Chapter 4 - chapter four- kanat

I've been taking care of Daria since she was 16. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I was in love. It wasn't the kind of love you read about in books—no, this was something deeper, more primal. I was drawn to her like nothing else in my life had ever mattered. It was a summer day, the kind that leaves a golden glow over everything.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬—𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭, 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐍𝐨, 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰, 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬.

From that day forward, I made it my mission to watch over her. No one else would understand her the way I did. She was too pure, too untouched by the ugliness of the world. And I couldn't let anyone hurt her. Not ever. She had no idea I was there, always in the background, ensuring her safety. Every step she took, every move she made, I was watching. I knew where she went, who she spoke to, what she liked. It became my life's purpose to shield her from the filth that surrounded her. And even though she had no clue of my existence, it didn't matter. I didn't need recognition. My love for her was beyond something as shallow as acknowledgment. As long as she was safe, as long as she was untouched by the cruelty of the world, I was satisfied.

every eyes that was ever laid on her with indecent intentions, i burnt them. every hands that ever tried to touch her, i sliced them. every human who ever tried to harm her, i made sure they regretted being born.

This place, this cesspool of filth masquerading as humanity, is far too fucked up The people here? They're a joke, walking disasters who have no right to breathe the same air as Daria. They don't deserve it—none of them do. And yet, it's their blessing, their one stroke of luck in this rotten life, that they've had the privilege to exist in the same space as her.

They'll never know what that means. They'll never understand how unworthy they are of the ground she walks on, that's what makes their head full of dicks

But I know. I see the difference, the gulf between her and the rest of these broken creatures. These cunts should be grateful, yet they live in their ignorance, blind to the fact that their proximity to her is the closest they'll ever come to something pure, something perfect.

I come from a family steeped in wealth and power, with generations of influence running through our veins. My father, Andrey Dorofey, is not just a renowned businessman—he's the head of the Solntsevskaya Bratva, one of the most feared criminal syndicates in the world. He rules the underground like a king, and I, his one and only child, was always seen as his greatest blessing, his heir. In my family, failure wasn't an option. And growing up, I made sure to live up to the expectations. Whether through brilliance or brute force, anything I pursued became mine.

From the moment I was born, Everything came easily to me—learning, mastering, conquering. Whatever I set my sights on, I got. No exceptions. Whether it was wealth, knowledge, or people, nothing ever stood in my way, learning any new thing -no brainier for me,i am gifted. i joined this company because of her and  that's the only reason i learned programming , just so i could be with her, just so i can look at her beautiful face.

I abandoned the throne that was rightfully mine, not because I lacked the courage to rule, but because my father refused to let me pursue the one thing that truly mattered to me—Daria. My father, a man of immense power, is the kind who takes whatever he desires without a second thought. But Daria, she's different. She's delicate, fragile in a way that demands care, not control. She isn't something to be claimed; she needs to be cherished, protected. And I knew he would never understand that.

So, I walked away from the life of royalty and joined Kavod, the shadowy intelligence agency that hunts down the most dangerous criminals lurking in our world. The irony is that while everyone knows of Kavod's existence, no one knows who works within its ranks. I am the agency's top detective, operating in the shadows, living under a veil of anonymity. It's a perfect cover, a life lived unseen, as I use every ounce of my power to protect Daria from a distance. My goal is simple but unwavering—keep her untouched by the darkness, the dirt, that threatens to engulf her. Every move I make in Kavod, every case I solve, is another layer of protection around her, even if she never knows it.

" Hey, we have an office dinner party tonight," Hera tells me, her tone firm as if it's not up for discussion. "You have to come. No one is allowed to skip."

I nod silently, not interested but knowing I have no choice. Blending in is key.

Suddenly, Mark, cuts in with his usual swagger. "You'll get to see so many bitches there," he grins, leaning in more. "I'll introduce you to every one of them if you want." His eyes gleam with sleaze.

"No, I'm fine," I mutter, keeping my voice calm, though the urge to snap at him rises.

"Come on, man," he smirks, stepping closer as if we're buddies just like before.

"You don't need to act all high and mighty with me. After all, we're just men, and men know men, right?" His grin widens, expecting me to laugh, to join in on his lewd commentary,

I say nothing, my face emotionless. how these bunch of sex deprived assholes get to be around her. But  can't afford to break character.

I give him a dismissive nod and turn away, focusing on the bigger picture. Every interaction here is just noise,

"Is he the new dude everyone's been talking about?" another guy popped up as he walked up to Mark's desk, his voice dripping with curiosity.

