Chapter 20 20

Chapter 20 20


The room was quiet, until the phone rang. Ivan, who had already settled on the bed, turned to pick it up.

“Boss, she has refused to return back to you” the voice broke the silence.

“So where is she now?” Ivan asked.
“She’s settled on the floor”
“On the floor?”
“Yes boss”

Ivan was silent for a moment. Then he hung up. Bare chested, he opened his door and walked down the hall to Katerina’s.

She sat on the floor, legs crossed, her back resting against the wall, not sparing him a glance.

“Kat,” he said softly “Come back to my room”

She didn’t move, didn’t even look up”

“You can’t possibly spend the night here”. Ivan said.

“Then you know what to do. Ask your men to let me go in.”

Ivan gave a signal. The guards unlocked the door. He followed her inside.

Katerina turned startled, was shocked.

“What are you doing here Ivan?” She asked.

“After the stunt you pulled tonight? If my room is the problem, then we’d share yours”

“The bed’s barely big enough for one, and there’s no sofa. I’d suggest you return back to your room”

“You chose this place, we’ll make do with it”

Ivan climbed unto the bed, pulling the duvet around himself. Katerina disappeared into her dressing room, changing into her night wear. When she returned, she slipped into the bed and dragged the duvet from him.

Ivan turned to face the other side while Katerina lay staring at the ceiling.

“Uhm…. Ivan” she called softly.

“Yes….” Ivan replied reluctantly.

“I need to go see someone tomorrow”

Ivan raised an eyebrow.
Who was she going to see?

“Who?”

Katerina thought for a moment.
She didn’t know who she was going to meet and she apparently couldn’t tell Ivan that. Seeing how protective he had been of lately. He might wanna ask his guards to accompany her. That wouldn’t have bothered her, only that the message said come alone.

“A friend. Ivan, it’s for my investigation.”

“Okay.”

“You’d let me go?” She asked with a glint of hope in her voice.

“My men would take you there?”

“No ... Ivan … It would look suspicious . I don’t want my friend thinking i am in some kind of danger”

He turned, their eyes meeting.

“You’d rather you go alone?”

“Yes Ivan, I’d be back right after the meeting” Katerina said.

“It’s not safe out there Katerina. What if you’re attacked or you disappear again, we can’t have that happen” He said, unable to conceal the concern in his words

“Oh come on Ivan, it’s me. I live a simple life, no one is coming for me” she said, assuring him.

“Simple life Katerina is married to, the Ivan of the Morozov’s dynasty. Every corner you step into, every office, every place would be traps. You’ve got to be extra careful”

He wasn’t wrong, he knew that but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. An unknown message, a hidden sender… It was a trap, but one she needed to get into, hopefully it would give her answers.

Ivan sat up, discomforted at the closeness they shared on the bed.

“How many men would accompany me?”

“Ten” Ivan answered.

“Ten?” She sat up, “Oh come on Ivan, it’s a friendly meeting. Ten is a lot”

“How many then?”

“One” She said suggestively.

“Nine” he countered.

“Two”

“Fine… seven?” He said.

“Seven is still too many,” she said.

“Five…nothing less” Ivan concluded.

“Come on Ivan, five guards, one lady? It’s going to cause a scene.”

“Where is the meeting point?”

“Somewhere in the city…” she said vaguely.

“Somewhere?” He asked.

“I’ll figure out the address tomorrow Ivan”

He sighed “Four men. Two stay hidden, one scouts the area and one doesn’t leave your side.” Ivan said.

“Ivan….” She began to protest but he ignored her and lay back down.

Katerina turned too, thoughts running through her mind.


Katerina turned in her bed, just waking up. The other side was empty, Ivan had already left.

She got up and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she returned, her phone beeped, a message appeared on the screen;

“Meet me at Royal Victoria Dock, by the old crane. 2 p.m.”

Her eyes twitched. A chill crept down her spine, gripping her tighter with every breath.


The air was fresh, the estate stood still in peace. Ivan watched from the rooftop. His gaze sweeping across the guards stationed in their various posts. The estate was all he knew to fight for, his heritage, his home. Guarding it with his life was all he’d ever known.

