Moscow City At 08:30
As we rushed out of the kitchen, our eyes locked with theirs-and just like that, their guns were pointed straight at us. I was about to say something, but Bogdan stopped me with a sharp motion. Then he looked at one of the men and said, "Hey Grip, it's me-Brave... remember?"
Wait... did he just say Brave? And that guy's name is Grip? I mean, I know they're nicknames but damn, creative much? I barely had time to process it when-
BANG!
A gunshot snapped me back to reality. I turned my head in the direction of the shot. One of the men had just shot someone in the leg.
Wait-wasn't that the same guy who was still deciding what to order earlier? Shit. Are they here for him?
"Listen, I know this must be important, but you're creating a damn scene," Bogdan said calmly.
"We're not creating a scene," the man snarled back. "We're just here for business. As long as you and your dumbass friends stay out of the way, we're good."
Yeah, he didn't stop there. Overconfident bastard kept running his mouth about how dangerous they were. Ugh. Ignoring his bullshit, I subtly stepped behind Sofia. She glanced at me, and I swear her expression screamed worried.
She whispered, "No... you're not thinking of doing anything, right?"
"Well, you know wh-"
"I'm not asking, I'm telling y-"
Yeah yeah, who cares. I stopped listening and ran.
And yes, I mean it-I ran straight at the man with the gun pointed at us. He saw me coming, but it was too damn late. I was already close. He tried pulling his hand back, but I kicked his damn hand, and the gun went flying in the air.
I aimed to catch it like a movie star, but... When I kicked his damn hand, something rolled out of my pocket-grapes.
Yeah... those fucking grapes I had earlier.
As I went to catch the damn gun, I was sure my timing was perfect-calculated that shit like a pro. But guess what? My foot stepped on one of those damn grapes, I slipped like an idiot and-
THWACK.
The gun landed right on my head.
Yeah. Embarrassing as hell, but no time to dwell on that. I grabbed the gun and pointed it at him.
"Don't move or I'll shoot."
I glanced over at Bogdan and Sofia, hoping they'd be impressed. Their faces said otherwise. More like "are you fucking dumb?" vibes.
And then I noticed. Every single one of those 10-15 guys was now pointing their guns-at me.
Welp.
Quick backup plan-don't ask if I just made it up-I rushed over to the man who had been shot. Let's call him Thinker, since he couldn't decide what to eat. I pointed the gun at him.
"I'll shoot him if you don't put your weapons down!" I shouted.
"You know what you're doing is called stupidity, little girl," Grip said, glaring at me.
"Y-yeah, h-he's r-right, s-sto-" Thinker tried to chime in.
I cut him off real fast-grabbed his collar, pulled him close.
"You know who they are, and you're gonna die anyway. So shut up."
Let him go, but kept the gun right at his damn head.
Then I looked back at Grip. "I've got my reasons for what I'm doing."
I pointed at the nametag pinned to the left side of my chest.
"The name's Alina, you dumbass."
His face? Oh, he was pissed.
"Alina, stop!" Sofia shouted at me.
"He called us dumb, Sofia!" I snapped.
"Still not a reason to point a gun at someone," Bogdan added.
"Y-yeah... right..." Ivan mumbled behind him.
I scoffed. "Like he was offering you a fucking flower when you were trying to talk to him."
"Then what's the reason, huh?" Grip asked me, voice low and venomous.
I didn't hesitate.
"Food. He couldn't decide what the fuck to order."
Dead silence. Even the air stopped moving.
Thinker tapped the barrel of my gun. "Seriously?"
"Huh? What the fu-" I was about to finish
But then, Grip laughed. Like, really laughed. Loud enough to turn heads.
And yeah-there were still people casually eating dinner around us like this wasn't some live-action cartel drama.
Grip wiped a tear from his eye and said,
"So Miss...whatever-the-hell... you're telling me you did all of this just for... food?"
"What do you mean just for food?! I wasted like 15-30 goddamn minutes on Thinker-you're not just gonna take him!" I snapped, voice full of confidence. Well... I thought it sounded confident.
I glanced over at my so-called friends-and guess what?
They were pretending like they didn't even fucking know me.
Bogdan was still trying to negotiate peace like some bargain-bin diplomat, and Sofia? That girl was looking everywhere except at me. Like eye contact would get her shot too.
The only one giving me his full attention was Ivan. And boy, that look on his face? Terrified. Worried. Adorably useless.
Honestly, for once... Grip wasn't wrong when he called them dumb.