"Yeah, that's him," Mark replied casually, barely looking up from his computer.

The guy, turned his attention to me. "How'd you already win over the hearts of all the girls here, man? You just got here."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"

He tilted his head toward the back of the room. "Look behind you."

I turned around and, sure enough, three girls were standing near the coffee machine, whispering among themselves. Their eyes were locked on me, and as soon as they noticed I was looking, they burst into giggles, leaning into each other and exchanging whispers like schoolgirls with a crush.

Mark chuckled. "Told you, man. You're the talk of the office already."

"Great, just what I needed on my first day," I muttered under my breath, trying to play it cool, though I could feel their gazes burning holes into the back of my head.

"So, what's your name, man?" he asked, leaning against Mark's desk with an easygoing grin.

"Kanat Dorofey," I replied, keeping it short and to the point.

"Nice name," he nodded, his eyes lighting up with recognition, though he didn't say anything about it. "I'm Chris," he introduced himself, extending a hand.

I gave it a firm shake, and just when I thought that was it, he launched into full-blown conversation mode. "So, let me tell you, this office... it's something else. You'll get used to it, though. Most people are cool, but you've got your occasional assholes . Oh, and the gossip? Man, it spreads faster than a damn virus around here."

"Sounds... promising," I muttered, trying to hide my boredom.

Chris either didn't notice or didn't care. He kept talking. "Mark here's alright," he said, gesturing toward him, "but steer clear of some of the higher-ups. Trust me, they'll eat you alive if you give them a chance. And then you've got the lunch politics, the 'who's sitting with who' kind of nonsense. But, hey, at least Fridays are casual, right"

I shot Mark a look, and he just shrugged like, Yeah, he's always like this.

Chris, oblivious, kept going. "And don't even get me started on the office parties. Half the people don't even know how to hold their liquor. you've got people like old Mr. Jack trying to act like they're still in their twenties. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

I forced a smile, nodding politely. "Sounds like a real... unique place." deep inside i just wanted to tell him- leave me the fuck off.

Chris grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "You'll fit right in, man. Just keep your head down, do your work, and try not to get dragged into the drama. Unless you're into that sort of thing."

"Not really," I said, barely managing to stifle a yawn. "But thanks for the heads-up."

Just as Chris was about to yap again, I heard Hera call my name from behind. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect.

"Hey, Kanat," she said, her voice a welcome interruption. "Let's introduce you to the team you'll be working with on the project."

I turned around, more relieved than I let on. "Sure," I replied, standing up quickly, ready to escape Chris's endless chatting sessions.

As I started to follow Hera, I glanced back at Chris, who was mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open like someone hit pause on his internal dialogue. He blinked, a little stunned, but thankfully didn't try to stop me.

Hera smirked, clearly noticing the relief on my face. "Yeah, he can talk a lot, huh?" she whispered as we walked toward the other side of the office.

"Yeah," I muttered, grateful to finally be freed from Chris's yapping

Hera guided me into the room, and the moment I looked up, my heart nearly stopped.

There she was—Daria. Her bright, amber eyes locked onto mine, and I froze. It felt like time itself had halted, leaving just the two of us in that room, even though I knew I wasn't the only one there. Six years. Six long years of watching her from afar, knowing every detail about her, but never being this close.

And here she was, finally, standing right in front of me, and she had no idea who I was.

"Meet Kanat Dorofey, Daria," Hera introduced me, her voice snapping me out of my trance. "He'll be working under you on the project."

Daria smiled—God, that smile. It was like the sun had broken through the clouds, flooding the room with warmth.

Her voice was even more enchanting than I'd imagined.

"Hey, Kanat, nice to meet you," she said softly, her words like music, so gentle, so pure. That voice—*her* voice—was the most precious sound I had ever heard. It melted my heart in ways I didn't think possible.

For a split second, I stood there, lost in her presence, unsure how to respond. My body was stiff, every muscle tense, like I was trying to remember how to breathe.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to mumble, "Th-thank you... nice to meet you too."

I couldn't believe I'd actually gotten words out. Just moments ago, I was convinced I wouldn't be able to speak at all.

Her presence was something unexplainable , every part of me screaming to say something more, something profound, but that was all I could manage.

Hera, oblivious to the storm of emotions swirling inside me, continued, "Meet the others, too. This is Lisa, Jeff, and Noah."

I barely registered their names. It was as if the room had blurred around Daria. They could've been anyone, and it wouldn't have mattered. The only person I saw was her.