A Different Perspective

ALEKSANDR

The night was well into its darkest hours when I finally made it back home.

I was always uneasy leaving Kaia by herself, given her knack for stumbling into all sorts of mischief, even when she wasn’t actively seeking it. Thankfully, Andrey had assured me that he’d relocated any potentially incriminating files related to Lipeshin into a heavily encrypted folder, accessible only by a single keyword.

A keyword I seldom uttered and that remained a secret to everyone, Andrey included. Kaia already had enough ammunition to damn me without those files.

As Niko drove us through the open gates, I ran a weary hand through my hair.

A few of my men trailed behind us in another SUV, following us into the courtyard. I despised the club meetings where women felt entitled to touch me and men assumed we were buddies.

My world was perilous, but I felt no remorse for pulling Kaia into it. I was determined to do everything within my power to ensure she couldn’t leave me.

No sooner had I stepped out of the SUV than the front door burst open and a small figure charged at me.

“~You bastard!~”

Kaia’s fists hammered against my chest, forcing me to step back in surprise.

My men were quick to form a protective circle around us, but it was Niko who attempted to pull her off me.

I raised a hand, signaling him to back off.

“~You killed them!~” Her voice cracked as she hit me again.

I grabbed her wrists to steady her.

Tears streamed down her face, a patchwork of red from a blend of anger and sorrow.

As her body went limp, I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her as her sobs shook her.

“I didn’t, ~kotik,~” I whispered, ensuring only she could hear me.

She pushed me away then.

“I don’t believe you!” she shouted, squaring off with me, seemingly oblivious to my men nervously clutching their weapons. “You’ve been lying to me about ~everything~! Admit it!”

When I remained silent, she let out a chilling laugh. Her voice was icy as she continued.

“You killed my father. Just like you killed yours.”

Exhaling a frustrated breath, I strode toward her, seized her arm, and dragged her—kicking and screaming—back into the house. This wasn’t a spectacle for my men.

I slammed the door shut, and she wrenched her arm free, spinning to face me again.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tried to keep my voice steady, but her accusatory gaze made me want to pull her onto the couch and fuck some sense into her.

She gestured toward the hallway leading to my office.

“I saw the evidence. The emails.” Her eyes were full of condemnation. “You ordered Lipeshin to be burned to the ground. ~Leave no one alive~. That’s what you said. Did you plan to kill me too? Irina?”

~Damn it.~ How had she accessed the folder?

I reached out to touch her, but she recoiled, wrapping her arms around herself defensively.

“I didn’t send those emails,” I responded. “I only ordered Akim to be taken. No one was to be harmed.”

Her face twisted, fresh tears pooling in her green eyes.

“You have the pictures on your computer. I saw them. All those bodies. Women. ~Children~.”

My jaw clenched at the memory of the images she’d seen. My father was a monster, taking perverse pleasure in documenting his most heinous crimes. That’s why I had those photos locked away.

Andrey had assured me that breaking the encryption would take weeks, if not months. I had no idea how she’d managed to access them.

“My father discovered my plans to abduct Akim and razed Lipeshin to the ground to teach me a lesson.”

The memory of his maniacal laughter when I confronted him about his actions still made my blood boil.

But it was too late. All I could do was eliminate the bastard—once and for all.

“Why would he do that?”

I gritted my teeth.

“Because he’s evil.”

Emboldened, she took a step toward me. Her golden hair framed her flushed cheeks, and despite everything, I couldn’t help but admire her tenacity.

“Are you any different?” Her voice was soft, yet it pierced my heart like an arrow. “Should I just forget how you abducted me? How you’re using me to secure your vote at the High Table? That’s why you wanted Akim, isn’t it? Because you planned to use him to overthrow your father?”

A muscle in my jaw twitched involuntarily. She was speaking nothing but the truth.

“Cat got your tongue?” she mocked.

I just shrugged.

“Would it change anything?” I shot back. “You’ve already made up your mind about me.”

She took another slow step toward me, stopping when she was less than a foot away. She lifted her chin defiantly and locked eyes with me.

“I’m going to ask you one question, and then I’m leaving. And you’re not going to stop me.”

A wave of panic surged through me at the thought of her leaving. It made me react impulsively.

“And where will you go? To Ilya Sokolov?”

Kaia gasped, stepping back as if I’d physically pushed her.

“How do you know Ilya?”

My eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them.

“~Who is he to you~?”

She opened her mouth to retort, but quickly closed it again, as if reconsidering my question. She must have seen the jealousy swirling in my eyes. I couldn’t hide it, not when it came to her.

“I met him. At the cafe with Stasya.”

My vision blurred, everything tinted with a red haze. Before I knew it, I had her by the throat, pushing her against the wall.

“You ~met~ with him?” I growled. But my little kitten didn’t even flinch. Instead, she looked victorious as she nodded slowly.

“He told me not to trust you. That you were lying to me. I should have believed him.”

My grip tightened, her eyes widening in response. I leaned in, pressing my lips against her cheek.

“Did he touch you, kotik? Does he know you’re mine?”

I could feel her pulse quickening under my fingers. But I knew if I tried to kiss her now, she’d resist fiercely.

She licked her lips, capturing my attention with the small gesture. “Answer my question first. Did you know Irina was alive?”

I stiffened. There was no way she didn’t notice, pressed against me as she was.

“You did, didn’t you?” Her eyes narrowed. “For how long?”

I let go of her and walked away, not bothering to answer.

“Ilya was right,” she murmured. “You’ve been lying to me from the start, haven’t you? You’ve been using my search for Irina to keep me here with you.”

I spun around to glare at her.

“I don’t need to trick you to make you stay with me, kotik,” I said. My eyes roamed over her body in a deliberate, heated appraisal. “We both know you don’t really want to leave.”

Her lips parted in shock, and then she was glaring back at me.

I took that as a challenge.

“The only way you’re leaving here is over my dead body.”

I reached behind me, pulling out the gun I had tucked away, and handed it to her.

“Go ahead, kotik. Claim your freedom.”

She didn’t hesitate, snatching the gun from my hands and pressing the barrel against my chin.