If that flashback of that closed-door study room from the past were to appear before one's eyes, the air would still carry the scent of an ice-cold and stifling tension.
It was deep in the night. Right in the middle of Viktor's study, Anna was quietly seated in an expensive leather chair. Looking at her from the outside, she seemed like the exact reflection of Viktor himself her face bearing that same cold, detached, and eagle-sharp gaze. Her mesmerizing, enchanting beauty was so potent that even prior to this, she had willingly engaged in physical relationships with many powerful bosses and underworld lords; this reckless and dark habit of easily trapping people in her allure had somehow become a secret vulnerability of her character.
On the other side of the room, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed in a lazy and aristocratic posture, was Viktor. On his feet were extremely expensive, polished shoes the soles a striking blood-red and the upper parts pitch-black. In his right hand, he held a living eagle, its sharp talons occasionally making a faint scratching sound.
With a mysterious, dangerous smirk playing at the corner of his lips, Viktor dropped his gaze and fired a direct question in a low, heavy voice: "I heard that you got intimate with another mafia boss, my wife and my big sis... Is what I heard true, Anna?"
Faced with Viktor's direct and ice-cold question, all of Anna's bravado melted away in an instant. Trembling with fear, she lowered her head completely and whispered in a faltering voice, "Yes..."
The moment that confession left Anna's lips, the calm demeanor in Viktor's eyes transformed into a fierce wildfire in a split second. Exploding with intense rage, he bellowed, "Answer me, Anna!"
Seeing this terrifying side of her brother, Anna shuddered. Right then, out of sheer panic and internal rebellion, a horribly insolent and disrespectful curse slipped past her lips: "You bitch !"
Hearing those utterly defiant words from Anna, Viktor couldn't hold himself back for a single second longer. Rushing forward from the sofa like a storm, he brought his heavy, massive hand down in a lightning-fast, brutal slap across Anna's cheek, instantly turning her entire face red and swollen.
Stunned and thrown off balance by the sheer force of the blow, Anna crashed straight down onto the floor. Crumpled on the ground, she folded her hands together and wailed in tearful agony, "Brother, I swear! It wasn't my fault... Please... you have to believe me, Brother. I'm innocent!"
Though Anna's weeping filled the room with a heavy weight, Viktor's savage expression did not soften. Clenching his teeth in fury, he hissed under his breath, "Fucking my..."sister
Right at that exact moment, the study door pushed open, and Viktor's older sister, Katrina, stepped inside. She was dressed in a gorgeous black gown, much like Anna's. Entering the room, Katrina paused guiltily in front of Viktor and murmured softly and remorsefully, "Sorry, my sis Anna..."
But Katrina's words never reached Anna's ears. Still collapsed on the floor, Anna lunged forward to wrap her arms around Katrina's legs, crying out hysterically, "Sis Katrina... ahhh, my bro slapped me! Save me, please!"
Watching Anna's frantic outburst, Viktor cast a cold, stern look toward Katrina and commanded, "Katrina, my big sister... you go now."
Hearing Viktor's words, Katrina didn't dare hesitate for another second and silently slipped out of the room. As the door clicked shut behind her, Viktor broke into a bizarre, distorted, and wicked laugh. In the dim, flickering light, if one looked into Anna's tear-streaked eyes, the droplets rolling down her cheeks made her deep blue pupils shine with a haunting, sky-like azure brilliance. Pulling away from the dark shadow of that chilling flashback, the scene snapped back to the present moment inside the softly lit study.
Viktor was still holding Alia tightly in his arms. The warm, delicate closeness of Alia's body pressed against his broad chest instantly chased away any lingering chill in the room. The heavy echoes of that ruthless memory or dark shadow seemed to drift across Viktor's mind like a passing cloud, and a sudden, deep look of detachment and a suppressed sigh flickered in his eyes.
Alia picked up on Viktor's sudden change in mood almost instantly. Resting her hands softly on his wide shoulders, a curious and enchanting smile played at the corners of her eyes as she whispered, "What is it, Viktor? Why are those clouds gathering in your mind all of a sudden? Whose thoughts are making you look so gloomy, hm?"
Without answering right away, Viktor simply gazed steadily into her eyes. Leaning in even closer, Alia curved the corners of her lips into a teasing smirk and demanded with a sweet, playful pout, "Don't you dare stay quiet! If you want to cheer me up, you have to tell me a massive story right now... a full, five-hundred-line gripping dark romance or thriller story that will wipe away any lingering gloom in an instant!"