As he stood watching, his mind drifted back to the that night. The night his father died.


Ivan staggered out of Saha’s room, dizzy from the blow that had knocked him out earlier. His vision partially blurred as he staggered toward the main hall.

When he reached the room, the sight froze him, his father locked in a struggle with a man, blood running down his face. One look told Ivan his father had almost been beaten to death.

Ivan was about to rush forward when a gunshot tore through the air. The sound was deafening. He stopped, his heart pounding. For a moment, everything stood still, until he saw his father fall to the ground, the bullet had hit him.

The shooter ran toward the exit and Ivan found himself torn; chase the man who had just shot his father or rush to his father’s side.

Without giving it a second thought, he ran to his father, his eyes fixed on the blood all over his father.

“Dad, stay with me”

Don’s breathing was shallow, his eyes were already dimming.

“Call an ambulance” Ivan screamed”

Immediately Ivan ripped a piece of his shirt, pressing it against the wound, his hands trembling.

“Hold on father, please…”

“Call an ambulance” he screamed again. Looking around, he realized that there was no one there. It was a total ambush, bodies scattered all around. He looked out for his phone but he remembered that it had fallen off his hand in his search for Katerina.

Seeing his father yearn for life broke him. He couldn’t leave his father, yet he needed to get help. He kept on stealing glances at the door hoping that someone would come in, to save his father but nobody did.

“Ivan…” Don struggled to talk.

“Father, save your strength. You don’t have to say anything.”

“Make sure you… find out… who did this,” Don said, taking his last breath.

“Father….father!” Ivan screamed, shaking him.
But it was too late. The man who had taught him loyalty, pride, and love for the Morozov’s name was gone.



Dimitri’s hands landing on Ivan’s shoulder pulled him back to reality.

“Ivan, you alright?”
“Yes…uncle. How long have you been here?”

“Less than a minute but I called out to you, you didn’t respond. You good?”

“Yes uncle, nothing to worry about. Any updates?”

“Yes, good news actually. I contacted Roderigo, explained everything and he’s coming over for a final discussion with you”

“Well that is good news”

“I see that your men are already getting to work. Everywhere is fully guarded.”

“Yes, these are war times, war times calls for war level vigilance. Everyone has to be at their best.”

“Have you spoken to CSA?” Dimitri asked.

“Yup, it’s been approved. They’ll arrive Monday”

“That would be great. The men would be sent to my quarters too, right?”

“Everywhere, Dimitri… everywhere”

Suddenly, a young man rushed up to Ivan panting heavily.

“What is it?” Ivan asked sharply.

He inhaled and exhaled, trying to catch his breath.

“It’s Felix…”

“What happened to Felix?”

“He’s…he’s dead”

Ivan’s chest tightened, without a word, he rushed out following the young man.



Ivan rushed into the abandoned place where Felix always worked. The smell of smoke filled the air.

Ivan spotted three freshly burnt bodies, Felix among them. He walked closer to the bodies, his heart in fear.

“He… wanted to burn some bodies” the young man started. “And ordered that I get him fuel, I did and I brought it in this green can”

He pointed at the can.

“I stepped out for a moment and when I came back, he was about to light a match.”

Ivan looked at him intensely.

“Then I noticed that Felix had emptied another can of fuel, not the one in the can I brought. Then all of a sudden,he lit the match and the entire place exploded and I was thrown off balance.

Ivan couldn’t believe his ears. Felix was more than a guy who did his dirty job, he was a friend. And now… he was gone.

“So the other can, the one that exploded, how did it get here”
“I don’t know” the young man admitted. “I can’t explain it”

“Are you certain it wasn’t Felix’s”

“Yes… Felix has only the one can.”

Ivan stepped closer, the first two bodies were the traitors from Ivan’s attack...
But the third… Felix.

Someone had planned this. Someone had used Felix as a pawn. Ivan thought.

Then, a loud metallic clatter echoed from the far corner of the workshop. Ivan froze.

Something, or someone was still here.