Panting heavily, Anna struggled to catch her breath as the combined wave of intense sensations and sheer panic overwhelmed her. With Alia's footsteps lingering just outside the door, any stray gasp or muffled sound threatened to give them away, threatening absolute exposure.
Sensing the immediate danger, Christopher acted instantly. He brought a large, firm hand up to cover Anna's mouth, sealing her lips tightly to catch any rising cry or whimper before it could escape into the quiet corridor. At the same time, his other hand maintained an iron grip around her waist, driving a deeper, relentless rhythm that left her completely defenseless.
Leaning down close to her ear, his voice scraped against her skin in a low, dark murmur, "Not a sound, Anna... just feel me."
With his hand still firmly pressed over her mouth to muffle her breathless sighs, Christopher didn't ease up for a single second. The muffled, shuddering sounds of "Hummmm... ahhhh..." vibrated directly against his palm as the intense, overwhelming heat of his touch drove her right to the edge.
Leaning his weight further against her, his voice dropped to a low, commanding murmur right by her ear, "Keep it quiet, sweet, or she'll hear every single bit of what you're screaming for..."
The sound of footsteps still echoed faintly from the corridor outside, while inside the dim enclosure of the restroom, Anna struggled to suppress her ragged breaths and trembling frame under Christopher's commanding grip. Right then, before either of them could anticipate it, the heavy wooden door clicked and swung slightly open.
Curious and unsuspecting, Alia pushed the door open just enough to peer inside. The moment her gaze fell upon the scene before her
seeing Christopher Volkov standing intimately pressed right behind Anna in the dim light she froze in absolute shock. Her fingers flew up in surprise, and the wine glass slipped from her hand, shattering against the tiled floor as deep red liquid spilled everywhere.
Just at that instant, Katrina happened to be walking down the corridor and caught sight of the open door and the breathless scene unfolding within. Her eyes widened in sheer disbelief at witnessing the notorious mafia lord's raw, unmasked dominance right out in the open. Stunned and furious, she stepped closer, her voice sharp and trembling with outrage as she snapped, "W-What on earth is this?! I am going straight to Viktor, the Mafia Lord, to speak with him about this right now! He's going to answer for how rules are being broken right inside his own territory!"
The sudden shift in the room's atmosphere made the air feel suffocatingly heavy. Following Katrina's sharp outburst, a shiver of pure panic ran through Anna. Consumed by humiliation, shame, and the sudden collision of their secret crashing into the light, words completely failed her. With trembling hands, she hastily fumbled to pull her disheveled dress back into place, though her entire frame continued to shake uncontrollably.
At that exact moment, Katrina's fury reached a breaking point. Blinded by rage and throwing any lingering fear of Volkov's wrath to the wind, she stormed straight toward Anna. Without a second thought, she reared back and delivered a sharp, resounding slap directly across Anna's cheek! "You absolute..." Katrina's voice cracked with venom and disbelief. The violent echo of the slap reverberated through the quiet enclosure, leaving a bright red mark stinging against Anna's skin as hot tears welled in her eyes.
Refusing to let her stay a second longer, Katrina grabbed Anna by the wrist, her fingers digging in cruelly as she forcefully yanked her away, dragging her out of the room.
Back inside the restroom, the scene played out with chilling contrast. Amidst the chaos, Christopher didn't show a single ounce of panic or irritation. With cold, unbothered composure, he adjusted his zipper and buckled his belt, fixing his clothes with deliberate ease. A dark, impenetrable mask of absolute dominance settled across his features.
Standing just a short distance away, Alia watched them leave, her chest heaving with suppressed fury. She slowly turned her gaze away from the doorway and locked her eyes straight onto Christopher. Her expression burned with a mix of utter disgust and suppressed rage. She knew all too well that in this underworld, rules meant nothing to a man like Christopher Volkov he operated entirely by his own law, bending the world to his absolute will without a shred of remorse.
The heavy, oppressive tension of the aftermath shifted from the dim corridor directly into Viktor's opulent private lounge. Entering the vast, lavishly decorated room, the air felt suffocatingly cold, thick with an impending storm of wrath. Striding in with fierce determination, Alia walked straight over and sat down right beside Viktor on the grand leather sofa, her expression still hardened with fury and unspoken accusation.
Reclining in the center seat was Viktor, the supreme Mafia Lord, holding a heavy black wooden walking stick in his hand. His gaze was sharp, chilling, and devoid of any warmth, carrying an authority that could freeze the blood in anyone's veins. Every single breath in the room felt constrained under his intimidating presence.
Meanwhile, standing a short distance away, Anna kept her head completely bowed in shame and humiliation. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and the bright red mark of the slap still stung across her cheek, her entire body trembling quietly in pure terror. Right beside her stood Katrina, radiating an intense, blazing anger, her jaw clenched tight as she glared fiercely ahead, refusing to let the matter go unpunished.
