A chilling silence hung over the palace corridor. Viktor was sitting quietly in his room behind closed doors, perhaps brooding over his lost empire and Alia's transformed self.
Meanwhile, Alia began pacing restlessly inside her room. There was no sound except the rustle of her thin net dress. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the heart-wrenching screams and sobs of the maid from the adjacent room. Anashia was unleashing all his brutality upon the girl.
Alia could no longer remain still. The wounds on her own body seemed to throb again at those screams. She stepped out of her room silently and stood by Anashia's door. It wasn't fully closed; there was a slight gap. Alia peeped through that opening.
What she saw inside made her blood run cold:
The furniture in the room was in total disarray. Anashia had descended upon the girl like a frenzied animal. He was clutching her hair, slamming her onto the bed, while the girl struggled and shrieked for mercy. There was no pity in Anashia's eyes only the violent thirst for revenge for being rejected by Alia. He was tearing at the girl's clothes and shouting
Anashia: "Cry! Cry as much as you want! The job of girls like you is to stay under a Lord's feet!"
Alia saw that the girl's condition was exactly what hers had been just hours ago. That nakedness, that helplessness, and that blood everything flashed before Alia's eyes like fire. She realized Anashia wasn't just a Lord; he was a living hell. Alia realized that just listening to the screams wasn't enough; she had to enter the game directly. With steady steps and a cold mind, she walked into Anashia's room. Her presence brought a strange silence to the horrific atmosphere.
Anashia, still looming over the girl, turned his head to look at Alia, but his eyes held only a foul contempt. He gave her no importance at all; instead, he continued to exert his cruel control over the maid even more ruthlessly. Alia didn't even look at him. She walked straight to an expensive wardrobe in the corner of the room.
Alia knew Anashia was watching. She let the thin net dress slide off her body, letting it fall to the floor. For a moment, she stood there completely naked, showing Anashia that she was no longer ashamed of anything. Then, she pulled out a deep red, expensive silk night dress from the wardrobe. The color red was a symbol of the fire of revenge burning in her soul.
She calmly slipped into the red dress. Her composure and grace made Anashia freeze for a second. Alia's indifference and beauty drove Anashia even more insane. Without saying a word or looking back, Alia walked out of the room with extreme pride and headed back to her own room.
Seeing Alia leave like that, the beast inside Anashia went berserk. Unable to vent his rage on Alia, he grabbed the helpless girl violently and began to force himself on her even harder.
Alia entered her room and pulled the door shut. A demonic smile played on her lips. She knew that every sound of what Anashia was doing was reaching Viktor's ears in the next room. And Viktor, who had called that girl "very good," wouldn't be able to tolerate her fate for much longer. When Alia entered Viktor's room, he was mesmerized by her breathtaking look in that red silk night dress. He pulled her close into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. Alia laughed while locked in Viktor's embrace a laugh of victory and provocation. She knew Anashia was watching them from somewhere.
Right at that moment, Anashia burst into the room like a storm. His eyes were burning with rage, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. He could no longer bear Alia's transformation and her intimacy with Viktor. He violently grabbed Alia's hand.
Anashia: (Roaring) "Enough of this drama! You are coming with me now, Alia. Come with me right this instant!"
As Anashia tried to drag her away by force, Alia jerked her hand back with a sharp movement. There was no fear in her eyes; instead, there was absolute contempt. Alia began to insult Anashia in front of everyone.
Alia: (With a mocking laugh) "Coming to claim your rights, Anashia? I have no interest in listening to a man who vents his rage by forcing himself on a helpless maid. You are nothing but a defeated Lord now, and I have no respect left for you."
Alia looked back at Viktor and smiled again, then turned to Anashia and said, "Now, get out of this room. I don't have time for your tantrums." A sinister, demonic laugh erupted from Anashia's throat. Instead of breaking under Alia's insults, he seemed to grow even more feral. He took a step forward, ignoring Viktor's presence, and stared directly into Alia's eyes with a bone-chilling gaze.
Anashia: (Laughing darkly) "You think you've won, Alia? You think this red dress and Viktor's embrace will save you? You insulted me in front of everyone... very well. But remember, when a predator is quiet, he is at his most dangerous."
Anashia leaned in so close that his hot breath hit Alia's cheek, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
Anashia: "I will... give you a gift tonight that you will never forget for the rest of your life. You want to be the Mafia Queen? Fine. But that crown will be stained with your own blood. Tonight, I will prove to you who the true master of this palace is!"
He threw a mocking glance at Viktor, treating him as if he were invisible. Then, he turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway for one last parting shot.
