Chapter 81 Anya
Eight hours passed too quickly.
I sat in my room, staring at the cloc, watching the minutes tick away.
I tried to think of a way out. A way to escape. A way to refuse. But there was nothing. Ivanov owned me, completely.
At eleven-thirty, maids came to my room.
"Mr. Ivanov sent us to prepare you for tonight."
One of them held up a dress. If you could even call it that.
It was a red silk. Cut so low it showed everything. The back was completely open. The skirt barely covered anything.
"I cannot wear that."
"You must. Mr. Ivanov requested it specifically."
They dressed me, did my makeup and styled my hair.
When they were done, I looked in the mirror.
I looked like a prostitute. Expensive and beautiful prostitute.
"Perfect," one of the maids said. "Mr. Ivanov will be pleased."
They left. And I was alone again.
I looked at the clock. It was eleven fifty-five.
Five minutes left to my doom.
I thought about running. About fighting. About screaming. But what good would it do?
The clock struck midnight.
And a knock came on the door.
"Come in," I said. My voice was hollow.
Ivanov walked in. He looked at me. His eyes traveled over my body.
"Beautiful," he said. "Absolutely beautiful."
I said nothing.
He walked closer and touched my face. "Are you ready?"
"No."
"Good. I prefer it when there is resistance." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the bed.
"Please," I whispered one last time. "Please do not do this."
"Too late for that."
He pushed me down. And I closed my eyes.
What happened next, I will not describe. Because some things are too painful to put into words.
But when it was over, when he finally left my room, I lay there. Empty and broken.
He had taken the last piece of me that was mine.
And I felt nothing. No anger. No sadness. No shame.
Just... nothing.
I got up and walked to the bathroom. I washed myself. Tried to scrub away the feeling of his hands on my skin. But it would not go away.
I put on a robe, went ent back to bed.
And I stared at the ceiling, waiting for morning.
Morning came. I did not sleep.
A maid brought me breakfast. I did not eat it.
At noon, a guard came to my door.
"Mr. Ivanov requests your presence in his study."
I got dressed in a simple dress this time. But still expensive.
I went to his study and knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door.
Ivanov was sitting behind his desk, smiling.
"Anya. Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Good. Sit."
I sat in the chair across from him.
"Actually, come here. Sit on my lap."
My stomach turned. But I obeyed.
He pulled me onto his lap, placing his hands on my waist.
"Much better. You look beautiful today."
I did not say anything.
"I want to show you something nice. Something you would love." He said, smiling.
Another knock came on the door.
"Come in." He said with excitement.
A guard entered. And standing behind him was Nikolai.
My heart stopped.
Nikolai looked worse than ever. His clothes were filthy. His hands were wrapped in bloody rags.
But his eyes. When they met mine, they were filled with pain.
"Ah, Markov. Good. Come in. Close the door."
Nikolai did. His eyes never left me.
"I called you here for a reason." Ivanov's hand moved up my side. "I wanted to share some good news."
Nikolai said nothing. He just stood there, staring.
"Anya has agreed to be my mistress. We consummated our arrangement last night. And I must say..." He kissed my neck. "She is quite talented. Better than I expected."
I wanted to die. I wanted to disappear. But I just sat there, frozen.
Nikolai's jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists.
"In fact," Ivanov continued. "I think I might make her my wife. What do you think, Markov? Should I marry your former lover?"
"Why are you telling me this?" Nikolai's voice was rough and broken.
"Because I want you to know that everything you had is now mine. Your empire. Your money. Your woman. All of it belongs to me."
"You are a monster." Nikolai's voice was filled with pain.
"It's better than being a servant who lost." He pulled me closer. "Now. Go back to your work. And remember what you have lost."
Nikolai looked at me one more time. Then he turned and left.
The door closed behind him.
And I broke.
Tears streamed down my face, silently.
Ivanov did not notice. Or did not care. He just kept talking about his plans. His empire. His future. A future where I was his property. His toy.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
Later that day, I heard the news.
Maria, the servant who had testified against Ivanov, was dead.
"She committed suicide," the guards said. "She killed herself in the garage."
But I knew better. There was no way Maria killed herself.
I sat in my room, thinking.
Maria had tried to help Nikolai. And she died for it.
Dmitri had been killed. And Nikolai was blamed.
What if Ivanov was the one who killed Dmitri?
If he wasn't he wouldn't have to kill Maria.
I stood up and looked in the mirror. The woman staring back was a stranger. Broken, used and empty.
But underneath the emptiness, something else was growing.
Rage.
My brother’s true killer had been walking free while an innocent man was paying the price.
Ivanov thought he had won. Thought he had broken me.
But he was wrong.
I was going to find proof that Ivanov killed Maria. That he killed Dmitri and framed Nikolai.
And I was going to destroy him.
But to do that, I needed to get close to him. I would need him to trust me and let his guard down.
Which means I had to play along.
I had to pretend to be his willing mistress.
It would be dangerous.
But it would be worth it.
Because I owed Nikolai that much. After everything I had done to him. After everything I had believed. I owed him the truth.
And I was going to get it.
No matter what it cost me.
I went back to Ivanov's study that night and knocked on the door.
"Come in." He said.
I walked in and faked a smile. "I wanted to apologize. For not being... grateful."
He looked up. Surprised. "Oh?"
"You saved me from Nikolai. A murderer. A monster. You gave me everything. And I have been ungrateful."
"Go on."
"I want to change that. I want to... be better. For you."
He smiled, stood up and walked over to me.
"What brought this change?"
"I realized something today. Nikolai never loved me. He used me. Manipulated me. But you... you are honest. You tell me the truth. Even when it hurts."
It was all lies. But Ivanov believed it. I could see it in his eyes.
"I am glad you finally see it."
"I do. And I want to be a good mistress. If you will have me."
"Of course I will have you." He pulled me close and kissed me.
And I kissed him back. Even though it made me sick.
Because this was part of the plan.
And I was going to play it perfectly.
Until I found the truth.