Chapter 70

CZAR

"He will treasure you more than I ever did," he said after calming down from his laughter.

Dad's phone rang before he could say more. His brow furrowed, and soon his gaze flew to me. I tensed. What now?

"Don’t do anything until I say so. I’m going out there," his voice was commanding, far from the father who had just laughed at me.

He pocketed his cell phone.

"Your suitor is being held at gunpoint by our soldiers outside the house."

My hands went cold. I didn’t wait for even a second. I sprinted out of Dad's office.

Week two of pursuing her and she won't budge. It hasn't helped that Eiran has been acting like a hussy who can't breathe without me. Or rather, can't live without his gambling nights. My absence meant more responsibilities for him and fewer trips to the casino.

He's constantly bugging me through texts and calls to come back. Often, he adds that if Avaline doesn't want me, I should just give up on her. And that's just the least of the things that are driving me on edge. Seeing my wife work as a soldier in the past week has been torture. Not because I'm worried she's too fragile for it, but because of how she is toward her comrades. In between her shifts, she'd have a chat with a soldier or two. After her shift, she'd sometimes have drinks with them in one of their bars. She'd usually just have juice. Thank fuck. I don't know what a drunk Avaline would do.

An image flashed in my head. Of another De Greco soldier carrying her. Or worse, she'd invite the man over to her apartment out of drunkenness. What torments me even more were her small smiles toward other men.

I fucking know that it's a polite and friendly gesture, but she never looked as calm and carefree as that while we were married. And that was not her fault either. She showed hints of joy around me, but all of it was hesitant. As if she's constantly waiting for me to dismiss her and hurt her emotionally at any second.

Before following her here in Yekaterinburg, I told myself I'd only stay outside her house. I just wanted a glimpse of her. But that determination was suddenly non-existent when the possibility of her falling for another each second we're apart washed over me.

So I tailed her everywhere. Even to the De Greco mansion, where guards are currently pointing their guns at me.

But I did not come here unarmed, so I'm pointing two guns back at them.

"These ungrateful fuckers," I muttered. Without La Archante's help, they'd still be hunting down Monteval's soldiers. The temporary truce was mutually beneficial, but I'm not admitting that.

A small figure that I knew so well caught my eye from afar. She's running so fast with fear and determination in her eyes.

I swallowed. Since I got here, the only time she has shown vulnerability was during the first day I got here when I confessed my love and got rejected. The rest of the days I was here, I was only met with her resistance and cold shoulder.

Now I'm seeing a version of my wife who puts her emotions out in the open. My wife who worried over me. My wife who can see clearly through the fogs of my dark soul and find something lovable in it.

She tried her best to mask her fear with authority when she came in front of me and used herself as a shield.

"Carino..." I admonished her in a low voice. I came to Yekaterinburg prepared for all of this. She didn't need to protect me. And even though she belongs to the De Greco family, I still feared for her safety. It should always be me shielding her from the cruelties of our world, not the other way around.

"Lower your guns. He's harmless," she said, ignoring me.

Their faces screamed disapproval. No one ever described me as harmless.

A guard smirked sarcastically, still not lowering his weapon. "If we were to visit Saint Petersburg and stay for a few days like tourists, we'd surely be corpses by now, Ms. De Greco."

"We should give him the benefit of the doubt," Avaline persisted. "After all, not too long ago, his organization helped us eliminate our enemies."

Magnus De Greco stepped forward and arched a brow challengingly. "And what reason does Czar Levesque have for coming here if not for his own benefit?"

Avaline looked at him in shock as if she couldn't believe what he was saying. Maybe she feared my reaction; the last time her father provoked me, things became unpleasant. Despite a little resentment toward him, she still loves him.

I smiled without humor. "I am here for my benefit. But I mean no harm—not that it's any of your business, so I won't go into specifics."

It's only for Avaline to know; I don't have to share my reasons with him. I looked at Avaline.

"You could only trust your daughter's words."

Magnus's jaw ticked, and for a second, I thought he'd tell his guards to fire. I don't mind; if only my wife wasn't still blocking me.

"You're in De Greco territory, Czar," his tone was now firm. I smirked, which only seemed to annoy him more. "At our mercy. Your companions aren't here to protect you."

My wife must have seen my intent to rile her father up.

"Czar, stop it. This argument is nonsense," she said irritably. Then she turned to her father. "Papa, just make him leave. The both of you are wasting time by dragging this conversation out longer than necessary."

"I am not under anyone's mercy. My power doesn't end even when I'm outside Saint Petersburg. I don't need the protection of my organization. I'm not just the capo of La Archante; I am La Archante itself," I replied.

Avaline hissed at me, tears forming in her eyes. "What the hell are you doing? Do you really want to die?"

If she won't return to me, I wouldn't mind being shot right this second. The guards aimed their guns higher—some at my chest, others at my forehead. Terror was clear in her eyes.

"Papa, Czar is here because of me. You know that! He's not the enemy! Tell them to put their guns down!" Her voice trembled with emotion.

"If he puts his down first," her father gestured to me. I raised an eyebrow.

Avaline faced me instantly, placing a hand on my chest.

"Czar, put your guns down and leave here peacefully. You shouldn't have followed me here."

She's taking advantage of my confession. She thinks that touching me would make me cower. And I feared that she indeed had that power.

"No, cariño. Am I not at a disadvantage because there are more of them? They should ceasefire first." I didn't meet her gaze.

"Lower your pride, will you?" she muttered through gritted teeth. Then she softened her tone. "Please, Czar. I don't want you to die."

I finally glanced down at her.

"Don't you believe in me?" I asked a bit playfully.

"Fine," an angry tear rolled down her face. "I'll go with you."

My chest tightened. She doesn't hesitate to use her power over me, huh? She knows what I want to hear.

She slapped my chest.

"Czar, I want to leave now and go with you to Saint Petersburg!"

My breath caught. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to gauge her mood. It was just an impulse on her part, Czar. She'll fight you tooth and nail if you bring her to Saint Petersburg for real.

The guards regarded her with disbelief while her father's expression gave nothing away.

"Madness!" De Greco's men protested. "You're betraying De Greco like that, Ms. Avaline."

One of them stepped forward to wrench Avaline away from me. I hesitated whether to let him do that or hold onto Avaline tightly. All her encounters with me had been forced—I forced her to bow to me when we were young, and as a woman, I forced her to marry me. I followed and pursued her here in Yekaterinburg instead of kidnapping her so she wouldn't feel cornered again. She has the whole De Greco organization to protect her from me this time. I'm putting my life on the line by staying in a place where I don't have allies, letting her know that this time she has the power and choices.

She gripped my shirt and pressed herself close to me, which was enough permission for me not to let her go.

"If you still need your hands free, don't fucking lay a hand on her."

Avaline and her father shared a look that I couldn't comprehend. Sharply, Magnus De Greco nodded once.

"Ziven, let my daughter be," he ordered.

"Magnus, the only reason for the alliance between De Greco and La Archante is to eliminate Monteval—not to give them permission to do whatever they want."