“I’m…fine with that.”
“You’re a woman, Sasha.” His voice lowers. “My home isn’t the place for you.”
“That’s sexist. Besides, if I can handle the army, I can handle this.”
While still facing me, he grabs the table. His hands tighten on the edge and his biceps bulge beneath his shirt as if he’s stopping himself from doing something extreme. “There’s one difference.”
“Which is?” My voice lowers, and I’m breathing with difficulty again.
“I will be your boss, and I will demand complete obedience.”
“I understand.”
“I’m not joking, Sasha. Out of here, it’s not martial law. It’smylaw. Your life will be mine.”
I nod again. Yes, I might be going to a more dangerous place than where I am right now, but that’s better than being stuck in the same environment and doing nothing but surviving.
If putting my life in this emotionless man’s hands is what I have to do, then so be it.
15
KIRILL
The concept of home has been foreign to me since…forever.
It’s not a place where I feel safe or even liked. It’s a mere battlefield, where only the stronger comes out alive.
My father didn’t shower my siblings and me with affection. He downright pit us against each other so we’d become invincible.
My mother had only one purpose—get her favorite child to lead the family, no matter how many strings she had to pull.
That sense of internal wars and calculations has been a part of me since I was a child, and it’s only continued to grow over the years.
When I was old enough to put an end to it, I took the chance and flew to the other side of the ocean.
Though I always knew I would come back, because my ambition can’t be contained in the military, I didn’t know it’d be this soon.
Here I am. At the doorstep of our highly secured mansion that’s located on the outskirts of New York.
It’s huge, old, and has the spirit of a dozen devils rolled into one building. The brick façade looks dull, unassuming of what actually lurks behind the walls of this place.
The three-story house sits on a large piece of land with huge gardens surrounding it, a pool in the front, a clinic, and two annexed houses for the staff, one on the east side and the other on the west.
It’s exhausting to recount the facilities Roman made sure to include in his lion’s den. Such as an indoor pool, a golf course, and even a spa.
He turned the property into a royal castle, since he likes to think of himself as some sort of king.
Upon my arrival, it’s no surprise that only the staff comes to meet me. Not that I want to see anyone’s face right now. I only came for one purpose and one purpose alone.
My father.
He killed my men, and that was the last mistake he’ll commit in his lifetime. I’ll make sure he rots in that grotesque body of his until he wishes for death.
The rest of the men went to the annex house to settle the injured in at the clinic and visit any family members they have here.
The only two who remain with me are Viktor—since he sometimes considers himself my shadow—and Sasha.
Maksim calls her name and asks her to join him and Yuri in whatever vain endeavors they’re going to engage in, but she tells them, “I want to meet everyone first.”