Chapter 116 Nikolai
I stood in my office staring at the documents spread across my desk.
Mikhail sat across from me. He had been quiet for the past hour.
"You need to make a decision," he said finally.
"I know," I said.
"Do you?" Mikhail asked. "Because from where I am sitting, you are paralyzed. Stuck between two choices that are tearing you apart."
He was right. I was paralyzed.
On one side was my empire. On the other side was Anya.
"Katya is your sister," Mikhail said. "By law, she has as much right to your father's empire as you do."
"Half sister," I corrected automatically.
"Does it matter?" Mikhail asked. "She is still family. And she was denied everything while you got it all."
"So I should just let her keep it?" I asked.
"I did not say that," Mikhail said. "I am saying you need to decide what matters more. The empire or Anya."
"Why can I not have both?" I demanded.
"Because Anya will never stay if you choose the empire," Mikhail said. "She made that clear."
I thought about walking away from Moscow. From the empire and starting over somewhere new with Anya, building a life that had nothing to do with crime or power or violence.
It sounded impossible. Like a dream that could never be real.
"My father would be ashamed," I said.
"Your father is dead," Mikhail said. His voice was hard. "And he was the one who created this mess. He had an affair. This is his fault, not yours."
"But I have to live with the consequences," I said.
"Yes," Mikhail agreed. "You do. So the question is, how do you want to live? Fighting for an empire? Or building a life with Anya?"
I walked to the window and looked out at Moscow. The city that had been my home. My kingdom.
"You think I love Anya?" I asked.
"I know you do," Mikhail said. "I have known you for twenty years, Nikolai. I have seen you with many women. But I have never seen you look at someone the way you look at Anya."
"And yet I locked her in a room," I said bitterly.
"Yes," Mikhail agreed. "And that was wrong. But it is not too late to fix it."
"How?"
"Let her go," Mikhail said. "Unlock the door. Tell her she is free. And then ask her to stay. Not because you are forcing her. But because she wants to."
I turned away from the window and looked at Mikhail.
"What about Katya?" I asked. "What about the empire?"
"What about it?" Mikhail asked. "Katya has it now. And honestly? She is running it better than you did."
The words stung. But they were true.
"So I just let her win?" I asked.
"It is not about winning or losing," Mikhail said. "It is about choosing what kind of man you want to be."
I sat down heavily in my chair and put my head in my hands.
Everything Mikhail said made sense.
But it did not make the choice any easier.
My empire or Anya. My pride or my heart.
"I need time to think," I said.
"How much time?" Mikhail asked. "Because Anya is not going to wait forever. Eventually she will find a way to escape. And when she does, you will never find her again."
"I know," I said.
He walked to the door and paused.
"Whatever you decide," he said. "I will support you."
He left. The door closed behind him.
I sat there alone in my office. Surrounded by maps and documents and the weight of impossible choices.
My phone buzzed. It was a message from one of the guards.
"Mrs. Markov tried to escape. We caught her in the east stairwell. What should we do?"
My heart stopped.
Anya had tried to escape.
I stood up quickly. Pain shot through my chest but I ignored it.
I left my office and ran down the stairs. My legs were still weak from the coma but I pushed through it.
I found them on the third floor. Two guards were holding Anya. She was struggling. Her face was bruised. Her lip was bleeding.
"Let her go," I ordered.
The guards released her immediately.
Anya stumbled. I caught her before she fell.
She looked up at me. Her eyes were full of hatred and fear.
"I am not going back to that room," she said. "I would rather die."
"You are not going back to that room," I said. "You are coming with me."
Before she could protest, I picked her up.
She was lighter than I remembered.
"Put me down!" She shouted, hitting my chest with her fists. "Put me down right now!"
I ignored her and carried her up the stairs. To the top floor. My private quarters.
I kicked open the door to my bedroom, carried her inside and set her down on the bed.
She scrambled away from me.
"What are you doing?" She demanded.
"You are staying here," I said. "With me."
"No," Anya said. "No, I will not..."
"You tried to escape," I interrupted. "Which means I cannot trust you alone. So you stay here. Where I can see you."
"You are insane," Anya said.
"Maybe," I agreed. "But you are not leaving. Not until I figure this out."
I walked to the door, locked it from the inside and put the key in my pocket.
Anya stared at me. "You cannot keep me prisoner forever."
"I am not keeping you prisoner," I said. "I am keeping you safe."
"Safe from what exactly?" She asked, raising her voice.
"From running away before I make my decision," I said.
"What decision?"
I looked at her.
"The decision between my empire and you," I said.
Anya's eyes widened. "You are actually considering it?"
"I am considering everything," I said.
"Why?" She asked. "Why now? After you locked me up? After everything you said?"
"Because you deserve better. Because I do not want to be my father."
Anya stared at me. Tears filled her eyes.
"It is too late," she whispered. "You already made your choice. When you locked me in that room."
"It is not too late," I said. "Not if you give me another chance."
"Why should I?" She asked.
"Because I love you," I said. "And because I am willing to walk away from everything for you."
"Prove it," Anya said. "Let me go."
I looked at the door. At the key in my pocket.
And I realized I could not do it.
Not until I knew she would stay.
"No," I said. "Not yet."
Anya's face crumpled. "Then you are lying. About all of it."
"I am not lying," I said. "I just need time."
"You had seven months," Anya said. "How much more time do you need?"
I had no answer for that.
She turned away from me and curled up on the bed facing the wall.
"Get out," she said. "If you are going to keep me prisoner, at least have the decency to leave me alone."
"Anya..."
"Get out!" she screamed.
I left.
I closed the door behind me and locked it from the outside.
And I stood there in the hallway hating myself.
I went back to my office and sat at my desk and stared at the maps and documents.
And I made a decision.
I would not choose between my empire and Anya.
I would find a way to have both.
It was the only way.
I picked up my phone and called Mikhail.
"Set up a meeting with Katya tomorrow." I said.
"Boss, are you sure about this?" Mikhail asked.
"Yes," I said. "It is time to face my sister. And get back what belongs to me."