Chapter 60 Chapter 60
CHAPTER SIXTY
Dimitri's POV
The slap echoed through the hall like a gunshot.
Alexei's head snapped to the side from the force of my blow. His cheek immediately turned red.
For a moment, everything was silent. The guards watched with tense expressions.
Mikhail stood nearby with an unreadable expression.
Alexei slowly turned his face back towards me. His green eyes burned with hatred and rage.
Then he spat directly at my face.
The saliva hit my cheek and I felt it drip down slowly, warm and disgusting.
"You fucking bastard!" Alexei cursed, his voice was filled with venom. "I regret not searching harder for you!"
He pulled against the chains that held his hands behind his back. His whole body shook with fury.
"I should have torn this city apart until I found you!" He continued shouting. "I should have killed you when I had the chance! Then you wouldn't have the right to stand here and hit me!"
His words were like knives, sharp and cutting.
But they only made my anger grow more intense.
I wiped the spit from my face slowly, never breaking eye contact with him.
Then I threw a punch directly at his face.
My knuckles connected with his jaw with a satisfying crunch, the impact sent shock waves up my arm.
Alexei's head snapped back violently. Blood immediately burst from his lips, running down his chin.
He coughed and spat blood onto the floor. His breathing became heavy.
But I was not done.
I reached forward and grabbed a fistful of his black hair, yanking his head backward with brutal force.
He cursed out in pain, his neck arched at an uncomfortable angle.
I leaned down close to him, our faces were only inches apart.
"I heard what you did to my woman," I said slowly. My voice was low and deadly.
My grip on his hair tightened. I pulled harder, making him wince.
"I heard how you treated her," I continued. "How you kept her prisoner. How you made her life a living hell!"
Alexei tried to pull away but my grip was too strong.
"For that," I said, my voice dropped lower. "I will make you pay. I will make you suffer for every tear she cried, for every nightmare you gave her."
I could see his pulse racing in his neck.
"You have no idea what is coming for you, brother," I added.
Then Alexei did something unexpected, something that shocked me.
He started laughing.
Not just a small chuckle but a full hysterical laugh that echoed through the hall.
His whole body shook with laughter. Blood still dripped from his mouth, mixing with his saliva as he laughed and laughed.
"You think you won?" He asked between laughter. "You think you have her?"
He looked up at me. His eyes were wild and crazed, like a madman who had lost all grip on reality.
"That woman is carrying my child!" He shouted, his laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by rage. "My child! My heir! My blood!"
He pulled against the chains again, trying to stand but the guards held him down.
"I want her, Dimitri!" He demanded. "Bring Irina out right now so I can see her!"
His voice became increasingly desperate.
"The baby is mine! She is mine! Everything is mine!" He screamed. "Bring her to me now!"
I released his hair suddenly, letting his head drop forward, then I chuckled darkly.
"The woman you almost got killed?" I asked, my voice dripping with contempt. "The woman you sent with Roberto, knowing he might hurt her?"
I circled around him slowly.
"The woman you terrified so badly that she fainted in my arms from shock?" I continued. "That woman?"
I stopped in front of him again and leaned down to his eye level.
"Dream on, brother," I said coldly. "You will never set your eyes on Irina again. You will never touch her. You will never see that baby."
Alexei's face turned red with rage, veins popped in his neck and forehead.
"You cannot do that!" He shouted. "She carries my child! I have rights!"
"Rights?" I laughed bitterly. "You lost all your rights when you treated her like property."
I straightened up and looked down at him with disgust.
"The only reason you are still breathing is because of Mikhail. If it were up to me, I would have put a bullet in your head the moment they brought you here."
Alexei opened his mouth to respond but suddenly Mikhail stepped forward, coming in-between us.
"That is enough," Mikhail said firmly. "Both of you, that is enough."
He turned to me first. "Thank you, Dimitri," he said. "Thank you for being an obedient boy. For listening to my orders. For being the son I can be proud of."
Then he turned to Alexei and his expression changed completely. "But you," Mikhail spat at Alexei with clear disgust, "you are wayward, disobedient and reckless. Just like your father."
Alexei's eyes narrowed at the mention of our father.
"You never learned how to control yourself,” Mikhail continued. “how to think before you act, how to be a leader."
He leaned down closer to Alexei, his voice became threatening.
"If you are not careful, you will end up dying a pitiful death just like your father did."
Something snapped in Alexei at those words.
His eyes became bloodshot, turning red with pure rage. His whole body tensed like a coiled spring.
"Keep my father's name out of your fucking mouth!" Alexei growled, his voice was animalistic.
The disrespect was too much, I couldn't ignore.
Before I even thought about it, my hand flew out and I slapped Alexei hard across his face again.
The sound cracked through the hall.
"Show some respect!" I shouted at him. "Show respect to the very man who is the reason you are still breathing!"
Alexei's head hung down, blood dripped from his mouth onto the floor, creating a small pool.
His shoulders shook, whether from rage or pain or both, I could not tell.
Mikhail straightened up and cleared his throat, the sound commanded everyone's attention immediately.
"I have made my decision," Mikhail announced.
Everyone in the hall went completely silent.
"Alexei," Mikhail said, "you will return to your estate. You will resume your position as a mafia boss in your territory."
Alexei's head lifted slightly, surprised.
"However," Mikhail continued. "you and Dimitri will split up permanently."
"What?" Alexei whispered.
"You will no longer do business together," Mikhail explained. "You will not work together. You will stay in your territory, Dimitri will stay in his."
He looked between us both, his expression was hard and final.
"You will be separated. That is my final verdict."
Alexei was quiet for a long moment. his was head bowed, his breathing was heavy.
Then he spoke, his voice was surprisingly calm.
"I do not give a fuck about territory," he said clearly. "I do not care about business or power or any of that."
He lifted his head and looked directly at me, his eyes burned with obsession.
"All I want is Irina," he said simply. "And my baby. That is all I want. Give them to me and you can have everything else."
The hall went completely quiet.
Everyone was watching to see what would happen next.
I started laughing. The sound echoed through the hall.
But my laughter was not joyful or happy, it was dark, cold and dangerous.
As I laughed, my expression changed. My eyes went completely cold.
The temperature in th
e room seemed to drop suddenly. Everyone went silent immediately.
Even the guards shifted uncomfortably, sensing the danger radiating from me.
I stopped laughing abruptly and looked directly at Alexei.
When I spoke, my voice was calm. Deadly calm, and more frightening than any shouting could ever be.
"I will make her my wife," I said clearly. "By tomorrow, we would be married. Let me see what you will do about it, brother."