As Alia ran out, unable to bear Min Jun's demonic touch and insults, she collided right into Anashia's chest at the doorway. Anashia was in high spirits, carrying several large, glossy posters.
Seeing Alia, Anashia broke into a wide grin, unaware of the storm raging inside her.
Anashia: "Hey Alia! Perfect timing. See, I told you I had a surprise? I made you the Poma Model for our new project! Look at this new poster from our photoshoot together!"
Anashia proudly unfolded the posters, showing the two of them looking glamorous and royal. He thought Alia would be thrilled. But Alia was exploding with humiliation and rage. After Min Jun's filthy behavior, Anashia's excitement felt like poison.
Alia: (Snatching the posters, tearing them apart) "Go to hell with your model and your posters! Your entire family is a living hell!"
Without looking back, she rushed away like a whirlwind. Anashia stood there, completely stunned. He couldn't understand why his old flame, whom he was meeting after years, had reacted so violently.
Anashia: (Bewildered) "Hey! What happened to her? Why did she get so angry? I just wanted to make her happy."
As Anashia stood there scratching his head, Min Jun stepped forward, laughing. The red mark on his cheek and the demonic smirk on his lips indicated he was savoring the entire scene.
Min Jun: "Poor big brother! You're still stuck with posters of old love? Your 'Queen' isn't what she used to be. Her temper is now colder and more dangerous than a Russian winter."
Anashia looked at Min Jun with suspicion, but Min Jun just walked away with a devilish laugh. Between these two brothers of the Dragon family, Alia is now enduring a time of absolute torment. It became clear from Anashia's mysterious smile that he was no less of a devil than Min Jun. He looked at his torn posters with a strange, cold gaze. Unlike Min Jun, he didn't attack directly; instead, he played his moves from behind the scenes.
Anashia: (Smiling to himself) "Alia... every time you try to send me to hell, I'll find a way to take you to heaven. This rage is your true beauty."
Meanwhile, in the drawing room, it was time for the final decision. Viktor sat there, extremely grave. In front of him lay the alliance treaty between the Dragon Family and the Petrov Empire. Viktor knew the complexities behind this relationship, but backing down from a power struggle was not in his blood.
Viktor: (Looking at Min Jun's father) "I don't want to waste any more time. I am satisfied with what has been discussed. The responsibility for what your son did to Elena now lies with you. So, shall we consider the marriage fixed? Are you in agreement with our terms?"
Min Jun's father looked into Viktor's eyes for a moment. He knew this marriage wasn't just a union, but the joining of hands between two Mafia giants from Asia and Europe.
Min Jun's father: "Yes, Viktor, I agree. Our family nobility and business—both are now tied together. This marriage will be celebrated grandly next month. Elena will be the youngest daughter-in-law of the Dragon Family."
A heavy silence of superficial peace descended upon the room. But only Alia and Min Jun knew how massive a storm was waiting behind these smiling faces. Viktor thought he had built a powerful alliance, unaware that his closest ones were caught in a terrifying, forbidden web. The wedding day finally arrived. The grand palace of the Dragon Family in Seoul was filled with a galaxy of stars. Everywhere there was lighting and a display of absolute nobility. Viktor and Alia arrived from Moscow in the morning.
Today, Alia was wearing an extraordinary backless designer dress. Her smooth, marble-like back and her regal gait were bound to capture anyone's attention. She didn't look like the mother of the bride; rather, she seemed to be the main attraction of the wedding.
While everyone was seated at the wedding altar, an emotional moment unfolded. Alia's eldest daughter (the wife of the Dragon Family's middle son) appeared before her mother after many years. Seeing her eldest daughter, Alia could no longer contain herself.
Eldest Daughter: "Mama... it's been so many years since I saw you!"
Wiping away her tears, Alia embraced her daughter tightly. Seeing this reunion of mother and daughter, everyone present became emotional. Alia realized that although her eldest daughter was happy, being part of this Mafia family had made her remarkably mature.
