LUCA
The heavy door thudded shut behind Sasha's defiant form, and I let out a slow exhale, tension I hadn't realized I was holding bleeding from my shoulders. Our initial confrontation had been...invigorating, to say the least.
Sasha Ivanov was unlike any adversary I'd faced before. Beautiful yet brutally self-possessed, her fiery spirit was a breath of fresh air in the stale, sycophantic world I ruled. Most would have wilted under the weight of my stare, cowed by my reputation and authority. But not Sasha. If anything, her full lips had curved with perverse delight at the chance to spar with me.
I sank back into the buttery leather of my chair, swirling the aged scotch as I replayed our charged encounter. There was something intoxicating about her, a raw, feral edge that called to the predator lurking beneath my own carefully cultivated facade.
She was a threat, make no mistake. Her very presence in my sanctuary was a slap in the face, boldly demonstrating just how laughably inadequate my security measures were. Had her timing been different, had my men not intercepted her at that crucial moment, she could have walked away with information potent enough to dismantle everything I'd built.
I'd give her this, she has honed her skills in such a short time. She has attempted to do this shit several times before, but I let her slip away.
You ask me why?
Well, being sitting on this chair is so boring that I could only get my amount of entertainment through her. I always knew she was a threat since she thinks my family is behind her family's murder.
Dmitri, my guard, has warned me and told me to kill her, but he doesn't know if she disappeared, I would get bored to hell.
But she's is getting on my nerves since a few month, and I'm letting her get away, even hiding all about her from the bratva members.
Which I know would put me in a tight position if they finds out about her, and that she could put entire bratva into problems.
The thought made my fist tighten around the heavy tumbler until my knuckles turned white. Allowing an adversary like her to gain a foothold was tantamount to leaving my throat exposed to the enemy's blade. Self-preservation demanded I deal with the Sasha situation swiftly and permanently.
And yet, a larger part of me couldn't help but be captivated by the challenge she presented.
For too long, I'd been surrounded by sniveling sycophants, so eager to curry favor that they'd never dare to cross me or speak their minds. But Sasha? She looked at me as one would a rabid beast—with derision and a complete lack of fear. It was...refreshing, in a manner of speaking.
A predatory smirk curved my lips as I envisioned the flame-haired beauty prowling the halls of my home, that defiant tilt to her chin a dagger aimed straight at my dominance. Having her under my roof was a risk, to be certain. But it was also an intriguing opportunity to unravel the mystery of Sasha Ivanov and determine exactly what roles she and her family's fallen syndicate played in my father's demise.
Yes, I would keep her close, watch her every move like a hawk until I gleaned every last secret she harbored. Because something told me that Sasha would prove to be far more dangerous than she appeared at first glance. And after clawing my way to the top of this criminal empire, I would not allow one woman's agenda for vengeance to bring about my downfall.
Not even if a reckless part of me found her fiery spirit effortlessly intriguing.
The hard line of my jaw softened infinitesimally as I threw back the remainder of my scotch, the smoky liquid burning its way down my throat. This was a complicated game Sasha and I were playing, filled with far more layers than I could have anticipated.
But if there was one thing I prided myself on, it was being an avid student—and a ruthlessly efficient player, no matter how high the stakes might rise.
I would solve the puzzle that was Sasha Ivanov. By seduction or force, I would uncover every last secret she harbored.
And once I did, she would finally understand that in my world, I didn't just make the rules.
I was the fucking rule.
I drained the last of the scotch and set the glass down with a dull thunk, savoring the slow burn in my throat. My mind was already shifting gears, rapidly calculating my next moves when it came to the wildfire that was Sasha Ivanov.
I couldn't allow her unfettered access to my home, not when her agenda remained so hazardously unclear. But neither could I simply eliminate her—not without risking the backlash of her powerful family's allies. For now, keeping her close and under watchful eye was the only prudent recourse.
The door opened without preamble, and Dmitri shouldered his way inside, his hulking frame filling the room with an almost oppressive presence. He moved with the coiled grace of a predator, ever poised to strike at the first sign of a threat to me or my dominion.
"It's been handled," he grunted in way of greeting, folding his burly arms across his barreled chest.
A faint smirk curved my lips at his typical stoicism. Good old Dmitri. Brutal efficiency was his calling card, which made him uniquely suited for the task I had in mind.
"Miss Ivanov has been...secured?"
"In one of the safe rooms, per your orders." His dark gaze narrowed infinitesimally. "You want me to keep an eye on her?"
"Personally," I stated, already knowing his response. "I don't want that fiery little vixen left unsupervised for a second."
Dmitri's mouth curved in a ghost of a smile—as close as the cold-blooded Russian got to expressing amusement these days. "Does she really pose that much of a threat?"
"I think you've grown soft in your old age, brother," I chided with a hint of bite. "Need I remind you how easily she bypassed our systems before that ambush in the vault? The woman is resourceful...and fueled by an agenda I have yet to decipher fully."
Dmitri's smile turned feral, revealing a flash of blunted teeth. "So she needs to be...handled, then?"
I leaned back, steepling my fingers as I contemplated his meaning. Did I want Sasha Ivanov dealt with permanently? The logical part of my mind screamed yes—that I should cut off this particular snake's head before it had a chance to strike again. And yet...
"Not yet," I said after a loaded moment. "For now, I want you to keep close watch over our...guest. Learn her habits, her behaviors. Discover what makes her tick."
Dmitri frowned, the furrow of his heavy brow conveying his lack of understanding loud and clear. "You want me to study her?"
"I want you to shadow her," I clarified with a pointed look. "Follow her every move, anticipate her plans before she can execute them. Become a silent specter in her life, always lingering, always watchful."
Understanding flickered in Dmitri's dark eyes, and he gave a curt nod of acknowledgment. "And if she tries anything?"
A cold, merciless smile curved my lips. "Then I expect you to stop her by any means necessary."
"Understood." Dmitri pivoted on his heel, already moving toward the door with that predatory grace. Only the barest hint of curiosity made him pause, his broad shoulders filling the frame as he shot me an assessing look. "This one must be special, for you to go to such lengths."
I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking beneath my weight as I stared at the ornate woodwork, seeing nothing but fiery tresses and defiant green eyes. "Maybe so," I mused, more to myself than my brother. "Or maybe she's simply more dangerous than she lets on."
More dangerous...and more alluring. But that forbidden spark of interest would be ruthlessly extinguished, no matter how brightly it attempted to burn.
One did not build an empire like mine through sentiment or leniency. My world was one of cold hard dominance and control.
And if Sasha Ivanov thought she could unravel the meticulously balanced life I'd created, she would soon discover just how swiftly I could undo hers.