The sheer fury and fire burning inside Alia's chest were clearly evident in her gaze and her tightly clenched fists. She had always fought single-handedly against the ruthless rules, abuse of power, and patriarchal arrogance of this underworld. Unable to stay silent for another single moment in protest against Viktor's brutal behavior and the injustice inflicted upon Anna, Alia refused to back down.
Straightening her posture, she took a step forward toward Viktor. A strange fire of vengeance burned in her cold, sharp, and confident eyes. She wanted to understand just how far these men, intoxicated by the pride of power in this dark realm, could truly go.
Looking straight into Viktor's eyes with her signature ice-cold yet lash-like voice, Alia retorted, "Are you sitting down to judge by the scale of power, Viktor? You raised your hand against a girl today just to cover up your own misdeeds? Don't forget, half the coding of the ticket upon which your empire stands today was built by my hands. If Anna has to be placed in the dock like this for her mistake today, then the accounts of your old history and the sins hidden behind the shadows must also be settled this very moment."
Thumping his heavy black cane hard against the floor, Viktor cast his cold and piercing gaze toward Alia. The air inside the room grew tense, as if a terrifying explosion were about to go off at any second.
Leaning on Katrina's shoulder, Anna was still sobbing quietly, while Katrina stared at Viktor blazing with extreme anger. Alia understood that in this realm of darkness, there was no such thing as justice or compassion—here, the only language for survival was the language of power. And she had resolved to see through to the end of this game to find out whose mask slips off first.
When Viktor's solemn and ice-cold voice echoed through the tense air of the room, a strange and terrifying shadow fell across his expression. Bringing his heavy black cane slightly closer toward Alia, he spoke in a chilling, sarcastic tone, "The night is growing deep, Alia... and every single second of this night carries a specific price. Do you honestly think you can stand in this courtyard of darkness and get away with talking back to my face?"
The moment Viktor's direct and threatening tone landed, a subtle shiver ran through Alia's core. No matter how cool and confident she might be, she knew all too well what it meant to face this side of Viktor. For a fleeting second, a shadow of invisible fear flickered in the corner of her eyes, which she instantly tried to conceal behind her clever persona.
The air inside the room had grown so heavy that even Katrina and Anna had stopped the sounds of their crying and fallen completely silent. Viktor's unmatched ability to exert psychological pressure across the entire underworld was proven once again today.
The moment Viktor's cold and threatening words ended, the tense air of the room froze even further. Not giving Alia a single second to catch or mask the fleeting shadow of fear in the corner of her eyes, Viktor suddenly wasted no time, tightly gripping Alia's wrist with an ironclad hold.
Alia didn't get the slightest chance to free herself or even budge an inch from that rock-hard grip. Keeping his cold gaze locked straight onto Alia's eyes, Viktor forcefully pulled and dragged her out of the room toward the dark corridor outside. Though Alia tried to maintain her signature self-respect and cool demeanor, she was being dragged along by Viktor's sheer, unstoppable force.
Standing by the door, Anna could no longer hold back her tears. Seeing Alia being dragged away like this in such a terrifying situation broke her heart completely. Sobbing and trembling uncontrollably, she cried out in a shaky voice, "Bhabhi...!"
Just before stepping into the dark corner of the corridor, Alia glanced back once at Anna's wet and terrified face. For a split second, all her internal anger and fury vanished, replaced by a soft shadow of comfort and affection in the corner of her eyes. Trying unsuccessfully to pull her hand free from Viktor's grip, she looked toward Anna—who was breaking down in tears on Katrina's shoulder—and said in a reassuring voice, "Don't cry, Anna... hold yourself together, I'm coming back... I'll be back shortly."
The moment Alia finished those words, Viktor gave her another sharp yank, pushed open the heavy wooden door of his private study at the far end of the corridor, and stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind them with a heavy thud. Outside in the corridor, a pale and shaken Katrina pulled the trembling Anna into a tight, protective embrace, while a suffocating, breathless silence settled over the entire hallway. The moment the heavy door of Viktor's private study slammed shut, the air inside grew instantly heavier and ice-cold. The surrounding lights were somewhat dim, and a terrifying silence hung frozen around the massive teakwood table placed in the center of the room.
Without loosening his hold on Alia's wrist by even a fraction, Viktor dragged her straight toward the inner side of the room and made her stand right in front of a massive leather sofa. An unmistakable shadow of unyielding authority and fury was etched across his broad shoulders. Setting his heavy black cane aside, he looked at Alia with cold, sharp, and deep eyes.
Though Alia desperately tried to maintain her signature cool and confident facade on the outside, her inner confidence wavered slightly under Viktor's utterly dominant and suffocating presence. With a slight jerk, she pulled her hand free from Viktor's grip, placed her hand on the armrest of the sofa, and stood up straight. Her eyes did not hold fear; instead, a fierce, challenging, and rebellious gaze shone brightly within them.
Looking straight at Viktor with her lash-like, cold voice, Alia challenged, "What is the meaning of dragging me here by the arm like this, Viktor? Has your arrogance of power crossed all bounds today, or did the truths I spoke hit a raw nerve?"
