“She’s lying!” I can’t believe I almost fell for the idea that he could be the one behind the plot of my family’s annihilation.
I should’ve held on to the truth I knew deep in my heart—the fact that Kirill isn’t the type who targets unarmed civilians or children.
And yet I fell for their plans so stupidly, I want to kick myself.
I have not a shadow of a doubt that all of this is part of Yulia’s elaborate plan to snatch power for Konstantin. All these years, she was struggling to even have her family’s support, but she never gave up and never looked like a loser.
Probably because she knew that her alliance with Babushka and Uncle would eventually give her the desired results.
“You’re delusional.” Yulia approaches me and leans forward so that her face is level with mine. “You think he’s all that, but he’s nothing more than a monster. I was right behind the door when Roman asked him what he should do with a certain family that was obstructing his way. Kirill gave him a full report on how to effectively get rid of each and every one of them. You should be thankful, really. I’m delivering you the revenge you couldn’t get yourself.”
I spit on her malicious face. “You’re a narcissistic liar and a bitch. If you think I’ll believe a word out of your mouth, you’re the delusional one.”
Her eyes close, and she wipes her cheeks with the back of her hand, then she slaps me so hard, I reel in my chair.
Her handprint burns on my cheek, and my eyes sting. Viktor tightens his muscles against his bindings and curses. “Don’t touch her!”
“Or else what?” She glares at him. “You’re as useless as she is.”
He growls, and it sounds animalistic in the silence. I exchange a look with him to communicate that he can’t let her rattle him. She’s cut from the same cloth as Kirill, and their type really enjoys playing with other people’s intense emotions.
“You’re right,” Viktor tells me. “She’s a liar. Boss never gave his father any of the plan she’s talking about. In fact, ever since he was shot in Russia, he’s been trying to find out why the Belsky Organization targeted him.”
The answer is as clear as day: it’s because Yulia fed them this information.
“You should’ve stayed dead after that explosion.” Yulia glares down at me. “I even went through all the trouble of falsifying the DNA test to make that devil believe you died.”
My lips part. “You planned that?”
“And I enjoyed every second of watching Kirill suffer. If you didn’t come back, he would’ve gotten himself killed, but no, you had to be uncooperative.”
“You…you…” I’m lost for words. A part of me can’t believe a mother would willingly hurt her son this deeply, but the other part knows that she can go further than this.
Not only did she never consider Kirill her son, but she also thinks of him as an enemy.
Uncle Albert checks his phone and then smiles. “He’s finally here.”
My heartbeat picks up, and I swallow the saliva flooding my mouth.
Please tell me he brought backup. Please—
My hopes dwindle when the door opens again, and two burly mercenaries lead Kirill inside.
He’s alone.
Fuck.
Damn it!
What the hell was he thinking?
They must’ve taken away his weapons before they led him here, so he’s well and truly defenseless.
All focus turns to him, but his light eyes land on me, and he studies me from toe to head. When he reaches my face, a muscle clenches in his jaw, probably at seeing the red mark on my cheek.
I look back with what must appear to be terrorized fear, my mind reeling with endless questions. Are you here to get killed? How could you fall for this?
But the calm expression on his face manages to ease the agitation, even partially.
The men push him to his knees in front of the three. I wince when he hits the ground with a thud. His back is to me, but I can almost see his nonchalant expression as he looks up at them.
“Lower your damn head, devil.” Yulia slaps him across the face so hard, his head flies to the right.
He looks up at her again, probably with a more provocative expression, because her eyes blaze, and she slaps him harder. “I said lower your head.”
“Stop it!” I struggle against my bindings, wanting to claw her eyes out for daring to hit him after everything she’s made him go through.
“Don’t mind her, Sasha. Mother seems to have an overwhelming hatred toward me, so I’m letting her get the dissatisfaction off her chest.”
“You can be sarcastic all you want, you bastard, but today is the last day you breathe. I was willing to let you get higher and enjoy your married life a little more before I destroyed you, but you made a fatal mistake by locking up and torturing my son.”
Oh. So this is why she’s extra venomous today. I was wondering what she’d do if she heard about what Kirill did to his brother, but I didn’t think she’d already had this plan prepared.
Uncle Albert retrieves a gun and points it at Kirill’s head. “Any last wishes?”
“No…” My voice is brittle as I swing back and forth in my chair. Viktor does the same, his face too tight and red.
“Don’t do it, Uncle,” I plead. “He’s not the one behind the massacre. Please, Uncle, if I ever meant anything to you, don’t do this.”
“Shut up, you insolent child.” Babushka taps her cane on the ground. “Do your thing, Albert.”
“One second,” Kirill says with so much nonchalance, it’s baffling, considering the situation. “I assume your proof that I plotted the demise of your family is that Yulia told you so, no?”
Uncle Albert raises a brow. “Are you also going to say that she’s a liar like Sasha did?”
Kirill looks back at me, and a proud, heart-stopping smile lifts the corners of his lips. I return the smile even as tears burn my lids.
I believe in you, I say with my eyes. I’m sorry I wasn’t sure until now.
He stares back at my uncle. “I’m curious. Did you know that my dear mother had an affair with your brother?”
Babushka’s face pales. “What is this nonsense?”
“Shoot him already,” Yulia says.
Uncle Albert’s face doesn’t change as he starts to do just that.
I scream, “No,” but before he can do it, Babushka hits my uncle’s hand, sending the gun flying against the opposite wall. “I want to hear what he has to say.”
Yulia’s expression remains cold, but her whole body becomes eerily still.
“Much appreciated. I knew you were the voice of reason,” Kirill says in the same detached tone. “So, the thing is, Yulia had an affair with your son Anatoly for years. As a result, he’s my brother’s biological father. I thought the story ended there, but I found out through a recent letter left by my father that your son ended the affair after his wife got pregnant with their youngest child. Of course, Yulia, who always gets what she wants, didn’t like that. She’s a bit too possessive, my mother. Correction, a lot. If she couldn’t have Anatoly, no one else could. So what did she do? She deliberately let Roman know about the affair. She thought he wasn’t aware of her manipulations, but she missed the fact that he always employed private investigators to make sure any allegations were true. That’s how he knew Anatoly broke up with her exactly a year before the massacre. He still didn’t like the idea of another man having his possession, so when the government approached him with a request to annihilate you, he agreed. But here’s the most important piece of the puzzle, Mrs. Ivanova. Yulia is the one who gave him that plan. But that’s not the end of it. My father left me a memory card that has pictures of Yulia and Anatoly together as well as videos of Anatoly kicking Yulia out of his club when she went to Russia. I invite you to listen to this little recording that will explain my next point better.”