Page 69 of His Stolen Bride

“Correct,” I answer. “So we narrow it.”

Luca taps one name. “This is kitchen.”

Yuri shakes his head slightly. “Kitchen doesn’t need camera access.”

“They don’t,” I agree. “So someone used their credentials.”

Enzo speaks without shifting. “We’ve got two missing phones from staff lockers. We found one in a laundry cart. We didn’t find the other.”

I look at him. “Who reported it?”

“A maid,” Enzo says. “Lidia.”

Yuri’s eyes lift. “Lidia was here six years ago.”

My gut goes cold in a controlled way. “Bring her in.”

“Now,” Yuri says, and he turns toward the door.

“Not loudly,” I remind him.

Yuri nods once, then leaves.

Alexei exhales through his nose. “If Vladimir’s going public with messages, then he’s stirring the city. Your rivals will talk.”

“I know,” I say. “What’s the current temperature?”

Alexei doesn’t need to check. “Two of the smaller crews stopped paying their weekly cut this morning. They’re claiming ‘administrative delays’ with their cash runs. That’s a test.”

Luca’s voice is sharp. “They want to see if you’re distracted.”

I glance at him. “And are we?”

“No,” Luca says immediately.

“Good,” I reply. “Then we move like we’re bored.”

Enzo’s phone buzzes once, and he checks it, then looks up. “Warehouse three is down. Power cut. Backup didn’t kick.”

Luca swears. “That’s Volkov’s lane.”

I don’t blink. “Send a team. Lock it. Don’t fix the power until Yuri clears the site.”

Enzo moves his thumbs, sending orders.

Alexei shifts his tablet closer. “If warehouse three goes dark, then the usual buyers will panic. That hits your credibility.”

“Let them panic,” I say. “Panic makes people show their contacts.”

Luca looks at me. “And the reply to Vladimir?”

I hold his gaze. “Alina writes it. We deliver it through our own channel, not digital, not house, not a known messenger. I want Vladimir receiving it and thinking he’s the one controlling the thread.”

Alexei hesitates. “If she meets him⁠—”

“She will,” I cut in.

Luca stiffens. “Boss.”