Hak immediately softened seeing the tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey," he said gently. "Hold on."
His thumb brushed lightly beneath her eye.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm genuinely okay, Yan."
Then with a faint awkward smile, "I was being sarcastic before."
Ulyana stared at him for a moment before exhaling shakily.
"…Yeah," she muttered. "Not the time."
"My bad." Hak looked genuinely apologetic now.
The atmosphere between them settled quieter afterward until suddenly his phone began vibrating in his pocket.
Hak pulled it out and sighed softly seeing the caller ID. Then he lifted the screen slightly toward her.
Graham calling.
"Duty calls," Hak said apologetically.
Ulyana immediately understood, even if part of her wished she could selfishly ask him to stay a little longer. It was time for him to go.
Instead she simply nodded softly. "Be careful."
Hak smiled faintly at that before standing from the koi pond edge.
"Always."
Before leaving, Hak leaned down slightly and pressed a soft kiss against her cheek.
"Be good for me," he said gently.
Ulyana looked at him incredulously. "When am I ever bad?"
Hak immediately gave her a playful look.
"Always."
Ulyana scoffed and lightly shoved his arm.
"Get out of here."
But before he could fully pull away, she leaned up and kissed his cheek softly in return.
Then more quietly, "Be safe."
Hak's expression softened one last time before he finally turned and headed back toward the villa entrance, leaving Ulyana sitting quietly beside the koi pond beneath the soft garden lights once again.
After Hak left, Ulyana eventually headed back inside and began getting ready for bed as normal. Routine always helped settle her mind, so she carefully moved through each step.
She made herself a bedtime health mocktail packed with all the calming supplements she swore by, took her magnesium, finished her skincare, and changed into comfortable sleepwear.
Eventually she climbed into bed beneath the soft sheets of her massive room. But no matter how long she laid there or how still she remained, sleep simply wouldn't come.
Too many thoughts.
Too many feelings.
Rowan leaving.
Hak leaving with him.
The warehouse explosion.
The kisses.
The confusion in her chest.
"Ugh," she groaned softly before finally sitting upright in frustration.
Giving up on sleep for the moment, Ulyana wandered downstairs again and grabbed ice cream from the freezer.
Then she curled up into the large sunken sofa in oversized clothes with the tub balanced against her knees.
It was around 1AM now.
The villa sat quiet around her while she mindlessly scrolled through social media again.
And unfortunately or maybe fortunately, the internet was still completely obsessed with her and Rowan.
Edit after edit flooded her feed.
Slow motion clips of Rowan carrying her.
The kiss cam.
Their matching jackets.
People zooming into tiny details in photos.
Some edits even included Hak standing in the background of old posts beside her and people theorising wildly about her "mysterious longtime male friend."
Ulyana sighed dramatically and continued eating her ice cream while scrolling anyway. She was actually enjoying the edits of her and Rowan a little too much.
Eventually Ulyana reached her limit with social media. She could only handle so many edits of herself in one night. With a sigh, she returned the ice cream to the freezer before wandering back toward one of the quieter living rooms.
She practically melted into the large sunken couch, phone still loosely in hand as the villa sat silent around her.
For a while, she simply stared at her contacts list absentmindedly. Then inevitably she opened Rowan's contact.
Rowan 💓
Ulyana stared at it for several long seconds. Her finger hovered over the call button, because no matter how much she tried distracting herself tonight she simply couldn't stop thinking about him.
Finally, acting completely on impulse, she pressed call.
And immediately regretted it.
Because Rowan answered before the first ring had even properly finished.
"Angel?"
Ulyana's eyes widened in horror.
Then instantly she hung up.
"Oh my God," she whispered to herself while burying her face into the couch cushion.
Not even two seconds later, her phone lit up again.
Rowan 💓 calling…
Ulyana groaned dramatically and rolled onto her back on the couch with the phone clutched in both hands before finally forcing herself to answer.
"…Hi."
"Angel?"
His voice sounded immediately alert. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing's wrong," she replied quickly.
Then she cringed at herself, because now she sounded suspicious.
Rowan was quiet for a second. "…Ulyana."