But behind this beautiful moment, a toxic gaze was following Alia. From one side of the altar, dressed as the groom, Min Jun was staring fixedly at Alia's bare back. His eyes held a primitive thirst and a thirst for vengeance. He wasn't focused on his future wife; instead, he was lost in his future mother-in-law's beauty, weaving a foul plan.
Min Jun's father was also observing Alia's regal posture from the side, but Min Jun's gaze was far more terrifying. He was seemingly saying to himself, "Today might be Elena's wedding, but the real game will start with you, Alia."
As Alia held her eldest daughter, she felt a shiver down her spine, sensing a sharp gaze on her back. She knew that stepping into this palace meant entering a pit of fire. As the main ceremony began, Viktor embraced Alia with deep affection. Under the grand hall's lights, they looked like the most powerful and royal couple in the world. The vows were exchanged, and the marriage between Elena and Min Jun was completed—the Mafia empires of Moscow and Seoul were now tied together.
After the wedding, Alia went to Elena. Elena sat there in her bridal attire, head bowed. Alia held her daughter's chin lovingly and was talking to her about the new chapter of her life.
At that very moment, something terrifying happened. As Alia leaned toward Elena to speak, someone suddenly lightly touched Alia's bare back, tracing from bottom to top. There was no affection in that touch; it held a sense of possession and lust.
Alia was instantly shocked and turned around with lightning speed. But to her surprise, no one was seen directly behind her. Everyone in the crowd was busy with themselves. Alia scanned the area with panicked eyes but couldn't find the culprit.
Elena grew worried seeing the sudden change in her mother's expression.
Elena: "Mama? What happened? Why did you startle like that?"
Alia couldn't answer. Her entire body was trembling with disgust and fear. She was certain that this insolence was committed by none other than Min Jun. He was seated nearby and had skillfully used the crowd to touch her back before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Alia realized in her heart that there was no security for her in this palace. Even on the day of her eldest daughter's joy and her youngest daughter's wedding, she was having to fight for her own dignity. As the ceremony concluded, a strange, heavy atmosphere settled within the royal palace. Elena was sitting in her own room; her heavy wedding dress felt like a weight of stone upon her. Just then, she saw Min Jun walking briskly out of the room.
Elena: (Surprised) "Hey! Where are you going? It's our wedding night, and you're leaving me alone already?"
Min Jun stopped at the door, but he didn't even turn to look at her. His eyes were frenzied, searching for a different prey.
Min Jun: (In a short, cold voice) "I have some urgent work. Dragon Family business doesn't stop even on a wedding night. You take some rest."
Min Jun was lying. He had no business matters; his entire focus was elsewhere.
Meanwhile, at the end of the corridor, Alia had entered the washroom. Standing before the mirror, she was trying to calm her troubled mind. She was fixing her hair and repeatedly wiping the spot on her back where that alien touch had lingered. Looking at her reflection, Alia wondered how she would protect herself and her daughters from this hell.
She had no idea that Min Jun was standing silently right outside the washroom door. Leaving Elena alone in the room, he was now lying in wait for his new 'prey'. He was trying to sense every movement of Alia fixing her hair from outside. In the silence of the palace, Alia's heartbeat and Min Jun's devious smile seemed to merge into one. Just as Alia was looking into the mirror, deeply lost in thought while fixing her hair, a shadow suddenly loomed over her from behind. Through the reflection, she saw that familiar, predatory face—Min Jun.
Before Alia could even gasp, Min Jun pinned her against the cold marble wall with brute force. He clamped one hand firmly over her mouth, stifling her scream, while his other hand pressed ruthlessly against her exposed back.
Min Jun: (In a low, venomous whisper against her ear) "Shh... Not a sound, Alia. Elena is waiting for me in our room, but my mind is trapped right here, in this washroom with you."
Alia struggled desperately, tears of pure rage and humiliation streaming down her face. There was no mercy in Min Jun's touch; there was only a demonic obsession with power and revenge.
Min Jun: "The Queen of Moscow looks so helpless today, doesn't she? Your eldest daughter lives under this roof, your youngest is in my bed... and you? You are right here in my grasp. This is how I take the price for that slap you gave me."
