As Alia tossed and turned in bed, a sudden hunger pang hit her. After all the intensity of the night, her body felt depleted. Beside her, Anashia was fast asleep. Alia gently shook Anashia's shoulder.
Alia: "Hey, listen... I'm really hungry."
Anashia stirred in her sleep, stretching her muscular frame before opening her eyes to look at Alia.
Anashia: (In a sleepy voice) "What? I was thinking I'm hungry too... Wait."
Without a second's delay, Anashia lifted Alia up in her arms again. Alia was startled, but Anashia carried her straight to the kitchen.
Anashia: "Wait one minute. I'm going to cook the most spicy chicken Korean noodles for you right now. You need that spice to fix your mood."
Just as Anashia placed Alia on the kitchen counter and reached for the noodle packet, Viktor dramatically emerged from the shadows. Still shirtless, he held a tray in his hands.
Viktor: "You don't need to trouble yourself, Anashia. I've already prepared something special for Alia."
At this, Anashia narrowed her eyes at Viktor. The silence of the kitchen was broken as the two giants started arguing.
Anashia: "Viktor, why do you always have to butt in? I said I'm cooking for her, so just move!"
Viktor: "I am her husband; I know exactly what she needs right now. She won't be able to handle your extra spicy noodles."
Anashia: "Oh, really? I've been the one looking after her for the past month, and now you're talking big?"
Alia sat on the counter, swinging her legs and drumming her long red nails against the surface. She watched in amusement the very people who make the mafia world tremble were now bickering like ordinary people over a bowl of noodles. A satisfied smile played on her lips; this battle for dominance was a new kind of entertainment for her. The peaceful kitchen instantly turned into a battlefield. Viktor and Anashia—neither being less than the other—began raising their voices. Viktor slammed the tray onto the table, while Anashia crushed the noodle packet in her hand out of frustration.
Anashia: (Shouting) "Viktor, stop acting like a know-it-all! She wanted Korean noodles, and that's what I'm making!"
Viktor: (Deep but angry voice) "I know what she wants! I don't want her getting sick from your overly spicy food. Move aside, Anashia!"
Their intense bickering echoed off the kitchen walls. Two of the most feared people in the mafia world were now at each other's throats over a domestic dispute. Neither was willing to back down an inch.
Alia, sitting on the counter, couldn't take it anymore. The loud noise was making her head throb. Frustrated, Alia covered both her ears with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, screaming out loud
Alia: "Stop! Just shut up!"
At Alia's outburst, both Viktor and Anashia froze. A sudden, heavy silence fell over the kitchen. Alia took her hands off her ears and glared at them with piercing eyes. Her long red nails trembled with irritation.
Alia: "Don't you have any shame? It's the middle of the night, and you're screaming like this over some noodles? I'm starving here, and you're fighting over your egos!"
Viktor and Anashia looked at each other and then lowered their heads like guilty children. The two people who rule the city were now silenced by Alia's scolding.
Alia sighed and said, "Anashia, you make the noodles. And Viktor, you bring your special dish. I'll eat both. Now stop fighting and get to work!"
Under Alia's command, both of them quietly started cooking. Alia sat on the kitchen counter, peacefully watching them prepare the food, smiling to herself at the thought no matter whose empire it is, in this room, only her orders are followed. On the table sat the steaming hot spicy chicken Korean noodles and Viktor's special dish both ready to be served. The aroma filled the kitchen, but the atmosphere turned heated once again.
Alia sat with a spoon in hand, looking back and forth between the noodles and Viktor's dish. She truly couldn't decide which one to eat first. This hesitation struck a nerve in Viktor and Anashia's egos. And just like that, the bickering started all over again.
Anashia: (Gently nudging Alia's spoon toward the noodles) "Of course she's eating the noodles first! You have to eat these while they're hot to get the real taste. Viktor, your dish can be reheated in the oven later."
Viktor: (Quickly pulling his dish closer to Alia) "Absolutely not! Mine is a balanced meal. Eating this first will keep her healthy. Anashia, you only know how to feed her spice; you don't care about nutrition!"
Anashia: "Nutrition? It's 3 AM, Viktor! People satisfy cravings now; they don't follow a diet chart!"
Viktor: "I'm responsible for her health, so my dish goes first!"
Alia pressed her forehead with both hands. Her long red nails looked like they were about to spark with irritation. She watched as these two once again tried to prove their culinary superiority.
Alia: (Gritting her teeth) "Do you want me to just fast tonight? Nobody move an inch!"
Alia used her own strategy. She took a bite of Anashia's noodles in one hand and a piece of Viktor's dish in the other. She ate both at the same time.