The silence in the lounge was absolute and nerve-wracking. Alia rested her hand lightly over Viktor's, while Katrina kept a protective, angry watch over Anna. The slow, rhythmic tap of Viktor's heavy stick against the floor echoed through the stillness, making every passing second feel heavier and more dangerous than the last.
The heavy, oppressive air inside Viktor's opulent private lounge felt nearly suffocating, thick with an impending storm of wrath. Breaking the absolute silence, Mafia Lord Viktor slowly leaned forward and tapped his heavy black wooden walking stick sharply against the floor. The sound echoed through the massive room with a chilling, nerve-wracking ring.
With a cold, piercing gaze, Viktor looked past Anna
whose head remained completely bowed in shame and humiliation and shifted his eyes toward Alia and Katrina. His voice dropped to a low, dangerously frozen tone as he spoke, "Alia, Katrina... is what I've heard actually true? Anna, did you really throw yourself into the shadow of a man whose true nature you know nothing about?"
There was no warmth in Viktor's voice, only a heavy, razor-sharp authority. He rose slowly from the sofa and walked over until he was standing right in front of Anna, the rhythmic tap of his cane keeping time with the mounting terror in the room.
Fixing his cold eyes on her, Viktor continued, "Do you have any idea how terrifying Christopher Volkov really is, Anna? Do you even understand a fraction of the history behind that name? In this underworld, he is a living monster, a man who rules by blood and terror. He doesn't care for rules; he is the law. And yet, you walked right into his trap, throwing away your senses and your dignity for a man like that?"
There was a bitter mix of disbelief and intense disappointment in Viktor's tone. He glanced back at Alia, who was still fuming with unadulterated rage, her eyes burning with fury. Beside her, Katrina could no longer contain her disgust and spoke up sharply, "Viktor, you heard right! What we saw with our own eyes was beyond belief. That monster Christopher completely trampled over every single rule of our club. And Anna... she willingly walked right into the lion's den. Honestly, thinking about it now just fills me with absolute shame and disgust!"
Over in the corner, Anna trembled uncontrollably, hot tears streaming down her face and burning against the red, stinging mark of the slap on her cheek. Her lips quivered, but no words could push past the knot of absolute terror in her throat.
Stepping even closer, Viktor narrowed his eyes further, a cruel yet deeply disappointed smirk touching the corner of his lips.
With unrelenting severity, Viktor pronounced, "Shame on you, Anna... how could a girl like you invite your own ruin like this? Do you not know that anyone Christopher marks as his prey faces a fate far worse than death? Just crossing paths with him is signing your own death warrant. What you did today didn't just jeopardize your own life it dragged the honor of our entire empire and everyone around us straight through the mud. Tell me, do you even have a shred of an excuse for this madness? Do you realize what kind of dangerous game you've been playing?"
Absolute silence hung heavy over the lounge once more, broken only by Anna's choked, suffocating sobs, the unyielding hatred burning in Alia's eyes, Katrina's clenched jaw, and Viktor's towering, menacing presence that pushed the tense atmosphere to its absolute breaking point.
Despite the overwhelming fear constricting her chest, a sudden, desperate flash of defiance broke through Anna's terror-stricken silence. Raising her head slowly, she met Viktor's cold, menacing gaze head-on. Her voice trembled violently, choked with tears, yet her words cut through the heavy air with sharp, unfiltered truth: "I know... I know it sounds arrogant coming from someone like me, but what makes you any different, Viktor? You do the exact same things with Alia bhabhi! Everyone in the underworld knows about you, Rush, Maria, and all those other women you keep! You all use your power to do whatever you want, so why is it a crime only when it's me?!"
The moment those words left Anna's lips, the temperature in the grand lounge plummeted to a freezing zero. A dark, vicious storm of pure rage ignited in Viktor's eyes a lethal fury so intense it made everyone in the room instinctively recoil.
Without a second's hesitation, Viktor raised his hand and lashed out. A deafening, vicious crack echoed across the room as his heavy hand struck Anna across the face with brutal, unsparing force!
"Aghhh...!"
A sharp, agonized cry tore from Anna's throat. The sheer impact of the blow knocked the wind completely out of her, sending her stumbling sideways. Before she could collapse to the floor, Katrina lunged forward, catching her firmly by the shoulders and holding her up. Half of Anna's face instantly flushed a angry, stinging red, and she broke down into shuddering, humiliated sobs.
Shocked and horrified by the sudden escalation, Alia bolted up from the sofa, her eyes wide as she gasped in disbelief, "Viktor, what on earth are you doing?! How could you strike a girl like
Before Alia could finish, Viktor turned his cold, absolute gaze toward her and barked in a voice that commanded total obedience, "Silence, Alia! Not another word!"
Viktor's razor-sharp, thunderous command silenced the room instantly, freezing the breath in everyone's lungs and leaving an oppressive, suffocating tension hanging over the lounge.