Chapter 63 Anya
I could not sleep.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Viktor Morozov's threats.
Nikolai was beside me also awake.
What was I thinking?
How could I, a slave, want to be with a man like Nikolai?
It was impossible. But I was too selfish to admit. Too selfish to let go.
"We could run," I said quietly.
"Where? He has connections everywhere. We would not last a week."
"Then let's fight him."
"Against Viktor Morozov? He has connections with Italian Mafias. I can't fight him alone."
"Then what do we do?" I turned to face him. "Because I am not letting you marry Katya. And you are not letting me go. So what is left?"
He was quiet for a long moment.
Then he said, "We find leverage."
"What kind of leverage?"
"Something Viktor Morozov wants more than revenge. More than anything."
"Like what?"
"I do not know yet. But I will find out."
He sat up. "Mikhail is already digging into his business. His past. Looking for anything we can use."
"And if there is nothing?"
"Then we get creative."
I did not like the sound of that.
"Nikolai, what are you planning?"
"Nothing yet. But if it comes down to it..." He looked at me. "If it comes down to choosing between your life and everything else, I choose you. Every time."
"That is not fair."
"Love is not fair."
"But it is not just about us anymore. What about Dmitri? What about your men? What about everyone who depends on you?"
"They will understand."
"Will they? Or will they hate me for destroying everything you built?"
He pulled me close. "Stop thinking like that. We will find a way. We always do."
But I could hear the doubt in his voice.
The next morning, Mikhail came with news.
We were in Nikolai's study. All of us. Nikolai, me, Dmitri, and Mikhail.
"I found something," Mikhail said. He spread papers on the desk. "Viktor Morozov has been laundering money through offshore accounts. Millions. Maybe billions."
"Everyone in our world does that," Nikolai said. "That is not leverage."
"True. But he has been laundering money for someone else. Big people who are untouchable."
"Who?"
"Government officials. High-ranking ones. If this gets out, they go down. And they will kill Viktor to keep him quiet."
Nikolai smiled. "Now that is leverage."
"There is more," Mikhail continued. "Viktor has a secret. A son. From an affair twenty years ago. He has been hiding him. Paying the mother to stay quiet."
"Why would he hide a son?" I asked.
"Because the mother was married to his best friend. If it gets out, it would destroy not just Viktor's reputation, but his entire social circle."
"Does Katya know?" Nikolai asked.
"No. No one knows except Viktor and the mother."
"Perfect." Nikolai stood up. "We use both. The money laundering and the secret son. We threaten to expose everything unless he backs down."
"That could work," Mikhail said. "But it is risky. If Viktor calls our bluff..."
"He will not. Because we are not bluffing. We will release everything if we have to."
I felt sick. "This feels wrong."
"More wrong than what he threatened to do to you?" Nikolai looked at me. "He started this war. We are just finishing it."
"But blackmail..."
"Is the only weapon we have right now." He cupped my face. "I know you have a good heart, Anya. But in this world, good hearts get you killed. Sometimes you have to be ruthless to survive."
I wanted to argue. But I knew he was right.
"So what is the plan?" Dmitri asked.
"We call Viktor. We tell him what we know. We give him a choice. Back down and his secrets stay secret. Or push forward and we burn his entire world down."
"And if he chooses to push forward?" Mikhail asked.
"Then we release everything. And let the chips fall where they may."
It sounded so simple. But I knew it was not.
This could either save us or destroy us.
Nikolai made the call that afternoon.
We all gathered around the phone, listening.
"Viktor Morozov," Viktor's cold voice answered.
"It is Nikolai. We need to talk."
"I believe I gave you my terms."
"I have a counter-offer."
"I am not interested."
"You will be interested in this one." Nikolai's voice was steady. "I know about the offshore accounts. I know about the government officials. And I know about your son."
Viktor stayed quiet for a long time.
My heart raced with every minute that passed.
Then Viktor's voice came back. Even colder than before.
"You dare threaten me?"
"You threatened me first. I am just returning the favor."
"If you release that information, you will start a war you cannot win."
"Maybe. But you will not survive it either. The government will kill you to cover their tracks. Your wife will leave you. Your reputation will be destroyed. And Katya?" Nikolai paused. "She will know what kind of man her father really is."
"What do you want?" Viktor asked finally.
"I want you to back down. Leave me alone. Leave Anya alone. Forget about the wedding. And we forget about what we know."
Nikolai looked at me. "And if you refuse, then, tomorrow morning, every news outlet in Moscow will have copies of everything. All of it."
"You would not dare."
"Try me." Nikolai's voice was cold.
I could hear Viktor breathing heavily on the other end. "You have made a powerful enemy today, Nikolai Markov."
"I already had a powerful enemy. Now I am just protecting myself."
"This is not over."
"Yes, it is. Because if anything happens to me, to Anya, to anyone I care about, those files get released automatically. I have set up a dead man's switch. So if you want your secrets to stay buried, you will leave us alone. Forever."
Viktor laughed. A bitter, angry sound.
"You think you are clever. But you have just signed your death warrant."
"We will see about that."
Nikolai hung up.
We all stared at each other.
"Do you think it will work?" I asked.
"I do not know," Nikolai admitted. "But it is the best chance we have."
The rest of the day was tense. We waited, watched and prepared for the worst.
But nothing happened.
No attacks. No threats. No response at all.
It was almost worse than if he had retaliated.
Because the silence meant Viktor was planning something.
That night, as I lay in bed with Nikolai, I could not shake the feeling of dread.
"He is going to come for us," I whispered. "Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually."
"I know."
"So what do we do?"
"We live our normal lives. We love. And when he comes, we will fight."
"I am tired of fighting." My voice broke.
"So am I. But it is the only way we survive."
Nikolai fell asleep. His breathing wasn't steady. He was tense, even in sleep.
I studied his face, running my finger across his face.
Can't I just have this one thing? A peaceful life with the man I love?
I wasn't asking for too much.
Finally, I shut my eyes.
I was falling asleep when I felt strong hands yank me off Nikolai’s arms.
“Nikolai!” I tried to scream, but no sound came out. He was sleeping peacefully.
Tears streamed down my face as the hands dragged me out.