33

Anatoli

The sound of somebody clearing their throat in an exaggerated manner pulls me from my thoughts. When I turn around, I find myself facing Gytha, who is staring at the panties in my hand.

The fury and hurt on her face tone down the professional look she has going with the business dress she's wearing.

I hope I didn't look like that when I found her that night with some motherfucker balls deep inside her ass. I would hate to give anyone such control over my emotions.

I also hope that getup she's wearing isn't for me. After what Avrora told me, it looks like I have to talk to Gytha again and make sure I set her straight. I don't need women problems, or any other right now.

One more sniff before I place the panties back in my pocket.

Gytha locks the door and comes closer, stopping paces away from my desk.

"I was wondering when you'd take her," she says, looking like she's doing her best to keep her composure.

"You shouldn't wonder about such things. It's not good for you. And while we're on the subject, I heard about yesterday. I want you to limit your contact with Avrora."

Her nostrils flare. "This is ridiculous. The fucking girl is a pawn. She shouldn't matter to you. I didn't say anything to her that wasn't true."

"What, that you're the queen?"

"Wow, the little princess really did go running back-"

"Enough." I don't want to hear any more.

"You haven't given me a chance to fix things with you." She balls her hands at her sides. "I made my mistakes and I can't take them back."

"I've already told you where we stand, and I won't be repeating myself." I raise my voice and stare her down so she sees how serious I am. "I don't have time for shit, or games. Either you're in or out. Tell me now."

She stares at me for a moment, and I'm actually not sure what she's going to choose. It's not until a spark of hope enters her eyes that I know she'll stay, but I also know she's not happy about the situation. And it's clear no matter how many times I tell her our relationship is over, she won't stop trying to get me back until she decides it's time to stop. That can't be my problem.

"I'm in," she mumbles, pulling some documents from her bag and placing them on the desk.

"What's this?"

"More shit to deal with." She pulls up a chair and lowers into it. "The vineyard in Russia Avrora is supposed to inherit isn't entirely a vineyard, and making wine isn't entirely the main business activity."

I straighten, raising my brows. "What do you mean?"

"It's an oil company worth billions."

My pulse jumps. "What the fuck?"

"It's actually Belzok and Co." She tilts her head to the side and presses her lips together.

"You're shitting me."

"I wish I were."

I bring a hand to my jaw and stare back at her in disbelief. Anyone who's anyone in the oil industry knows Belzok and Co. They're right up there with the best.

"I had to jump through all sorts of hoops to find this information, and dig deeper than deep," she adds, and I can just imagine what she had to do.

"Tell me more."

"Nearly twenty years ago when Avrora's grandfather died, he thought he was leaving a small gift of property to his granddaughter. She wasn't even born yet. He'd worked on the vineyard with his family and so had many generations of Galitzes before him. It was considered something to keep in the family because of the special wine they made. Nobody knew the land had oil until three years after his death. Someone accidentally found it."

"Holy fuck." As far as weird things go, this is a good one. "Uther, that motherfucking bastard. He hid that well." This is the real reason he was shitting himself when I descended on him like a nightmare from hell and unearthed his dark, dirty secrets. Yes, there was the loss of his job with the Bratva and partnership with Scarfoni Inc. but this is most assuredly his greatest loss. A billion-dollar company at the tip of his fingers.

"Uther kept the company under wraps so it would look like he wasn't a part of it but he's the executor of the business and of Avrora's trust fund."

"No surprise there."

"No. Uther currently gets paid a monthly allowance and the bulk of the money goes to Avrora's trust fund because all profits, regardless of the business activity, are to go to her. It helps that the vineyard is still operating, but the real business gets transferred to Avrora when she's nineteen, which she is, and after marriage. She and her husband will then co-own the company because it's meant to be a family business."

And that's where my dear brother thought he was going to fit in. This is what Zakh meant.

I wonder if Uther told Mikhail what I have on him.

No... I don't think so. I don't know either of them well enough to guess their movements, but it doesn't make any practical sense for Uther to divulge that type of information. Mikhail is loyal to the Knights. He wouldn't risk being linked to an accomplice whose crimes would cost him everything. Uther would have guessed that and definitely kept his secrets to himself.