"I swear nothing's wrong," she mumbled while covering part of her face dramatically with a cushion.
"I'm in the middle of something," Rowan said immediately.
Then after a small embarrassed pause, she admitted softly, "I just can't sleep."
"I'll be there in forty minutes."
Ulyana sat upright instantly. "No, I—"
"I'll be there in forty minutes," he repeated firmly before ending the call.
Ulyana stared at her phone in disbelief.
"…What just happened?"
- -
Meanwhile, on Rowan's end—
He had been in the middle of an interrogation.
The atmosphere inside the underground warehouse office was cold, tense, and brutal.
A boat driver sat restrained to a chair across from them.
The man had unknowingly transported the final container that later exploded inside the warehouse.
Rowan had immediately stepped outside the moment he saw Ulyana calling him.
Because she never called first, so naturally, he assumed something terrible had happened.
Then when she abruptly hung up?
He genuinely panicked.
But once he realised she simply couldn't sleep, some of the tension eased from his chest. She was okay and that was enough for now.
After ending the call, Rowan returned to the interrogation room.
His expression had become unreadable again.
Cold.
The tied up man trembled visibly in the chair.
Rowan looked at him calmly for a moment before speaking flatly: "I'm out of patience."
Then to one of the men standing nearby: "Take a fingernail."
Hak immediately gestured toward one of the underlings.
Without hesitation, the man stepped forward with pliers.
The driver screamed the moment the nail was ripped free.
The sound echoed harshly through the room.
Then Hak placed several photographs onto the table in front of the restrained man.
Photos of his family.
A woman.
A young girl.
All sitting in what looked like a hospital waiting room.
The man broke instantly.
"Okay! Okay please!" he cried desperately. "I'll talk!"
"Please don't hurt my family!"
Tears streamed down his face.
"My daughter's sick," he choked out. "They promised she'd get treatment if I brought the container here!"
The room fell quiet afterward. Eventually the man gave up the contact information they needed.
Rowan looked toward Hak afterward. "Wrap this up."
Hak frowned slightly. "Ro—"
"Make him sign an NDA," Rowan continued calmly. "And pay for the kid's medical treatment."
Hak blinked at him. "Ro, he helped blow up our warehouse."
Rowan's gaze shifted briefly toward the terrified father tied to the chair.
Then quietly: "He was trying to save his family."
A pause.
"Desperate people do desperate things."
"Where are you going?" Hak asked as Rowan moved toward the exit.
"Home."
That was all Rowan said before walking out of the interrogation room.
The heavy warehouse doors shut behind him as he pulled out his phone and immediately called Graham.
"Graham."
"Yes?"
"Send a car to Gilead Grove."
A brief pause.
"...bring Ulyana to my apartment near the office."
"Understood, Rowan."
The call ended immediately after.
—
Rowan headed straight for his private apartment in the city.
The one closest to the Volkov corporate offices.
By the time he arrived, exhaustion sat heavily across his shoulders.
Without wasting time, Rowan headed directly for the shower.
Hot water poured over him as he stood there silently beneath it.
Washing away the exhaustion.
The sweat.
The blood from men who refused to speak.
But most of all, trying to wash away the lingering grime that always seemed to cling to the underground side of their lives.
The violence.
The interrogations.
The things men like him had learned to survive within.
Rowan braced a hand against the shower wall and exhaled slowly.
Then unexpectedly, his thoughts drifted back toward Ulyana and he imagined her curled up sleepless on her couch.
And somehow, after everything tonight, that thought alone finally eased some of the tension sitting in his chest.
-
Ulyana
For perhapsthe first time in her life, Ulyana heard her front doorbell ring. Immediately confused, she checked the villa's security system from her phone.
Then blinked in surprise.
Standing outside was Rowan's chauffeur, Lionel.
An older sharply dressed gentleman who somehow looked like he belonged peacefully in a park somewhere defeating strangers at chess rather than driving billionaires around Silvercrown at one in the morning.
Ulyana opened the door.
"Hi Lionel."
"Madam Vasily," he greeted warmly in his sweet British accent. "Chairman Volkov has sent me to fetch you."
Ulyana blinked. "…Okay, Lionel. Give me one minute."
