"So, are you going to tell us the phone number or what?" Ivan asked, his tone firm.
"I told you, I don't know the phone number!" The man exclaimed, his voice shaky with fear.
"Very well," Ivan said, his gaze piercing as he began to emit toxic pheromones. As the noxious scent filled the room, Dominik started to gag, struggling to breathe.
"What the—" he grunted, his voice choking.
"I'll ask you again, what is the number?" Ivan pressed on, crouching down to face Dominik, who was struggling to breathe.
"Can't breathe properly anymore?" he taunted. "Just give us what we need," he demanded in a low, menacing tone.
For Dominik, it felt like a poisonous gas had engulfed the room.
Everly watched in silence, her brow furrowed with concern, but her mind focused on getting the crucial information she needed.
Unable to bear the suffocating effects of the pheromones any longer, Dominik yelled out with his last breath, "Fine!"
Upon hearing this, Ivan stood up and stopped emitting the toxic scent, allowing Dominik to gasp for air.
"Are you finally going to speak now?" Everly asked.
"Yes," Dominik agreed, his voice strained.
At that moment, the door opened and Sergei and Ania entered.
"Perfect timing, you two!" Everly exclaimed, relief evident in her tone. "He finally decided to talk," she added, her eyes fixed on Dominik.
"Take note, Sergei," Ivan instructed, prompting Sergei to retrieve a small paper and pen from his tuxedo pocket. Ivan fixed a stern gaze on Dominik. "Well?" he urged.
Dominik snapped back to reality. "Ah, yes, the number is 117-636-782," he blurted out.
Sergei's pen clicked as he jotted down the digits. "Here you go, sir," he said, handing the paper to Ivan, who then passed it to Everly.
Ivan turned back to Dominik. "This number better be legit because if it turns out you lied to us, you don't want to know what will happen," he threatened, his tone chilling.
Dominik nodded frantically. "I swear this is the number she calls with," he insisted, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Fabulous, we finally got something," Ania chimed in, her tone cheerful. "May I see the number?" she requested.
Everly handed her the paper, and Ania studied it intently.
She studied the numbers on the paper for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright, I should be able to locate where the number last called from,"
"You can do that?" Everly asked, a hint of amazement in her voice.
"I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it, darling," Ania replied, flicking her hair with a smirk. "I'll look into it when I get home and inform you two when I get any updates," she added.
Everly beamed with gratitude. "Thank you very much, Ania. You have no idea how grateful I am for all your help."
Ania chuckled. "Don't mention it. It's not every day I get to put my knowledge when it comes to tech to good use," she said with a shrug.
Everly then turned to Ivan, her expression softening. "You too, Ivan. Thank you," she said with a sigh of relief.
Ivan smiled warmly and pulled her close. "I promised you I'd help you avenge your mother, didn't I? And I never break my promises, so I'm not stopping until you get what you want," he assured her. "Now, why don't you go rest for now? I have somewhere to be shortly," he suggested.
"I'm going to stay over for a while before going home," Ania interjected before picking up her purse and exiting the room.
Everly nodded gratefully before following Ania out, ready to finally get some much-needed rest.
As they strolled through the mansion's grand hall, Ania struck up a conversation. "So, how is living with my brother? Does he treat you well?" She inquired, casting a curious glance at Everly.
Everly's smile widened. "Yeah, Ivan is really kind and takes care of me," she replied warmly.
"Like he should! If he ever does anything stupid, just call me and I'll give him a piece of my mind, hmph," Ania declared with a hint of playful sternness.
Everly couldn't help but laugh at Ania's protective stance. "You two must get along really well, huh? He refuses to tell me anything about his family. That day at the warehouse was actually my first time finding out he even had a little sister. The only information you can find about him online is that he's a super rich and famous businessman," Everly explained with a sigh.
Ania chuckled knowingly. "I understand. Our family is really secretive and he's never on the same page as my parents," she revealed with a shrug. "Our parents are a bit... you know. I'm the only one he gets along with," she added with a smirk.
Everly continued to regard Ania with admiration. "I can see why. You're an amazing sister," she complimented sincerely.
"Aww, thanks, darling," Ania couldn't help but chuckle. "My goodness, how long is this hallway?" She remarked, glancing around.
"I know, right? That's what I've been saying too," Everly chimed in, and they shared a laugh.
The door to Everly's room swung open as they both entered, and Everly settled onto the bed. Ania wasted no time and immediately headed to the walk-in closet. "Oh my stars, what is this, the 90s?" she exclaimed from inside the closet.
Curious, Everly got up from the bed and joined Ania at the closet door. "What?" she asked.
Ania emerged from the closet, shaking her head in disbelief. "Ivan bought all this, didn't he?" she questioned.
Everly chuckled softly. "Yeah, he ordered them for me."
"Of course," Ania remarked. "What do you mean 'of course'?" Ivan interjected as he entered the room. "Is something wrong with them?" he added, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.
"Well, not really. They're just so sophisticated. I'm not surprised though, you never were the brightest when it comes to fashion," Ania teased, shaking her head.
Ivan rolled his eyes. "Well, I didn't buy them myself. I just paid and asked my designer to deliver her finest clothes," he explained, retrieving his watch from the small shelf next to the bed and putting it on.
Everly couldn't help but chuckle at their banter.
"Aha!" Ania exclaimed, emerging from the closet. "How about we go on a little shopping spree?" she suggested, waving Ivan's card around mischievously.
Ivan pointed a finger at her. "Hey, you better be careful with that and spend responsibly!"
Ania rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Isn't this one of your many cards, and the money in here isn't even anything near your net worth?" she retorted.
"Still, be responsible," Ivan insisted before turning to Everly. "I'll be off now, my dear. The other car key is inside this shelf, you two can take it" he said with a smile before leaving the room.
"So, what do you say?" Ania asked, waving the card around enticingly.
Everly chuckled. "Sure, why not? It's been a while since I went shopping," she agreed, looking forward to some time out with Ania.