I swallowed hard averting eyes when Alexei Volkov's gaze turned sharper. He stepped forward and his voice cut through the silence like a knife as he narrowed his eyes at Judas who seemed unbothered. "You killed him."
I stiffened. Vlad. They were talking about him, didn't they?
My eyes found Judas who flexed his hand against the armrest of the couch. "I didn't have a choice."
"Didn't have a choice?" Ralph Romano's voice rumbled low. His eyes were colder than the Russian winter we'd left behind. "That's what you're calling it now? How many times have I told you to be careful, you damn fool-"
"Ralph-"
"No." Rara flinched as he threw his hands in air in exasperation. "I told you to not involve him in your fucking business. You want to repeat what happened two years ago, huh? We lost one son, and I'm not going to lose another for fuck's sake!"
My heart hammered vividly. Another son? They lost one? Was Zayne dead? But… didn't Anya said he was alive? What was happening in this family, I had no idea.
Before anyone could say anything, Judas slammed his hand on the table making me jump as he stepped towards his father looking into his eyes. Rara's breath hitched and so did mine.
"You think I enjoyed it?" Judas's voice was dangerously quiet. "That I wanted to clean up a mess none of you could control?"
Killian Schmidt leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his broad chest, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, this is rich," he drawled. "Kleiner Prinz playing the martyr. Who would've thought?"
Judas shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "You're not helping, Dad."
"I'm not trying to," Killian replied smoothly, his icy blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "But it's entertaining watching you squirm under Daddy's gaze."
Alexei's fists clenched at his sides. "Do you even realize what you've done, snok?"
"I know exactly what I've done, Father. Don't forget, I'm the one cleaning up your failures when you should've killed all the Morozovs two years ago."
The room seemed to tremble with the weight of his words, the sheer audacity of his tone. Ralph's lips thinned, but he said nothing, his silence far more menacing than any outburst.
Killian chuckled, the sound dark and melodic. "Careful, Alexei. The boy's got teeth."
"Enough." Ralph's voice was a quiet command, and the room fell into a tense silence. His gaze shifted to me briefly, softening just enough to send a ripple of unease through me. Then he turned back to Judas. "Explain. Now."
Judas raked a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "Why do you think I killed him? A rat leaves his bill when there's a bait."
Alexei's eyes burned. "The country's a mess right now. You're the first suspect."
"And who would accuse a blind man?" Judas scoffed and that's when I understood all this.
The blind play. It was for the public. For a moment like this. Oh god…
He purposely made people believe he was blind so that he could execute a plan like this and no one would suspect him.
My pulse raced as the pieces began to align. He'd made people believe he was blind, executed plans in the shadows, and now… now it made sense. My chest tightened as my thoughts spiralled. He'd manipulated everyone. Even if he was questioned, public would support him.
I swallowed hard, my gaze darting to him. Why would he go to such lengths? Why kill Vlad, make the country lose its leader, plunge it into chaos? The answers felt just out of reach, the truth obscured by shadows I was too afraid to delve into.
And then it hit me.
Vlad wasn't just a leader; he was a barrier. A powerful, corrupt wall shielding the Morozovs and their empire. Judas… Judas had dismantled it, leaving the family exposed. Vulnerable.
But why?
My chest ached.
He wasn't just dismantling their empire. He was taking it. That meant now Lucius would come out of his bill.
Rara turned to me as her features softened as she reached for my hand. "Are you okay?"
I nodded hesitantly, my throat too tight to speak. Her touch was warm, grounding me amidst the chaos.
Judas's eyes flicked to her briefly before he looked at Alexei. "Lucius kidnapped Anya. Last month. What would've you done then? Sit and watch? Wait for her corpse-"
"Judas."
"Why?! Why should I stop? No one touches my family, not my siblings, not my little bird. And if you think I will sit and wait, then you wouldn't want to mess with me, father."
"Well said, Prinz."
Alexei's patience snapped. "If you don't take this seriously, Killian-"
"Take it seriously?" Killian sighed. "I've been taking it seriously only because we have a family. If it was upto me, I would've buried that bastard ten feet under the moment he touched my kin."
Judas's fists clenched and I watched his knuckles turning white. "I won't stop," he spoke. "Not until they're all gone. Every last one of them."
"And what then?" Ralph's green eyes bore into him. "You think taking them down will fix this mess? This doesn't end, Judas. Not with Vlad, not with Lucius. You know that as well as I do. The moment you're done with them, someone else will rise to take their place. That's the way this world works."
Judas's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond.
Alexei's expression darkened. "And if he loses everything in the process? What then, Kill? Are you going to stand by and watch him destroy himself?"