Viktor did not take his eyes off Alia's face. Instead, he stepped another pace closer, closing the distance between them until they were almost standing chest-to-chest. Deep within his ice-cold blue eyes burned a terrifying fire.
Speaking in a very low, heavy, yet impossibly intense and deliberate voice, Viktor replied, "Truths? Alia, do you genuinely believe that I would silently endure you standing before my face and daring to audit my empire? You used a foolish girl like Anna's emotions as a shield to challenge my authority today. But you seem to forget—no one knows better than you how to speak to whom in this underworld."
Without backing down an inch, Alia curved her lips into an ice-cold smile and replied, looking straight into Viktor's eyes, "You're the one making a mistake, Viktor! I am no subject of yours to bow my head to your commands. And more than what Anna did, the real issue is that you abused your power and raised your hand against a girl. I will never tolerate such cowardice no matter how grand a mafia lord you claim to be!"
Viktor's gaze grew even sharper. Amidst the tense and explosive atmosphere of the room, it felt as though a devastating storm was about to break loose at any second.The intensely heavy and explosive atmosphere inside Viktor's private study shifted in an instant. When Viktor suddenly lowered his gaze toward his pants, Alia caught it immediately. Seeing Viktor caught off-guard and in that slightly discomposed state, a clever, mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Alia's lips. Deep down, this was precisely the aspect of him that Alia secretly loved the most watching this terrifying man, normally intoxicated by absolute power, look even slightly undone right in front of her brought her an indescribable thrill.
The clock on the wall struck precisely 2:00 AM. After leaving Viktor's study, Alia had gone straight to her room, changed into a nightdress, and returned to the shared living space. In the stillness of the deep night, the strap of her nightdress had slipped slightly off one shoulder, her hair was completely messy and disheveled, and across her fair neck and the sensitive skin of her throat, the reddish marks of Viktor deep bites were clearly visible shining as the silent, breathless witnesses of the wild moments from earlier that night.
Without a shred of hesitation, Alia sat down with absolute confidence and a mesmerizing allure on the massive leather sofa in the living room. Pouring herself a glass of wine from the bottle resting on the table, she took a slow sip and crossed her legs with effortless elegance.
Seated on the sofa across the room, Anna stared wide-eyed in utter shock, her gaze fixed directly on the bite marks glowing against Alia's neck. Meanwhile, catching on instantly to what had transpired, Katrina pressed her hand over her glass and chuckled softly to herself, The sound of Anna's giggling lightened the heavy, tense atmosphere of the deep-night living room in an instant. Seeing Anna smile, Alia arched an eyebrow slightly, a clever and mischievous smirk playing at the corner of her eyes as she set her wine glass down on the table.
Leaning back softly against the sofa with a casual and open posture, Alia asked, "Why are you laughing like that, pray tell? You're sitting here with a red mark on your cheek after being slapped by your own brother, and you have zero sense of shame?"
Gently brushing her hand over the stinging mark on her cheek, Anna smiled faintly and retorted quickly, "Shame would have abandoned me entirely if I had compromised my dignity in front of a stranger! He's my own brother... what's there to be ashamed of when your own brother slaps you, Bhabhi?"
Unfazed by Anna's sharp counter, Alia curved her lips into an even deeper, mysterious, and crooked smile. As she traced her finger over the reddish bite mark left by Christopher on her neck, she replied in a calm yet sarcastic tone, "Your own brother is fine and dandy, Queen Anna... but don't forget, that very same 'own brother' of yours is legally my husband!"
The moment those words left Alia's lips, Katrina buried her face in her wine glass and burst into laughter, while Anna turned completely red from a mix of shyness and amusement, hiding her face in both hands. The lively and thrilling late-night banter brought the entire room back to life.
Amidst the ripples of laughter and the lively chat in the living room, Viktor's heavy and solemn voice suddenly echoed from the hallway, "Anna..."
Every single one of those words from Viktor instantly silenced all the joy and commotion in the room. Anna's smile froze right on her face; her heart whimpered with fear once more. Katrina also stopped her soft laughter, sitting up straight to observe the situation. Meanwhile, Alia simply continued to take sips from her wine glass, gazing toward the door with a cold and detached look.
Terrified as she was, Anna didn't dare hesitate for another second. Slowly rising from the sofa, she walked with trembling steps toward Viktor's private study. Entering the room, she saw Viktor standing before the massive desk—the ice-cold sternness in his eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by a deep weariness and an unexpected gentleness.
Anna stood very close to Viktor with her head bowed, the red mark on her cheek still glowing clearly. Right then, without a word, Viktor extended his long arms and pulled Anna tightly against his chest. Anna's entire frame began to tremble even more.
Lowering his head slightly, Viktor planted a long, deep kiss full of ultimate affection right on Anna's soft forehead. Then, in a heavy, smooth, and deeply remorseful tone, he murmured, "My smartest little younger sister... why I struck you like that in a fit of rage, I don't even know myself, Anna..."
Touched by this unexpected and tender wave of affection, all the pent-up grief and grievance buried inside Anna's chest broke its dam in a single instant. Unable to hold back any longer, she clutched tightly at Viktor's jacket and broke down into loud, shuddering sobs.