This new revelation is something else. Another loss to them and another thing I would have stolen from Mikhail.

"I guess I truly took a fuck of a lot from my brother."

"Uther too. This document here"-she holds up what looks like a contract- "shows Avrora starting the transfer process back to her father so he would co-own the business with Mikhail."

"And she seriously doesn't know what she's signing over?"

"No. They told her they were going to renovate the winery. There's nothing here to suggest she knew anything else, or that any of the other Scarfonis knew. Apart from Zakh, of course. This was something of a side business to more than increase wealth for both Uther and Mikhail."

Wow, I can just imagine their plans. The combined wealth of the companies between the two men would have been immeasurable because of the opportunities and assets that would flow from them.

"That's not a binding contract, is it?" I glance at the document.

"No, just the initial paperwork of what would have been."

"What are the termination and transfer of business clauses?"

"She's allowed to give her portion of the business to whomever she chooses, but the co-owner needs to agree."

Unfortunately for all those greedy motherfuckers, the new co-owner-aka me-won't be agreeing to anything.

"However, if she dies, the whole thing dissolves and everything goes to charity." Worry fills her eyes. "Anatoli, you need to be careful here."

I sit back. "I know."

"Uther went to a lot of trouble to keep his daughter wrapped in a glasshouse. He even handpicked the man she would marry so he could get all of this. Your intervention is definitely a bigger loss to him than we knew. I'm sure you can see the only way he'd get back control is if you die."

Again. The asshole is most likely plotting my death as we sit here talking about his secrets. But I won't be that helpless twelve-year-old boy again.

The scar on my back is a constant reminder of what Uther did to me, but the scars on my heart drive me to keep fighting until I win.

"I've already factored in that he'll try to kill me."

"I know, but now you have the bigger picture. If Uther and Mikhail are going to do something, they'll have a month from the day of the wedding to do it. It's a sort of cooling-off period. And rest assured something is on the horizon. Zane's team picked up footage of Uther meeting with someone in secret by the old warehouses."

"Did they see who it was?"

"No, but it wasn't Mikhail. He was somewhere else with Zakh and Malik." She pulls in a haggard breath. "What are you going to do, Anatoli? Are you going to confront Uther?"

"No. I don't think it's wise for him to know that I'm aware of this truth just yet. But keep watching him. I need all the info before I strike. Confronting either of them now might thwart their plans and leave me open for attack."

Also, under the Knights' law, if Mikhail is trying to kill me it's obviously sufficient grounds for death. The murder of another Knight is always punishable by execution. A plot to kill one who is part of the elite is also punishable by the same, except you get to kill the man who tried to kill you.

Which is why this needs to be kept secret. That includes keeping it from Avrora too. It's one more thing I have to keep from her, one more thing she should know the truth about and her precious Mikhail, but I don't want her telling anyone and risk losing my leverage.

"Okay. I'll feed that back to the crew." Gytha nods. "That's all I have for you today."

"Thank you. You did good." Praise is due and I'm a fair man, so I'll give it. The discomfort between us doesn't matter. Gytha always comes through with the impossible. That's why I still work with her, and I won't be an asshole thinking I could have gotten this information so fast without her.

"Thank you. Anything else you need from me?"

"Yes. Can you see if Uther might have worked with the Butyrskayas in the past, and if so in what capacity?"

She narrows her eyes. "You think he worked with them?"

"Possibly. Or had some relations with them."

"Okay, I can look into that, but I think I've gotten all I can on Uther."

"Just have another look."

"Sure."

"Other than that, just keep doing what you're doing."

"I will," she answers, but it sounds like a promise in regard to our former relationship.

She rises and heads to the door, glancing once over her shoulder at me before leaving.

I push my concerns about her out of my mind because I need to. I was over her a long time ago. I think it was easy for me to move on because my feelings never ran as deeply as I thought they did.

I know the situation between us can only get more awkward, but right now I need to process the intel she gave me.

And the man who gave me the heads-up.

There's no doubt Zakh wants the Obshchak position.

Regardless, it seems I found an ally.

I'll be speaking with him the moment he gets back.

Our meeting is one we'll need to have face to face.