The drive back to the penthouse is quiet at first, city lights gradually replacing the industrial gloom. Anja shifts in her seat, fingers tracing the edge of the door handle. I can feel the questions building in her, the same careful probing she’s done since the gala.
Back in the penthouse, the lights come on automatically, a soft ambient glow reflecting off the marble island and the pale oak floors. The gas fireplace flickers to life as we enter the living area. Anja kicks off her sneakers by the door and heads straight for the kitchen, filling the kettle like she’s already claimed a small corner of the space.
I hang my coat and watch her move, noting how naturally she fits here despite everything. Tall frame moving with quiet efficiency, auburn highlights catching the low light as she reaches for the tin of tea.
She doesn’t wait long. She's made herself at home here, and I like it. I'd never let on to anyone about it, but it feels right.
While the water heats, she turns to me, green eyes direct, and full of inquiries.
“How do the Sokolovs actually operate? Not the polished version you give outsiders. The real one. You say you protect your own, that it’s control, not chaos. But I saw men like you... The men who came to collect... the men who didn't care aboutme being collateral damage. So tell me straight. Where’s the line between necessary and needless?”
I lean against the island, arms braced on the cool marble, keeping my posture open but detached. Honesty is the currency here if I want that organic trust to keep growing. It’s useful for the plan and keeps her invested, keeps the intel flowing. Nothing else.
“We enforce territory,” I answer evenly. “When someone pushes like Fadir is pushing, they're trying to carve routes through what’s ours, so we respond. Financial pressure first. Leaks. Isolation. Only force when it’s the cleanest option, and it protects the structure. The collectors you remember? Some were ours, years ago, before we tightened the code. My father’s generation was louder, messier. We learned. Loud draws attention. Loud gets families slaughtered or feds crawling up your spine. We keep it surgical. Debts get collected, but we don’t break homes for sport or terrorize women and kids to send messages. That’s Fadir’s style... personal, sloppy, ego-driven. We make examples when needed, but the goal is stability. Protect the family, the women, the next generation. Break that code and the whole thing rots from inside.”
She listens without interrupting, pouring hot water over the tea bag. Her shoulders ease a fraction as I speak with no grand declarations, just facts.
The trust is growing in small shifts I catalog like tactical data. She relaxes when treated as a partner rather than a victim. That’s valuable. It makes her honed and more willing to share the intimate details she gathered under Fadir’s roof.
I notice other things I have no right to linger on. The way she fits against the counter as if she belongs in the quiet rhythm of the penthouse. The natural way her body angles toward minewhen we stand close, not touching but near enough that I register the faint warmth.
When those moments happen, I acknowledge the problem and focus my thinking on trivial topics. Anything to get the crude images of taking Anja in my arms, carrying her to my bed, and having my way with her.
That would muddy the situation we're in.
How the auburn streaks in her hair catch the low light from the pendant above the island, turning it to a radiant reddish hue that I want to curl around my fingers. She is far more than the shaking girl from weeks ago. There’s steel there now, tempered by betrayal and sharpened by revenge.
But I remind myself of the boundaries.
Her fresh wounds from Fadir’s manipulation make any closeness suspect. The ghosts she carries from years ago demand I keep my distance.
The line remains drawn, firm and non-negotiable.
“It sounds… too strict and managed. Not the evil I pictured.” She takes a sip of tea, eyes thoughtful over the rim
“It’s not mercy,” I reply, tone detached. “It’s efficient. Disarray costs more in the long run.”
She nods slowly, setting the mug down. The trust lingers in the air between us, small but real. Useful for the long game against Fadir. The subtle moves are already biting, and the suppliers are pulling back. His charity image is starting to fray thanks to her marketing angle.
She’s no longer just leverage. She’s a participant, her insights tightening the noose.
“Get some rest. Tomorrow we review the new courier data. Your observation helps.” I push off the island, heading toward the hallway that leads to the offices
She doesn’t argue. As I walk away, I feel that unwelcome pull again for the way she fit so naturally into the passenger seat tonight. The quiet competence she brought to the surveillance, and how her presence beside me on the drive felt seamless rather than intrusive.
I shut the office door behind me and exhale. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out from taking Anja in my arms. Kissing her lush lips, wrapping my arms around her body, pulling her tight, and taking delight in her exquisite body.
Despite the oversized clothing she wears most of the time, I've seen every curve and every mound when she wears a formal gown. The way the fabric hugs her like a second skin.
But I need to remain focused and set aside my primal desires.
Her trust is a tool for the plan. Nothing more.
The slow deconstruction continues, and Anja Kuzmin is proving to be an edgier blade than I anticipated.
But I will not let her become anything else.
I can't.
