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My heart cracks. That’s the only thing he’s ever cared about, isn’t it?
The Bratva.
Producing an heir.
Gaining power.
“You’ve never cared about me,” I whisper, the realization hovering over me like a dark cloud. “You only ever cared about the Bratva.”
“There are lines you shouldn’t cross, Liya. This is one of them.”
I shake my head, sheer fury encouraging me to step toward him. I’m too upset to worry about the consequences. All I can think about is how stupid I am to believe anything he promised. “One minute, you’re the perfect guy, and the next—”
His eyes widen as if to ask whether I’m going to say it.
And I sure as fuck am.
“And the next.” Without blinking, I snap. “You’re just like my brother. You see me as nothing but a tool! You scramble for power and riches without thinking about anyone around you. Not even your precious Viktoria.”
The twitch in his temple halts. His features smooth over like finely sculpted stone. Nothing is there anymore. Not even irritation.
“If only I had treated you like a tool from the very beginning, Liya,” he states. “Then I wouldn’t have such a mess to clean up.”
I part my lips to speak, to throw something in his face, to scar him in ways that he’ll feel for the rest of his life. But I don’t have the chance. I don’t even have the opportunity to breathe as he flips around and marches out.
The door slams on his way out. Wood rattles the frame as hard as it rattles me.
And that’s how it sounds when my heart shatters into a million pieces.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Pavel
You’re just like my brother.
It was incredible for Liya to compare me to her fuck up of a brother. Not a day goes by where I don’t provide for her, doting on her like any good husband would. As Pakhan, it’s much more than what’s required of me. Doesn’t she see that?
I stare at the pages in front of me, folders teeming with individual reports on blue uniforms suspected of being dirty. Pictures, schedules, and even dietary restrictions are listed, my brigadiers not missing a crumb of information. Wherever they can be found, theywillbe found.
It’s the beginning of their end.
Yet despite how much we’ve gathered and how close we are to achieving my goal, I feel unnerved.
Agitated.
Void.
You see me as nothing but a tool.
I grip my knee, trying not to get lost in a haze of memories. It won’t do me any good. Besides, she’s not entirely wrong.
But part of me regrets that.
My phone rings and I snatch it from my desk, not bothering to check the caller ID. “What?”
“I see congratulations are in order.”
Irritation floods my chest at the sound of his voice. “What do you want, Felix?”