Anashia: "Have your last laugh now, Alia. Because before the sun rises, you'll be crawling at my feet, begging. I will not let you go!"
As Anashia vanished into the shadows of the corridor, a heavy, suffocating silence filled the room. Alia knew that laugh wasn't hollow it was the sound of a man who had nothing left to lose. Viktor gripped her hand tightly, but Alia's eyes remained fixed on the door, sensing the approaching storm.Viktor's expression grew serious as the weight of Anashia's threat lingered in the air. He turned Alia toward him, his hands gripping her shoulders with a mixture of protectiveness and genuine concern.
Viktor: "Alia, listen to me. We need to leave. Now. Let's go to my home, to Russia. Anashia is far more cunning than you realize. He was my friend before he was my rival—I know exactly what he is capable of when he is pushed this far. I am a Lord, but he is a beast when cornered. We won't be safe here tonight."
Alia looked at Viktor, her eyes cold and unwavering. Despite the chaos of the burning city outside and the madness within the palace walls, she stood her ground. She slowly pulled herself away from his grasp.
Alia: (In a firm, resolute voice) "No. I am not going anywhere. I am not running away to Russia or anywhere else like a scared little girl."
Viktor looked at her in shock. He couldn't believe she was refusing the safety of his strongest stronghold.
Alia: "If I leave now, I remain a victim who fled. If I stay, I am the Queen who conquered. I've spent too much time being dragged from one room to another, Viktor. I am done running. If Anashia wants to bring his 'gift' tonight, let him. I'll be waiting."
She walked over to the window, the red silk of her night dress shimmering in the glow of the distant fires. She wasn't just refusing to leave; she was claiming the palace as her own battlefield. Viktor stood behind her, realizing that the woman he tried to "save" was no longer the woman who needed saving. She was the storm itself. Viktor's eyes showed clear panic. He grew desperate to make Alia understand. Gripping her hand, he pleaded with her.
Viktor: "Alia, try to understand! He isn't as simple as you think. He's a Dragon Lord! When he's obsessed, he can set an entire city on fire. You have no idea how cruel he can be!"
Alia didn't stop. She stood before the mirror, calmly adjusting her hair. Without looking at him, she dropped a bombshell that shook Viktor to his core.
Alia: (With a hint of mockery) "I know, Viktor. I know very well that he isn't a common man. In fact... no one knows better than me how dangerous he can be."
Alia turned around, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
Alia: "You know him as your friend, but I know him differently. Didn't you know? Anashia was my ex-boyfriend. He was the first darkness to enter my life."
Viktor froze like stone. No words could escape his mouth. He knew Anashia desired Alia, but he had never imagined they were involved like this before.
Alia: "Every move he makes, every blow, every obsession I know it all. What he plans to do tonight, he has done before. So don't try to scare me, Viktor. I am here tonight to ruin all of his 'surprises'."
A bone-chilling silence filled the room. Viktor realized that while he thought he was controlling this game as a Mafia Lord, the strings had been in Alia's hands all along. Alia didn't just want to be Queen; she wanted to destroy the demon from her past with her own hands. Alia's sharp words pierced through Viktor. She took a step forward, looking directly into his eyes, her voice dripping with hatred and disbelief.
Alia: "Stop the drama, Viktor. You knew all along, didn't you? My past with Anashia, the fact that we were together before none of this is news to you. Yet you were acting like you had no clue!"
The worried mask Viktor had been wearing instantly crumbled. In the dim light of the room, a cunning and mysterious smirk played on his lips. He stopped pretending and leaned against the wall, laughing softly.
Viktor: (Laughing) "Yes... I know. You caught me, Alia. I knew everything from the start."
Viktor straightened up and leaned into her ear, whispering:
Viktor: "I am a Mafia Lord, Alia. In my empire, I don't let anyone near my bed without knowing their connections or the darkness hidden in their past. I knew Anashia was your 'ex' and that he was searching for you like a madman. That's exactly why I brought you to me. I knew that having you meant destroying Anashia mentally."
Alia shuddered. She realized she hadn't just come to Viktor to escape Anashia; Viktor had used her as a pawn in a larger game to ruin his rival.
Viktor: "I also knew he would come for you tonight. In fact, I set this entire stage. I wanted you to insult him in front of everyone so he would lose his mind. And when he makes a mistake, that's when I'll remove him for good."
Alia took a step back. She was standing between two monsters one who destroyed her past, and another who was using her present as a chess piece. But Alia wasn't about to back down. Adjusting the sleeve of her red night dress, she looked Viktor in the eye and said, "Then remember this, Viktor: while you're making your moves, I'm not as naive as Anashia. Tonight, the game isn't between the two of you it's between me and both of you."