Chapter 56 Nikolai
Something was wrong with Marcus.
I noticed it first in small ways. Meetings that had been scheduled for weeks suddenly got canceled at the last minute. Phone calls that went straight to voicemail when he always answered before. The way his eyes wouldn't quite meet mine when we talked about business.
Then the money started moving in funny ways.
I'd been going through the quarterly reports late one night when I spotted transfers that didn't match our usual patterns. Money flowing to accounts I didn't recognize. Payments to shell companies that weren't on our approved vendor list. Small amounts that might not raise flags individually but together added up to millions.
A bad feeling settled in my stomach and wouldn't leave.
Marcus had been my CFO for eight years. My right hand. The person I trusted to handle the financial side of the empire while I focused on strategy. We'd built Volkov Industries together from almost nothing. I'd considered him a friend, maybe even a brother.
But trust was a dangerous thing in this world. I'd learned that lesson too many times to ignore my instincts now.
I waited until after midnight when the office building was empty except for security. Then I logged into the secure server using admin credentials Marcus didn't know I had. My father had taught me young to always keep backdoor access to everything, to never fully trust anyone with complete control.
The files I found made my blood run cold.
Encrypted messages between Marcus and names I recognized. Viktor's old associates, the ones who'd survived the purge after his death. The conversations went back months, starting around the time Marlena and I had gotten married.
I read through them slowly and my hands clenched into fists on the desk.
Marcus had been feeding Viktor information the whole time. Details about my movements, my plans, my weaknesses. He'd told Viktor about Marlena, about how I was using her as bait. He'd probably been the one who tipped Viktor off that we were coming to Monaco.
But it was worse than simple betrayal.
The messages showed Marcus had his own agenda. He'd been playing both sides, helping Viktor while also positioning himself to take over everything once the dust settled. He wanted Viktor dead but he wanted me destroyed too. He was planning to step into the power vacuum and claim the empire for himself.
Cold anger rose in my chest like ice water in my veins. I'd trusted this man. Brought him into my inner circle. Shared my plans with him. And he'd been planning my downfall the entire time.
My phone was in my hand before I consciously decided to call. Katya answered on the third ring, her voice alert despite the late hour.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.
"Marcus." The word came out hard and flat. "He's been working with Viktor's people. Has been for months."
Silence on her end, then a soft curse in Russian. "Are you sure?"
"I have the proof right in front of me. Encrypted messages, financial transfers, the whole thing." I rubbed my face with my free hand. "He's been playing both sides. Wanted Viktor and me to destroy each other so he could take over."
"That explains some things," Katya said slowly. "I've been tracking some unusual activity around Viktor's old network. Money moving, people meeting who shouldn't be meeting. I thought it was just remnants trying to regroup."
"It's Marcus trying to consolidate power." I pulled up another file, scanning through more evidence. "He's been positioning himself as the natural successor to Viktor's operations. Probably planned to frame me for everything and walk away clean."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Watch him every minute," I said. "I need to know where he goes, who he talks to, what he's planning next. Don't let him know we're onto him yet."
"Consider it done." I heard her moving, probably already preparing to mobilize her network. "Are you going to confront him?"
"Not yet. I need more evidence first, need to understand the full scope of his betrayal." My jaw clenched. "Then I'll handle it."
"Be careful, Kolya. If he's been planning this for months, he'll have contingencies. Probably has leverage prepared in case you discover the truth."
"I know." I closed the files and cleared my browsing history. "Just watch him. Report back anything unusual."
After we hung up, I sat in the dark office and let myself feel the full weight of this betrayal. Marcus had sat across from me at countless meetings. Had helped me plan Viktor's takedown. Had been there when Marlena demanded the divorce. And the whole time he'd been working against me.
How many others had he turned? How many people in my organization were secretly loyal to him instead of me? The paranoia crept in and I pushed it away with effort. I couldn't afford to doubt everyone right now.
My hands shook with rage as I started making a quiet plan. I needed to catch Marcus red-handed with evidence that would hold up if this ever went to trial. Needed to find out who else was involved before I made my move. Needed to protect the legitimate parts of my business from whatever chaos was coming.
But underneath the anger was something else. Exhaustion. A bone-deep tiredness that had nothing to do with the late hour. I'd spent fifteen years building an empire on lies and revenge and blood. And what did I have to show for it? A business partner who'd betrayed me. An empty penthouse. A wife who hated me and was probably cooperating with the FBI.
I pulled out my phone and opened my photos before I could stop myself. There was only one picture of Marlena in there, taken without her knowledge during one of the rare moments she'd smiled at the penthouse. She'd been looking out the window at something, her face peaceful and unguarded in a way I'd rarely seen.
I stared at that photo for a long time, my thumb tracing the outline of her face on the screen.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty office, to the picture of a woman who would never hear me. "For everything. For using you. For getting you shot. For stealing your time with Luka. For all of it."
The words felt hollow even as I said them. Sorry didn't fix anything. Sorry didn't bring back the baby or Luka or the trust I'd destroyed. Sorry was just a word I could hide behind while the consequences of my choices kept piling up around me.
Marlena was testifying against me. I'd heard it through my own sources, confirmed by the increased FBI activity around Volkov Industries. She was helping them build their case and she had every right to. I deserved whatever punishment was coming.
Marcus's betrayal almost felt like justice in a twisted way. I'd betrayed Marlena's trust. Now Marcus had betrayed mine. The circle of violence and lies just kept spinning, hurting everyone it touched.
I saved the evidence to an encrypted drive and locked it in my office safe. Then I closed my laptop and sat in the darkness, still holding my phone with Marlena's picture on the screen.
My plan was simple. I'd gather more proof of Marcus's betrayal over the next few days. I'd find out who else was involved and how deep the conspiracy went. Then I'd confront him, eliminate the threat, and clean house completely.
But even if I succeeded, even if I rooted out every traitor and secured my empire, it wouldn't matter. The FBI was coming. Marlena was testifying. My carefully built world was crumbling no matter what I did.
And the woman I'd destroyed in pursuit of revenge would never forgive me.
The phone screen went dark and I let it, sitting there in the office as dawn started creeping through the windows. My hands had stopped shaking but the rage still burned cold in my chest. Marcus would pay for his betrayal. I'd make sure of it.
But first I had to survive long enough to see it through.
I stood finally and gathered my things. Anton would be waiting downstairs to drive me home to the empty penthouse. Another day of pretending everything was fine while my world fell apart piece by piece.
I looked at Marlena's photo one more time before putting my phone away. Her face was peaceful in that moment I'd captured, completely unaware of the man watching her. She'd been beautiful then. Probably still was. But I'd never see her again to know for sure.
She was gone. Building a new life with her mother somewhere I'd never find them. Preparing to testify and destroy what was left of my empire. Living her life the way she should have been all along, free from men who used her as weapons.
And she would never, ever forgive me for what I'd done.
He knows she will never forgive him.