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“She willingly left, as she mentioned in that measly note she wrote before disappearing.” The apathy in the older male voice turns my blood to ice.
I stare over Rai’s shoulder and my eyes meet those that are identical to mine.
The same eyes that I considered safe when I first met him.
Sergei Sokolov.
Even though I found his eyes safe that first time we met him at the park, I didn’t want to leave with him, because that meant abandoning my mom.
That same day, however, someone told my stepfather that they saw Mom with a man and he beat her up so badly, I couldn’t remain hiding under the bed anymore.
I rummaged through my pocket for his number and called him. Papa. I begged him for help and he came within half an hour.
It was too late, though.
Because my stepfather had finally managed to beat Mom to death. I’ll never forget the scene I walked in on that night.
Mom’s head was lolled to the side, blood splattered on the table, and her teary eyes stared at nothing.
My stepdad was on his back next to her, a bloody hole lodged between his eyes.
In the midst of the gruesome scene stood Papa, a gun in hand.
When he saw me, he hid the weapon and reached his hand out to me. That time, I didn’t hesitate to take it.
Because I had no one but him. The man who ended the nightmare my stepdad represented, even though it was too late.
That same man is now staring at me with ice-cold eyes that rip through my soul. He’s so much older than back then. His hair has whitened and wrinkles have appeared around his eyes.
But no amount of aging can take the killer out of him. No amount of changes can deny how powerful he is.
The Sokolovs were born to do great things, he told me when I was young, but I don’t think he meant using my skills to steal from the brotherhood.
I slowly walk to him and reach for his hand to kiss the back of it the way everyone is expected to greet thePakhan, but he turns his face away from me in clear rejection.
My trembling hand falls to my side and I swallow thickly.
“You have some explaining to do,” he says without masking the coldness in his voice.
“Granduncle…” Rai starts in a placating tone. “She just came back.”
“When she shouldn’t have left in the first place.”
Vladimir closes the door and locks it, trapping the four of us inside, then starts inspecting the room, for bugs, I presume.
We all remain silent until he finishes his thorough checkup and nods at us to proceed.
It’s Papa who says, “You have one minute to explain why you stole funds from V Corp and disappeared.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, hanging my head. “I didn’t think the three of you would cover up for me.”
“Then what did you think? That I would paint my own daughter as a criminal and risk losing the leader position? Did I or did I not tell you that you needed to think about who you are before making a single move? It’s not only about you anymore. It’s about the Sokolov name. So why don’t you tell us what made you betray it.”
“I didn’t betray you…”
“You left with funds and without telling any of us.” Vladimir crosses his arms. “That’s the definition of betrayal.”
“That’s not what I intended.”
