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Igor’s words came back to me, and they began to make sense.
“Understand this, Grace. No one in the mafia is clean; not your father, nor yourbrother... Not even me, and that you already know.”
“Oh, Mom, come here.” I opened my arms wide and hugged my mother, comforting her and feeling terrible that she was suffering at the hands of this man. At that moment, I didn’t feel bad that Igor had killed him. If anything, I was grateful and appreciated him for the responsible man he was.
I clenched my jaw. As for Connor Farrel, he deserved what he got. He deserved it!
Chapter 20 - Igor
The ride home energized me, and for some strange reason, I felt light, like I'd shed a burden or had the opportunity to turn a new page— - something like that. Jennifer had to go back to the station and Alexei drove in another car, leaving me alone with Grace in mine. I glanced at her. She had her elbow propped up against the window as she stared outside.
“A penny for your thoughts?” I prodded.
She withdrew her arm from the window, letting it down with a sigh. She raised her shoulder and shrugged, in a nonchalant manner. “I guess, I'm just reliving moments.”
“Talk to me,” I said, surprising both her and me.
She glanced at me, with a brow raised. “Uh, …” she blinked, adjusting on her seat. “First, I got tricked by my brother, who undoubtedly wanted to kill me because of some stupid envelope, and secondly, I learned that Connor…that son of a bitch, raped my mom…”
“He what?” I quirked a brow.
I had not expected that turn of events. We knew of Jennifer Emery and Connor Farrel, but no one knew what went on behind the scenes. I guessed the sources intentionally left out that part.
“He raped her, got her pregnant, and still refused to help in any way. Scumbag!” she spat angrily. “And you know the worst part?”
“What?”
She turned around on her seat and fully faced me, her green eyes brimming with fury, and a scowl on her face. “It's the part where I realized he only reached out to me to use me, all because of that same stupid envelope! Like, what the fuck? Who does that? And to think that I believed his lies.”
“I…”
“Thank you,” she cut abruptly.
“Thank you, for what?” I frowned.
“For killing the bloody bastard,” she huffed.
“Okay,” I said, gripping the wheel tightly. “But he’s still your father, and I remain the man that took his life. That doesn't sound like the profile of a good person either, or I kidnapped you because you refused to spill the location of that stupid envelope.”
She sobered up and leaned forward with an apologetic look. “Igor, I…”
“Made a point,” I flashed a smile at her. “We could always, um, do things differently, you know? But we weren't brought up that way. Grace, until now, you and me … we've lived in two different worlds. The same goes for your father. You know, in our world, brutality and ruthlessness are a necessity for success. The meek or kind-hearted, whatever you call them, don't survive very long. We play the same cards but with different rules. The Varkovs? We don't mess with the family. There's a high price to pay if we dare. Your father just didn't know how and where to draw the line.”
I paused, waiting for her to say something, and when she didn't, I continued, determined to provide her with an explanation.
“Grace,” I began, my voice steady, “I think it’s finally time for me to clarify what's inside that envelope.”
I handed it to her, and she opened it eagerly. Inside, there, she found a piece of important information – a USB drive of massive significance.
She flipped it between her thumb and index finger, closely inspecting it with a perplexed look on her face. “So, I was right. It's just a USB drive.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “It's anything but just a USB drive, Grace. Do you see that tiny thing in your hands? It holds more power than you could ever imagine.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Aiden said the same thing.”
I turned the wheel, keeping my eyes on the road. “And I'm not a fan of agreeing with him, but he was right. It contains a treasure trove of data, comprising evidence against world leaders, politicians, and influential businessmen. This data goes beyond the classification of sensitive information. It has controversial pictures, documents, audio recordings, and much more. This compilation of secrets is a potent tool that could be used to control those powerful individuals easily.”
I went on to explain that the key to maintaining the balance of power was to keep these influential figures on my side.