The older man nodded politely.
Immediately Ulyana hurried upstairs toward her closet.
If Rowan was insisting she come over this late at night, then clearly she was staying over. Trying not to think too deeply about that realization, she quickly packed an overnight bag containing an outfit for brunch tomorrow, her makeup bag, and basic toiletries.
A few minutes later she returned downstairs.
Lionel immediately opened the car door for her carefully before driving her toward the city.
Eventually the sleek black car pulled up outside one of Silvercrown's most exclusive luxury hotel residences.
This particular building only leased its top floors to elite businessmen and individuals earning well into the hundreds of millions annually.
Ulyana knew the building well.
Ivan and Vadim had both lived here for years before eventually moving into their own estates after Ivan married.
As she entered the elegant marble lobby, the longtime doorman immediately brightened seeing her.
"Madam Vasily," Rafferty greeted warmly. "Long time no see."
Ulyana smiled instantly. "Rafferty! How are you?"
"Well, Madam, thank you." He smiled kindly. "And yourself? You look well."
"I am well."
Rafferty nodded approvingly before stepping toward the private elevator area.
"Please," he said politely. "I shall escort you up. Chairman Volkov advised us he was awaiting your arrival."
Ulyana suddenly became very aware of the fact she was arriving at Rowan's apartment at one in the morning with an overnight bag.
Still —
She smiled softly. "Sure."
Arriving outside Rowan's private suite, Ulyana adjusted the strap of her overnight bag before turning awkwardly toward Rafferty.
"Rafferty," she began quietly, "I just… couldn't sleep, you see."
The older man immediately waved a dismissive hand.
"No need to explain, young love!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
Ulyana froze.
Rafferty smiled knowingly.
"Ahh, those are the days," he sighed dramatically before stepping back toward the elevator while humming happily to himself.
Then the elevator doors closed, leaving Ulyana standing there alone in complete silence.
"…."
She stared blankly at the closed elevator doors for several seconds, genuinely speechless.
Ulyana stepped carefully into Rowan's apartment and placed her overnight bag near the couch.
Immediately she noticed how different his space felt compared to Ivan and Vadim's apartments in the same building.
The skyline view was just as breathtaking but Rowan's interior design was completely different.
Minimalistic.
Clean.
Strong Japanese inspired architecture blended with warm lighting, greenery, stone textures, and natural wood throughout the apartment.
It somehow felt both luxurious and calming at the same time.
Ulyana wandered slowly through the open living area, quietly impressed.
"This is so him…" she murmured to herself.
As she explored further down the hallway, she noticed one of the bedroom doors slightly open.
And that was the exact moment Rowan stepped out of the adjoining bathroom with a towel loosely secured around his waist.
His hair was still damp from the shower and faint steam followed him out into the room.
Ulyana froze instantly, then immediately turned around bright red.
"Sorry!" she blurted out. "I didn't mean to!"
Rowan blinked once before laughing softly.
"It's fine."
Then teasingly, "It's not like you saw anything crazy."
Ulyana covered part of her face dramatically.
"I'll just—" She immediately tried retreating back toward the living area.
"—be out there."
But Rowan gently caught hold of her wrist before she could fully escape.
"Angel." His voice was calm and amused. "It's okay."
"Hey," Rowan said softly, still holding her wrist gently. "Let me see you."
Ulyana was still bright red and stubbornly refused to look at him.
"…Hello," he teased lightly.
"I told you," she muttered dramatically, "I'm not that kind of girl."
Rowan's expression softened immediately.
"And I'm not that kind of guy."
That finally made her slowly turn back toward him.
Rowan lazily grinned at her. "Good to know you're okay."
Ulyana's eyes betrayed her for a second and drifted toward his upper body.
Broad shoulders.
Strong arms.
Not unrealistically sculpted, but solid in a way that felt very him.
Then suddenly remembering he was still standing there in only a towel, her eyes immediately snapped back up to his face.
Unfortunately for her, Rowan noticed. And this time, there was a different look in his eyes.
Warmer.
Heavier somehow.
A quiet affection mixed with clear attraction that made Ulyana's heartbeat stumble slightly.