Min Jun leaned his face closer to her neck. Alia realized that every wall of this palace was a silent witness to her nightmare. While Viktor was likely busy with guests outside, his wife was being hunted by a monster within. Her heart felt as though it would burst, knowing that on this very night, behind the facade of a royal wedding, a terrifying seed of destruction was being sown between the Dragons and the Petrovs. What Min Jun did then left Alia utterly shocked. He didn't just stop at intimidating her; he pressed his cold ring firmly against her bare back, as if branding a piece of property. Then, with a crude intimacy, he bit into her earlobe and whispered, "From now on, Moscow might be your city, but this body is under my Dragon Empire." Just as Alia froze in humiliation and disgust, Min Jun released her and walked out with a demonic laugh.
Two days later...
All wedding festivities were over. Alia and Viktor were staying in a penthouse at a luxury hotel in Seoul. Alia was standing on the balcony, clutching the railing and staring out at the city. Her face reflected deep melancholy and terror; the memory of that night two days ago haunted her every moment.
Just then, Viktor came up from behind and placed his hand on Alia's shoulder. Alia's body shuddered for a moment, but she composed herself.
Viktor: "Alia, I've noticed you've been silent for a long time. I've seen a change in you since Elena's wedding. What are you thinking about? Are you not happy with this massive alliance between our two families? Or are you just homesick for Moscow?"
Viktor's voice was filled with concern and love. But Alia didn't know how to tell him that the very alliance he viewed as a success was being used by Min Jun to push her into a living hell. Alia could only let out a long breath and give Viktor a pale smile, keeping the fire burning within her a secret. As Alia tried to force a pale smile in response to Viktor's question, her mind dragged her back to that horrific moment two nights ago. The memory of Min Jun's demonic touch stung her nerves more than Viktor's embrace ever could.
Flashback to that Dark Night:
When Alia stood frozen before the washroom mirror, Min Jun had crossed every boundary. Alia tried with all her might to push him away, but Min Jun was like a frenzied predator.
Min Jun: "You had the audacity to slap me? The Queen of Moscow has too much pride! Today, I will crush that pride."
Min Jun covered Alia's mouth and forced her to turn toward the mirror. Alia saw her own helpless face in the reflection and the fire of lust in Min Jun's eyes. She tried to bite his hand, but Min Jun grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back. The expensive diamond necklace around Alia's neck snapped and fell to the floor.
That night in the secluded washroom, Min Jun behaved with extreme force toward Alia. Her nobility, her dignity—he dragged everything through the dirt in that single night. Alia repeatedly tried to remind him of his brother and Viktor, but Min Jun only laughed.
Min Jun: "Let Viktor celebrate outside, while you take off your royal mask here before me."
When Alia finally walked out of that washroom, her backless dress stood as the only witness to her humiliation. She couldn't recognize herself in the mirror. Min Jun hadn't just assaulted her physically; he had cast her into a deep mental abyss. Returning from the flashback of that dark night, Alia saw her younger daughter, Elena, sitting before her. But there was no bridal joy in Elena's eyes. She was sitting silently, her face pale. In just two days of marriage, Elena's radiance seemed to have vanished.
Hiding the storm within her, Alia sat beside Elena and placed a hand on her head.
Alia: (In a very gentle voice) "Elena... sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you sitting so quietly? Are you feeling unwell, or is it something else?"
Elena looked at her mother, her eyes brimming with tears. She tried to speak but couldn't find the words. Mother and daughter—both were now victims of the same man's cruelty, yet neither could tell the other.
Elena: (Whispering) "Mama, Min Jun... he's a strange man. Even on our wedding night, he was outside for a long time, leaving me alone. And when he returned, I saw a terrifying ferocity in his eyes. Mama, did I make a mistake by marrying him?"
Alia was startled. She knew exactly why Min Jun had been out that night—because he was exerting his brutality upon her at that time. Hearing her daughter's helpless words, Alia's heart was breaking. She realized that Min Jun wasn't just poisoning her life, but Elena's as well.
Alia pulled Elena into a tight embrace. She began to feel guilty, knowing just how terrifying the true face of this Dragon Mafia family really was.