But the atmosphere is neither welcoming nor joyful.
The men who attended the funeral sit around the table. At the head, there’s the Pakhan, the big boss, and the one who calls the shots, Sergei.
Vladimir and Adrian are sitting on the leader’s right and left respectively.
Then there’s Igor and Mikhail. The old-fashioned and older generations.
Beside Mikhail sits Konstantin, looking smug, with a smirk lifting his lips as if he’s already a victor.
On the opposite side, sits…a woman. Blonde, serious, and with elegance dripping from her expressionless face.
I saw her with Sergei at the funeral. Maksim said she’s his grandniece and the previous Pakhan’s granddaughter.
She has no opinion on the on-site operations, but since she’s climbing the ladder in the organization’s legitimate front, V Corp, she has voting rights.
Behind every member stand two guards like Viktor and me.
“You’re late,” Vladimir announces in his booming voice.
“Are we a joke to you, Morozov?” Mikhail adds in an accusatory tone.
Igor nods. “That’s disrespectful, not only to us, but to the Pakhan himself. It doesn’t look good for your application to be part of this table.”
Kirill pushes his glasses up his nose with his middle and ring fingers, not appearing affected in the least. “I apologize for the delay, but I had a legitimate reason.”
He pulls out his phone and shows them a picture of Yulia bound, bleeding, and barely consciousness.
“On my way here, I received this picture of my mother, and I had to go save her. She’s now safe and sound back home.” He faces Sergei. “I don’t believe I’m worthy of any position in the Bratva if I betray my own. If I can’t protect my family, how can I protect a bigger organization?”
Igor turns to Konstantin, whose smile has vanished. “Is this true?”
“I didn’t know she was kidnapped.”
“Oh, yes, you did. You received the same image, no?” Kirill shows the cc at the top of the email. “If you could confirm your attendance via email, surely you’ve seen this picture. The only difference is that you chose to ignore it.”
“You—” He stands up and falls back down again at everyone’s silent scrutiny.
“I apologize on behalf of my brother,” Kirill continues in his serene tone. “He’s still too young and doesn’t understand the value of family yet.”
“You’re the one who left for Russia!” Konstantin accuses.
“At Father’s orders. As I said, family.”
“Roman did mention that he sent Kirill to Russia for further training,” Igor says.
Kirill’s expression remains neutral, despite knowing that’s not the case.
I’m not surprised that his father lied to his friends. He didn’t seem like the type who would’ve wanted to advertise his authority being challenged. So it’s plausible that he made them think the Russia episode was all part of his plan.
After all, judging by the will and the sensitive material he left for Kirill, he always considered him his sole heir.
Sergei places a hand on the table, and everyone’s attention flies to him. No further words are exchanged, and heavy silence clings to the tension in the room.
“I’m disappointed in your misconduct, Konstantin,” he says in a slow, composed speech pattern.
When the younger of the Morozov brothers starts to speak, Sergei lifts his hand, effectively shutting him up. “Nevertheless, we promised a vote, and we’ll conduct a vote. Those in favor of Kirill joining our table, raise your hand.”
Igor is the first to do so, followed by Vladimir, Adrian, and the woman.