"Rowan…"
The sound of his name seemed to pull him back to himself. Immediately his expression gentled again.
"Sorry," he said softly. "I'll get dressed."
Then before leaving, Rowan leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead.
Afterward he disappeared quietly into his walk in wardrobe, leaving Ulyana standing there trying to recover from the interaction alone.
-
Rowan's POV
"Hey, uh…" Ulyana's voice called out from the living area awkwardly. "Do you have a jumper I could borrow? Sorry, I didn't pack one."
"Yeah."
A moment later Rowan reappeared wearing understated but obviously expensive dark pyjamas that somehow still looked effortlessly put together on him.
He held out one of his jumpers toward her.
"Here."
Ulyana quickly pulled it on and Rowan immediately had to look away for half a second to compose himself.
Because seeing her standing there in his oversized jumper with her hair loose around her shoulders did something deeply unfair to his heart.
It felt intimate in a way he hadn't expected.
Domestic.
Soft.
Dangerously easy to get used to.
He quietly watched as the sleeves swallowed part of her hands.
And suddenly the exhaustion from the warehouse, the interrogations, the blood, all of it felt very far away.
Rowan leaned lightly against the kitchen island while studying her.
"So," he asked gently, "what happened?"
Ulyana hesitated briefly before explaining.
She told him how restless her mind had been all evening.
How she couldn't settle no matter what she tried.
How the warehouse incident had genuinely worried her after learning how serious it really was.
Carefully though, she avoided mentioning the tangled feelings currently existing between him and Hak.
Instead, she focused on the simplest truth.
"I was worried about you," she admitted quietly.
That answer affected Rowan far more than he let show.
Because after the kind of night he'd had, coming home to someone worrying about him so sincerely felt almost foreign.
"Ahh," Rowan drawled knowingly. "So you missed me, were worried about me, and couldn't sleep without knowing I was okay?"
His smug expression made Ulyana immediately regret being emotionally honest.
"When you say it like that…" she muttered dramatically, "no."
Rowan laughed softly.
And Ulyana laughed too.
The tension from earlier eased between them naturally, the apartment settling into a warm comfortable quiet afterward.
Still, Rowan could tell she was exhausted as her eyes looked heavier now and her movements slower.
Without teasing her further, Rowan gently tilted his head toward the hallway.
"I have a spare bedroom over here."
Ulyana followed him quietly through the apartment.
The guest room was just as elegant and calming as the rest of the suite, designed with the same clean Japanese inspired aesthetic with warm lighting, soft bedding and minimalistic luxury.
Rowan stepped aside slightly and gestured toward the room.
"You can sleep here." His tone remained gentle.
Ulyana stood quietly in the doorway for a moment before looking back at him.
"…Is it okay if you talk to me while I fall asleep?"
Rowan's expression softened immediately.
"Sure."
That answer alone seemed to relax her.
Ulyana climbed into the bed wearing his oversized jumper while Rowan sat comfortably nearby, speaking to her in the low calm tone she was quickly growing attached to.
And slowly—
He began telling her about his day.
Not the underground details.
Never those.
But everything surrounding it.
How he still hadn't slept since leaving her villa the previous night. How exhausting dealing with local authorities and media responses had been all day. How every conversation somehow made him think about her.
At one point Rowan laughed quietly to himself.
"You know," he admitted, "I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about you today."
Ulyana smiled sleepily against the pillow.
"Really?"
"Mm."
His gaze softened while watching her fight sleep.
"Especially after you called me."
She made a soft embarrassed noise beneath the blankets.
Rowan chuckled quietly before continuing talking.
About nothing important.
About everything important.
And somewhere along the way Ulyana finally fell asleep.
Peacefully.
Her breathing softened.
Her expression relaxed completely.
Still, Rowan kept talking quietly for another moment without realising she'd drifted off.
"…You really occupy my mind more than you should, Angel."
Then finally he noticed the silence, Rowan paused and looked toward her properly.
Asleep, she genuinely looked angelic. Peaceful beneath the warm lighting while swallowed up by his oversized jumper and blankets.
A quiet smile crossed Rowan's face.
"You really do look like an angel when you sleep," he murmured softly.