Alia: (With her mouth full) "Look, I'm eating both together. Now at least shut your mouths!"
Both Viktor and Anashia froze. Seeing Alia eat like this left them with no further logic to argue. They both looked a bit embarrassed and just watched her eat. The tension in the kitchen turned into a strange silence, where only the sound of chopsticks and plates could be heard The meal was finished, but the combination of extra-spicy Korean noodles and Viktor's rich dish suddenly made Alia feel sick. She pushed the plate away, clutching her stomach as a look of nausea clouded her face.
Seeing her cover her mouth, both Viktor and Anashia instantly went into panic mode.
Viktor: (Frantically) "What happened, Alia? Do you feel sick? I told you not to eat those overly spicy noodles!"
The moment Anashia heard this, she flared up.
Anashia: "Is it just the noodles' fault? It's your heavy food in the middle of the night that caused her indigestion! You're the one who forced it on her!"
Viktor: "I gave her nutritious food! You were feeding her poison—"
The kitchen was about to turn into a battlefield once again. But this time, Alia didn't scream. She sat up straight and fixed them both with a sharp, terrifying glare. Her blood-shot, angry eyes and cold expression caused the words to die in Viktor and Anashia's throats.
Alia's glare was so intense that these two monsters of the mafia world went silent instantly. They realized that if they uttered one more word, there would be hell to pay.
Alia tapped her long red nails sharply against the table. Her look said it all: "If this bickering doesn't stop right now, I'll deal with the nausea later and crack both your skulls first!"
Viktor quickly handed her a glass of cold water while Anashia silently stepped forward to rub her back. Not a single word was spoken. Alia took a sip of water and composed herself. A pin-drop silence fell over the kitchen. Viktor and Anashia stood there like two guilty students awaiting punishment before their headmistress.
Alia sighed as she calmed down. She realized that to keep these two lunatics in check, sometimes a royal glare is the most effective weapon. When Alia said in a tired voice, "I'm so sleepy," the battle for dominance between Viktor and Anashia ignited once again.
Viktor: (In a firm voice) "Alia is my wife; she will sleep with me tonight. Her rest is my responsibility."
Anashia: (Protesting sharply) "Never! She's been with me for the past month, and she'll stay with me tonight too. Your snoring won't let her sleep!"
Alia was in no mood to listen to anything. As Viktor and Anashia stood on either side of her arguing, Alia suddenly reached out and pulled both of them toward her with force. The two heavyweight mafia leaders were yanked right next to her.
Alia grabbed their hands tightly, applying a bit of pressure with her long red nails.
Alia: (In a low, commanding voice) "Stop it! Both of you will stay on either side of me, that's it! I will sleep in the middle, and if either of you moves or utters a word, the sun won't rise for you tomorrow morning."
Hearing Alia's command, Viktor and Anashia looked at each other and went instantly silent. They realized Alia's temper was not to be trifled with tonight.
Alia led them toward the bedroom. On the massive royal bed, Alia lay in the middle, while Viktor and Anashia lay on either side like sentinels. Alia wrapped her arms around their hands and closed her eyes.
Soon, a pin-drop silence filled the room. Viktor and Anashia lay perfectly still, fearing they might disturb her sleep. In the quiet Seoul night, these two terrifying individuals remained by Alia's side, serving only as her protectors. The night grew even deeper. In the massive royal bed, Alia saw Anashia fast asleep beside her. Her powerful frame was now completely still, her breathing barely audible. Seeing Anashia sleeping so peacefully, a faint smile played on Alia's lips.
At that moment, Alia noticed Viktor gazing at her. There was no trace of exhaustion in his eyes, only a profound sense of emotion. Alia and Viktor smiled at each other in silence. Behind that smile lay the resolution of all the day's pride, anger, and tension.
Without disturbing Anashia, Alia and Viktor very carefully stood up from the bed. They tiptoed out of the room and closed the door very softly.
The entire palace was wrapped in silence. Hand in hand, Alia and Viktor headed toward their private room. Once inside, Viktor locked the door from within. In the dim blue light of the room, Alia looked like a mystical queen. Her long red nails were now captured within Viktor's palm.
Viktor pulled Alia into an embrace and pressed a long kiss to her forehead. Leaning her head against Viktor's broad chest, Alia forgot all her exhaustion. After a night of bickering, eating, and the struggle for dominance, they both found a strange peace in each other's arms.
Within moments, they both sank into the soft bed and, holding each other tightly, drifted into a deep sleep. Outside, the Seoul sky remained still, awaiting the dawn, while inside the room, these two legends of the mafia world halted all their wars and lost themselves in the land of dreams.