Chapter 139

Vladimir:

“How are you feeling?” Konstantin asked, watching as I sat at the table, not bothering to touch the food.

I wasn’t in the mood to eat anything in the first place, and considering that I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could. More specifically, I wanted HIM to get out of the house before he would approach my mate’s room.

“I am well,” I said, and he looked down at my empty plate. I didn’t know where Batrov was, but I didn’t bother asking. To my surprise this morning, it was only the two of us on the table. 

“And yet, as a man like yourself, you are not eating.” He said, and I shook my head.

“A little dizzy, but don’t worry, I am going to eat when I am hungry.” I said, and he nodded. “When did you come back yesterday?”

“I came back a little after dawn. I was supposed to come earlier, but I had a few things to deal with. Leonov had his own ‘projects’ and he chose to share them with me. His plans are not bad, but he is going to need guidance toward what he is going to do.” He said, and I nodded. 

“And do you agree with what he has in mind? As a man with your experience, do you find it correct for him to be doing what he is planning?” I asked, wanting to pump him up a bit. I knew that a man like Konstantin would want to hear words that not only pumped him up, but also had him thinking that I believed that he ‘understood’ what he was doing. I just wanted to KNOW what he was on about. 

“He is planning a few auctions. While I believe that it is a little too early, I know that he wants to get rid of the things that his father left. I don’t find that as something that is right. He might end up needing them, but I also chose not to interfere.” He said, and I raised an eyebrow.

“You are going to buy them,” I said, and he smirked.

“You are smarter than they give you out to be, son.” He said, and I smirked. He grabbed a teapot and poured me a cup. One of the maids who was standing between us froze as she took in the sight. “I serve only my heir, and I know that there would come a day when he does the same for me.”

I looked at the cup and watched as he poured himself a cup. The two of us took sips of the warm drink and I looked at the man, waiting for him to explain what he had in mind. 

“His father had expensive things, very expensive. Some were more valuable than others, and some were stolen from those that would kill for them.” He said, and I frowned in confusion.

“And you want to buy them?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Nothing better than ‘BUYING’ something of an enemy to give it back to them for free. It ensures an alliance, and when one thing gets to another and they are to choose a side; they are not going to be choosing the side that ‘stole’ from them.” He said, and I nodded in understanding. “Most would know that the young Leonov is going to be filled with adrenaline and fire. He has a lot to prove in the place that he is going to be entering, but what he doesn’t understand is the need for allies. Something that would be proving important to him, whether or not he liked them.”

“And you are going to explain that to him?” I asked, and he shook his head.

“His father was powerful, too powerful.” He said, looking at the cup of tea. “I am not going to allow that amount of power to reach him. He might want money, but for one man to get all that amount when he just got power, he wouldn’t know how to use it. He is going to impulsively spend it.”

“Then he is going to come to you when he is in debt?” I asked, and he smirked. 

“Exactly.” He said, and I smirked. “When that happens, we are going to be higher than he is. He and his men will be forced to submit for me to help. While I wouldn’t mind giving him the money or paying off his debt, as you may know, nothing comes without a price in our world.”

“But what if he has someone to help him?” I asked, shaking my head. “A guide from day one?” 

The man shook his head, and I had to fight myself from frowning at how sure he seemed to be about something like this. “His mother separated him from everything that was related to this when he was young. The man grew up being that spoiled little boy that got everything that he wanted from daddy’s pocket. However, he also grew up hating his father and wanting his power.”

“Without the proper resources and without strong allies, being in debt is the worst thing that one can do. Getting a large amount of money at a young age is also a very bad thing to happen for men nowadays. You know, that is, when they do not know how to manage it properly.” He said, and I nodded, knowing that he was right. We have seen numbers of men getting buried under the money that they got and in the same way that he was describing. I often found it amusing how they got lost in the power that they had. Sometimes they came useful, others, they ended up sinking or in other words, dying because of what they were doing.

However, with this, I knew how we could have a little upper hand. But for that to happen, I was going to need to deliver a little message.

“It seems to me that you already have everything planned.” I stated, and he smirked.

“I am merely setting a path for you. But it is going to be a well planned and thought out one.” He said, putting a hand on mine, tapping it gently. “I want nothing less than the best for my son. And considering the fact that I am going to teach you my ways, I am going to be sure that you do not fall for the same mistakes that other juvenile or naïve men have.”

“I doubt that any of these men is juvenile or naïve, Konstantin.” I said, feeling disgusted by the word ‘son’ that he keeps using. I had one father, and even he wasn’t a man that I accepted too much. 

“Money and fake power do not make one smart, Vladimir.” He said, taking a sip of his tea. “One has to be ten steps forward. And these men are a hundred back. The faster you learn how to be ahead of your enemy and ally, the better. But then again, I doubt that I am going to have to teach that to a man of your experience?” 

“I believe that you know me enough not to underestimate me,” I said, giving him a sarcastic smile. “However, I am curious to know your ways. So far, they have been somewhat different than mine, but I know for fact that with what you can teach me and what I know, we are going to be stronger. A little knowledge from my side and your experience, who can defeat that?”

He looked at me for a second, studying my expression before nodding, clearly impressed with what I said.

“Your mother was right about you,” he said, getting up. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for what he was going to say. “You are smarter than Killian. The man just didn’t know what he had lost.”

I smirked as I looked at him, fighting back the anger that I felt at the mention of my Alpha. 

“But his loss was my gain anyway.” He said, “try and get something to eat, the two of us are going out…”