Chapter 68 Chapter 68
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Dimitri's POV
I was very scared at what I saw written on the wall.
My heart pounded in my chest. My breathing became rapid and shallow.
I read the message again. Each word burned into my mind.
"Irina is mine now. No one is coming for you. You will die in that chair, brother!"
"You asshole!" I screamed into the darkness. "Alexei! Get me out of here!"
My voice echoed off the bloody walls but no one answered.
The silence was deafening.
No one was coming for me.
"Alexei!" I screamed again, louder this time. "You coward! Face me!"
Still nothing. Just the sound of my own voice bouncing back at me.
Then suddenly my stomach rumbled loudly. The hunger had become unbearable.
Shit! I cursed in frustration.
Even if no one came to kill me, I would die of hunger and thirst.
This was Alexei's plan all along. To leave me here to rot.
My throat was so dry it hurt to swallow. My lips were cracked and bleeding.
How long have I been here? I wondered.
Then, I started slipping in and out of consciousness. My body was giving up.
The darkness seemed to close in around me.
My head dropped forward. My eyes closed. I was gradually fading.
Then suddenly I heard a loud bang of metal hitting metal.
Someone was trying to open the door.
My eyes snapped open and light flooded in from the hallway.
It was so bright I had to squint against it.
Tall men barged into the room. They looked deadly and dangerous.
Their silhouettes were dark against the light behind them.
I lunged forward instinctively. But the chair held me back.
The ropes cut deeper into my wrists.
"You bastards!" I growled at them. "Go tell your sick ass boss, Alexei to fuck himself!"
My voice was hoarse and raw.
One of them walked up to me. He was huge like a wall.
His shadow fell over me. I was greatly intimidated by his build.
But I would not show fear. Not to Alexei's men.
"Get away from me!" I shouted.
The guard stopped in front of me and looked down at me calmly.
"Relax," he said. His voice was deep but not threatening. "Mikhail sent us."
Relief washed over me so powerfully my body sagged.
"Thank you," I said shyly.
I felt tears prick at my eyes but I blinked them away.
The guards moved quickly. One of them cut the ropes binding my hands.
The rope fell away. My arms dropped to my sides. They felt like dead weight.
Blood rushed back into my hands. The tingling was painful.
Another guard handed me a bottle of water.
I grabbed it with shaking hands, nearly dropping it.
I drank desperately. The water was the most beautiful thing I had ever tasted.
It hurt going down my damaged throat but I did not care.
"Slow down, boss," one guard warned. "You will make yourself sick."
But I could not slow down. I drank until the bottle was empty.
"Where is Irina?" I asked immediately. "Is she safe?"
"She is at the estate," the guard said. "She is safe. Mikhail rescued her."
I felt so much relief I could barely stand it.
"And Alexei?" I asked. My voice hardened.
"He is in custody," the guard replied. "Mikhail is handling him."
Good. That bastard would pay for what he did.
The guards helped me to my feet. My legs nearly gave out.
I had been sitting for so long. My muscles were cramped.
They supported me as we walked out of that hellish basement.
Outside, a car was waiting. Black and sleek.
They helped me into the back seat and I collapsed against the leather.
After hours of driving, we arrived at my estate.
I saw the familiar gate. The familiar driveway. I was finally home.
The car stopped, but I did not wait for the guards.
I threw open the door and stumbled out. My legs were still weak but I pushed forward.
I barged into my study. And I saw him there.
Mikhail.
He was standing by the window, looking out at the grounds.
"Where is that bastard!" I growled.
My voice was filled with rage and hatred.
Mikhail turned to me slowly. His expression was calm.
"Relax," he said simply.
"Relax?" I repeated. "Relax?!"
I walked towards him. My hands clenched into fists.
"I am not relaxing!" I shouted. "Not after what Alexei did to me on my wedding day!"
Mikhail sighed. "I was against the wedding in the first place, so I do not entirely blame Alexei,”
His words stopped me cold.
"What?" I whispered. "You... you’re defending him?"
"I am not defending him," Mikhail clarified. "But you brought this on yourself."
Anger surged through me. Hot and violent.
"I will take care of Alexei," Mikhail said. "You need to rest."
"No," I said firmly. "I want to torture him myself."
"Dimitri…"
"I want to make him suffer!" I interrupted. "I want to hear him scream!"
"That is not wise," Mikhail warned.
"I do not care!" I shouted. "He is my brother! This is my right!"
Mikhail studied me for a long moment. Then he sighed.
"Very well," he said. "Follow me."
He led me through the estate. Down corridors and down the stairs into torture room.
The place where offenders were taken to pay for their crimes.
Mikhail opened the heavy metal door. It creaked loudly.
Inside was a large room. Chains hung from the ceiling. Tools lined the walls. Knives, whips. Instruments of pain.
And there, in the center, was Alexei.
He was hung upside down. His ankles chained to the ceiling.
Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. It pooled on the floor beneath him.
There were bruises on his body.
His clothes were torn and stained with blood.
He seemed to have passed out. His body hung limp.
I burst into laughter. It started low and built higher.
It was dangerous and motionless. Even the guards shifted uncomfortably. They looked scared.
"Told you I would take care of it," Mikhail said quietly.
I walked forward slowly. My eyes fixed on my brother.
I drew back my hand and threw a slap across Alexei's face.
The impact was loud. It echoed in the room.
Alexei screamed to life. His eyes flew open.
The slap made blood and saliva spill from his mouth.
My fingers hurt from the impact. But it felt good.
"You son of a bitch!" Alexei screamed. He spat blood at my face.
I threw another slap across his face. Even harder this time.
His head swung backward violently. The chains rattled.
Alexei let out a painful groan. His face contorted with agony.
I raised my hand to hit him again but suddenly Mikhail stepped between us.
"Do not kill your brother," Mikhail said gently.
I glared at him. "He is of no use to me alive."
"The other families will mock you," Alexei said weakly, with a smirk on his face. "If you kill your brother over a woman," he continued. "They will see you as weak."
I leaned close to his face. So close I could smell his blood.
"Stay away from Irina if you want to live," I warned.
He laughed. It was a wet, gurgling sound
.
"It is impossible," he said. "I will always want her."
Those words. That defiance. The refusal to surrender.
Rage exploded inside me. White hot and blinding.
"Fine," I said coldly. "If you cannot leave her alone, then you are no brother of mine."
I turned to Mikhail. My voice was commanding.
"He should be banished from the underworld," I ordered. "Strip him of his title."
Gasps came from the guards. This was unprecedented.
"Dimitri," Mikhail started. "Think about this…"
"I have thought about it," I interrupted. "He is dead to me now "