Hearing Alia's playful demand, the trace of fatigue vanished from Viktor's face, replaced by a faint, soft smile. Gently lifting her chin, he pressed a warm, lingering kiss straight to her lips and replied in a calm, soothing voice, "Five hundred lines, sweetheart? For a single smile from you, this ice-cold man of yours could write an entire empire or a whole book of stories..." Pulling Alia's waist even closer, Viktor brought his face near her ear and said with a mysterious, deep smile, "The darkest and most thrilling story of my life is you yourself, Alia... but since you want to hear one, then listen to a dark romance hunting story soaked in the blood of the underworld."
The light from the lamp on the table cast shadows over both of their bodies. In a calm yet spine-tingling voice, Viktor began:
"The story begins on a freezing night inside the most heavily guarded sanctuary of the St. Petersburg underworld. A blizzard was raging outside, and right in the middle of that storm, a lethal game of 'hunting' was underway. The hunter was none of us other than Viktor himself. Christopher, the underworld's biggest traitor, and his network were being smashed to pieces. But the real attraction of that night wasn't an enemy it was a woman who had willingly stepped into a tiger's cage.
That night, a secret deal was supposed to be finalized in the underground vault of the Royal Harbor Club. Before even reaching there, word came that someone from within my own organization was leaking information. And that traitor was none other than the closest shadow to me! As I walked down the cold corridors of the Black Matrix, there was absolute deathly silence, save for the sound of melting ice crushing beneath my boots. The stains of blood on my hands hadn't even dried yet.
Right then, as I turned the corner of the corridor, I ran into her. Wearing a sleek black silk dress, a criminal addiction in her eyes, and that familiar, crooked smirk on her lips. Looking straight into my eyes without a shred of fear, she threw down a challenge instead. She said, 'Viktor, do you really think I'll let myself get caught in this blind hunt of yours?'
I didn't waste a single second. Before she could even blink, I lunged forward and pinned her against the wall. My grip was so tight that it nearly choked the breath right out of her. Just like how I held you in this study a little while ago, Alia... absolutely the exact same fire, the exact same intense thrill! When I lifted her chin with my index finger and whispered 'Don't you know what the ultimate fate of a hunt is in my empire?' the mix of fear and desire in her eyes set my entire blood on fire.
The real fun of a hunting game is right there, Alia! When the prey willingly comes to surrender inside the hunter's cage, while thousands of gun barrels stand guard outside. That snowy night, as we lost ourselves in each other, it felt as though the outside world, Christopher's threats, or the bloodshed of the underworld everything was completely meaningless. There was only one meaning to existence: intense dark romance and a strange intoxication mixed with blood."
Finishing the story, Viktor looked deep into Alia's eyes with a faint, gentle smile and whispered, "Tell me, how did you like this dark hunting story of mine, sweetheart?" Curving her face into a mischievous smirk, Alia suddenly plunged her fingers into Viktor's thick hair and gave it a playful, light tug. A strange, mixed look of mock indignation and clever amusement danced in her eyes. Bringing her face even closer to his, she let out a soft giggle and retorted, "You're quite clever, aren't you, Viktor? Trying to fool me by disguising your past or someone else's underworld stories? I soon realized you were just spinning our very own crazy antics around and telling them right back to me! What a rascal you are... an absolute devil!"
Surprised for a fraction of a second by Alia's sweet scolding and the light pull on his hair, Viktor's familiar, dangerous, and mesmerizing smile widened across his lips the very next moment. Wrapping his arms even tighter around her waist to pull her close, he whispered softly, "The best story of my life revolves entirely around you, sweetheart... so why wouldn't that story loop right back to you, hm?" With a deep, mesmerizing warmth in his gaze, Viktor gently touched Alia's chin. A soft smile lingered at the corners of his lips. Following the echo of her affectionate call, he whispered in his deep voice, "Tell me, my sweetheart... what other demand does my dark lord need to fulfill for you?"
Alia smiled softly and wrapped her arms even tighter around Viktor's broad shoulders. A fresh spark of mischief gleamed in her clever and alluring eyes. Curving her lips into a crooked smirk, she whispered, "No other demands, Viktor... I just want to burn the ice-cold air of your study room to ashes with our passion tonight. Tell me, will you be able to endure this punishment all night long?"