. “To generate capital for our new operations, I propose we sell one of the other shell companies to some foreign investors. A clean sake. No ties to the Bratva. It’s an easy way to get some cash flow without dipping into our main accounts.”
My blood ran cold. The words were a red flag waving in front of me. Selling one of the older shell companies wasn’t about making money; it was about covering tracks. On the trail, Ifelt a chill run down my spine. This was it. This was exactly what I had suspected. The man was a rat trying to clear his own name.
I kept my face a perfect mask.
“And where did you get this idea?” I asked, my tone casual, as if the thought had just occurred to me.
Feliks’s smile didn’t waver. “It’s a standard move. We’ve done it before, when we need to generate quick cash. The company is old, hasn’t been used in years.”
“That’s exactly my point,” I said. “It’s old. It’s a ghost company. Why sell it now? We’re not short on funds. Why not just fund operations from our main accounts, as you said?”
Feliks’s smile tightened just a fraction, a crack in his face. He was getting nervous. “It’s about perception, Danil. It’s a statement. The Bratva is so rich, we’re selling assets just for fun. It keeps our enemies guessing.”
I looked at him, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. A man like Feliks, who had been with my family for decades, did not panic. I knew then, without a single doubt, that the thumb drive video was real. That he was the traitor.
“Matvey,” I said, turning to my brother. “What do you think of this idea?”
Matvey, ever the pragmatist, shook his head. “The Bratva is rich enough to fund operations without selling pre-owned assets. I don’t see the need.”
His words fueled Feliks. He leaned forward, his voice a little too loud now, a little too strained. “It’s a smart move! It’s a strategic move! Why not take advantage of an opportunity like this?”
I just watched him, my mind already ten steps ahead. He was desperate. He was arguing too much. He was trying to push this through. And I wasn’t going to let him.
“I agree with Matvey,” I said, a dangerous calm in my voice. “The Bratva is rich. We don’t need to sell off our assets. We can fund our operations from our main accounts.”
