Chapter 74 Chapter 74
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
Dimitri's POV
The explosions kept coming. One after another.
My estate was under attack. My home was being invaded.
I ran down the stairs quickly. Guards were already rushing around frantically.
"What is happening?" I shouted at one guard.
"The gates have been destroyed, boss!" He replied. "Armed men are coming in!"
I cursed under my breath. "How many?"
"At least twenty vehicles, sir. Maybe more."
This was not just a simple attack. This was planned and coordinated.
I reached the front entrance and threw open the doors.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
The gates were completely destroyed and smoke was rising from the rubble.
Cars were parked everywhere. Black expensive vehicles.
And so many men were scattered around. All armed and dangerous looking.
But these were not ordinary criminals. They were council guards.
The most powerful men in Moscow's underworld stood before my estate.
"Bring out the criminal!" A voice thundered across the compound.
I stepped forward. My eyes searched for who spoke.
Then I saw him. Viktor Orlov. Katya's father.
He was a large man. Tall and broad. His face was hard and cruel. A deep scar ran across his chin.
"Viktor," I said coldly. "What is the meaning of this?"
"You know exactly what this is about, Dimitri," Viktor replied.
He walked closer. His guards followed behind him.
"The woman who poisoned Alexei Volkov. Bring her out now."
"And what involvement do you have in this matter?" I demanded, disgusted at his audacity.
Viktor's face darkened. "Alexei was betrothed to Katya, my daughter when they were young."
My eyes widened. "What?"
"You did not know?" Viktor smiled cruelly. "Alexei is family to me. He was promised to Katya."
I was shocked. Completely shocked. I had no idea about any betrothal.
"That arrangement was made years ago," Viktor continued. "By your father and me."
"That does not give you the right to attack my estate!" I shouted.
"The council has the right to investigate crimes," Viktor said calmly.
He pulled out a tablet. "We have evidence. Clear evidence."
He turned the screen towards me. It showed a video.
In the video, I saw Irina. She was talking to one of my guards.
The audio was crystal clear. It didn't look fabricated. I heard her voice clearly. She was telling him to poison Alexei.
"No," I whispered. "This is fake. It has to be."
"The guard has also testified," Viktor added.
He made a gesture and two of his men dragged forward a guard.
I recognized him. He worked in my estate. But how did he get access to Alexei? He wasn't part of the guards who were put in charge of him.
"Tell him," Viktor ordered the guard.
The guard fell to his knees crying. "I am sorry, boss. She made me do it."
"What?" I could not believe what I was hearing.
"Miss Irina threatened me," the guard sobbed. "She said she would frame me for a crime I did not commit." His voice shook and tears fell from his face. There was no way one would think he was framing this.
"She said she would tell you I stole from the estate," he continued. "I have a family, boss. I needed this job."
"So you poisoned Alexei?" I asked.
"She gave me the poison," the guard said. "She told me exactly how to do it."
I looked around. Irina had followed me outside. She was standing by a pillar.
I saw the shock on her face. The complete disbelief. Her hands trembled by her side. Her shoulders were tense.
I knew she could never do something like that. I knew her.
But the evidence was too damning. No one would doubt the video and the testimony.
If I did not do anything, Irina would be punished for a crime she did not commit.
"Take her away!" Viktor ordered his guards.
And immediately, several men moved forward towards Irina.
"No!" I shouted, stepping in front of her. "Over my dead body will you take her."
Viktor's expression hardened. "Move aside, Dimitri."
"This evidence is fabricated," I said. "Anyone can see that."
"The council has reviewed it," Viktor replied. "It is genuine."
"I will not let you take her," I said firmly.
Viktor stepped closer. His face was inches from mine.
"If you obstruct us again, you will be taken in as an accomplice," he warned.
"You would not dare," I said.
"Try me," Viktor replied coldly.
His guards moved around me. There were too many of them.
I tried to stop them but they pushed me aside.
Irina didn't look at me. She didn't scream or cry. But I could see the fear in her eyes.
They grabbed her roughly. She struggled but they were too strong.
"No! Let her go!" I shouted.
I tried to fight them off but more guards held me back.
I watched helplessly as they dragged Irina away.
I tightened my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. Blood trickled down from the cuts. But the pain was nothing compared to what I felt inside.
They put her in a van. The door slammed shut.
The vehicles started driving away. Taking her from me.
Viktor looked at me one last time. "The council will decide her fate."
Then he got into his car and left.
I stood there, breathing heavily, shaking with rage.
Someone had framed Irina,but there was no way I could prove it.
And the only person who knew the truth was Alexei. But he was in a coma.
Fighting for his life. Unable to speak. Unable to help.
I ran back inside. Up the stairs. To the room where Alexei was being treated.
I burst through the door and walked straight to the bed he was laying lifeless.
I grabbed his collar with force and his head bent backward.
The machines started beeping frantically. Alarms went off.
"Wake up you asshole!" I roared in his face.
"Irina is being taken away because of you!" I continued shouting. "If she ends up dying because of you, I will kill you myself! Get up! Wake up!" I shook Alexei violently. "Wake up right now!"
Doctors and guards came rushing in. They grabbed my arms and dragged me away from Alexei.
"Sir, please!" One doctor tried to pull me back
"Let me go!" I fought against them.
But there were too many. They pulled me out of the room.
The doctors rushed to Alexei immediately. Checking his vitals and stabilizing him.
I freed myself from the guards. My chest was heaving.
My eyes were bloodshot. My whole body trembled with fury.
I could not face the council on my own.
Combined, they were too powerful, too influential and too connected.
But there was only one person who could bring them down.
One person who had the power to challenge the council.
Mikhail.
I needed Mikhail. Despite everything that happened between us.
Despite dismissing him. Despite the anger.
I had to get Mikhail.
Without thinking, I grabbed one of the car keys and sped out of the estate.