"I watched you destroy everything for your sister, Alexei. Even the woman you loved." Killian's smile was grim. "Sometimes, you have to burn the whole damn forest to get rid of the rot."
Ralph sighed. "And what about the ones caught in the fire? The ones you're trying to protect?" His green eyes shifted to me and then to Rara.
Alexei cursed under his breath. "Why didn't you tell me Anya was… kidnapped?"
Judas scoffed. "I handled the situation before I could ring you."
Alexei's glare could have split the air in half. His nostrils flared as he turned to Judas, who remained annoyingly calm, leaning against the table as if the storm around him didn't exist.
"You handled it?" Alexei's growled and I could feel the simmering anger with barely restrained fury. Even Rara did as she rubbed her husband's arm. "My daughter was kidnapped. And you thought it wasn't necessary to tell any of us?"
Judas met his father's gaze, as his lips curving into a faint smirk. "You're here now, aren't you?"
That did it. Alexei's composure snapped, his fist slamming onto the table. I flinched at the sound, my heart leaping into my throat.
"Don't test me, boy!" Alexei barked. "Do you even realize what could've happened? What she could have-" He stopped himself, his words catching, his breathing harsh.
Judas's eyes flickered for the briefest moment, a shadow of guilt passing before his mask slid back into place. "And yet, she's safe. Because I handled it."
"Handled it?" Ralph's deep voice cut through as he stood beside Alexei and by the place where I stood, it seemed like Alexei and Ralph wanted Judas to lay low, to not stir trouble, and Killian Schmidt was actively pumping him. "This isn't something you 'handle,' Judas. You should've-"
"Should've what, Ralph?" Killian drawled from where he leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his icy blue eyes. "Run crying to Alexei? Or you? Beg to save the day? Face it, Judas did what needed to be done. Even you know if any motherfucker dare to lay hands on our family, you would spill the blood to fill your colour tubes."
"Not now, Killian," Ralph growled as his green eyes narrowed dangerously.
Killian only smirked, tilting his head in mock consideration. "But it's the truth, isn't it? You don't like the way he's running things because it reminds you a little too much of Alexei. Or maybe… of yourself?"
"That's enough," Ralph snapped.
"Enough?" Killian's voice dipped lower and I looked tensely between two men. "Sure. Let's all pretend we all are some saints without any mad blood. That'll fix everything."
Ralph took a step forward, his shoulders squaring, but Rara beat him to it. She stood abruptly, her grip on my hand tightening as she fixed them both with a fierce glare.
"Enough, please," she said, her voice trembling slightly but firm. "If all you're going to do is fight, then go to your office. This isn't solving anything."
Killian raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise crossing his face before he relented with a small shrug. Ralph, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to argue, but Rara's sharp gaze silenced him.
I stood there, still holding her hand, trying to piece together the fragments of their conversation. My head spun with half-understood words, cryptic accusations, and a swirl of tension so thick it felt suffocating.
Judas hadn't moved, his expression unreadable as his eyes flickered between his father and Killian. He looked… tired. But there was something else there too, buried deep in the lines of his face. Defiance. A stubborn refusal to yield.
I glanced at him again, searching for a crack in his armour, anything that could tell me what he was really feeling. But he was like stone as if his features were carved into a mask.
Alexei sighed as if he was feeling regretful. I could tell by the look on his face. "You should've told me. I had a right to know. She's my daughter."
Judas straightened. "And what would you have done, Father? Let the bastard go?"
Alexei's face darkened. "Don't you dare-"
"You're regretting your decisions now?" Killian interrupted smoothly. "You would've done the same, Alexei. Admit it."
Alexei rounded on him, fists clenched, but before he could speak, Ralph stepped in.
"Killian, for once in your life, shut up," he growled.
Killian smirked but said nothing and shrugged his shoulders.
Rara let out a shaky breath, her hand trembling slightly in mine. "I said enough." Her voice cracked, and for a moment, everyone froze. Even Judas's gaze softened as he looked at her.
I felt like an outsider, a spectator in a theatre of chaos, watching as their world unravelled before my eyes.
Rara's eyes met mine briefly, and she gave my hand a small squeeze. "Let's go," she muttered softly, more to herself than anyone else. But her voice carried a weight that silenced the room.
No one argued as she stood, pulling me gently to my feet. The tension hung in the air like a storm about to break, but no one dared to follow as she led me toward the door.
I glanced back once, catching Judas's gaze. For a moment, I thought I saw something there-something raw, unguarded. But it was gone as quickly as it came, leaving me with more questions than answers.