I took a deep breath, turned my eyes back to him and growled, "Do as I say, or I swear to fucking God, I'll shoot."
He smirked. "Okay then, do i-"
BANG.
Yeah.
I shot Thinker right in the leg. Again.
His scream cut through the tension like a blade, and everyone froze.
I raised the gun again, cold and steady.
"Next bullet's in his damn head. Tell your men to put the guns down."
Grip didn't expect me to actually pull the damn trigger.
But I'm not scared of anyone. And backing down now? That shit would be pathetic.
He looked at me-really looked at me-and I could see the shift in his eyes. A breath later, he turned to his men.
"Guys, put the guns dow-"
"What's taking you so long, Grip?"

A voice. Deep. Lethal. The kind that fucks your spine with fear.
And then he walked in.
Alek.
Holy shit.
It was the first time I'd seen him in real life.
Tall. Dangerous. Hot as hell.
But this wasn't the time for that.
He was walking toward me, and every nerve in my body screamed run.
But I kept saying in my head:
Be cool. Be fucking cool.
If you show fear, he'll eat you alive. So BE COOL.
Bogdan stepped up to him, whispered something-what, I don't know.
But Alek's dark eyes never left me.
Not once.
That man looked at me like he already owned me.
After a moment, Bogdan stepped aside.
Alek kept walking toward me.
Wait a goddamn minute. Did Bogdan just hand me over?!
I gritted my teeth and raised the gun-the same one I'd pointed at Thinker.
My voice trembled, but I pushed the words out anyway.
"S-stay there... or I'll shoot."
He didn't stop. Didn't blink.
Didn't give a single fuck.
He came closer.
And closer.
And the only thing I could see now was his chest.
Goddamn he was tall. Like 6'3" or 6'4".
I'm 5'4"-so yeah, I had to tilt my head all the way up just to meet his eyes.
And that's when I realized...
I might've just fucked around a little too hard.
The barrel of my gun was pressed right against the left side of Alek's chest.
And he didn't give a single fuck.
Again, I tried to push the words out of my throat, "I'll... I'll really shoot!"
I expected something-a flinch, a reaction, hell, even an insult. But instead?
He leaned in.
I panicked and closed my eyes. Don't ask why! I don't fucking know either. I was confused as hell and my heart was thundering. His face was right next to mine, his breath warm against my neck, and I swear to God my cheeks were on fire. Then I noticed...
He was staring down at my chest.
Huh?! What a perv- But right as I was about to shove him off, he whispered low and sharp like a damn cherry on top of a loaded sundae:
"Go ahead."
The audacity. The gall. The fucking balls.
Without thinking, I pulled the trigger.
Click-
The shot fired, but instead of him collapsing in a bloody heap, I opened my eyes to find...
He was still standing.
He'd grabbed my hand mid-shot, tilted the gun upward, and now his men had fully surrounded me.
He took the gun out of my hand, placed it calmly on the table behind him, then sat right on that same table like he owned the goddamn place. Probably because he does.
I watched, stunned, as he glanced at Thinker.
Then that bastard Grip tried sneaking up behind me. What a dumb move.
I grabbed his wrist before he could even touch me, yanked him forward, and slammed his hand onto the damn table with a sharp crack.
"Touching a woman without permission is a crime, you creep," I snarled.
Grip winced, but before he could even whimper back, Alek chuckled.
"Aren't we all technically criminals, Miss..." He trailed off, eyes again dropping to my nameplate.
I covered it quickly with my hand.
"I don't want you to know my name," I snapped.
He scoffed, looked away-and then, without even missing a beat, he muttered:
"Grapes, then."
"Huh?!" Did this psycho just call me... grapes?!?
Before I could scream about how offensive, stupid, and weirdly kinda nickname that was, Bogdan stepped in front of me like some kind of peacekeeper. Sofia and Ivan were behind me, both clearly done with my shit.
"Listen, Alek... I know she gave you some trouble," Bogdan said, his voice level, "but let her go. Please."
Alek didn't even look at him.
"Miss Grapes here is the one holding one of my men hostage."
He looked past Bogdan-straight at me.
"Right, Miss Grapes?"
I stared him down, lifted my chin. "Let him eat. Then do whatever the hell you want with him."
"It's a fucking stupid reas-" Grip started to protest, but-
"Okay. Fine."
Alek's voice cut through everything. Even me.
Grip shut up mid-sentence like his tongue got glued to his throat.
"Deal then."
I let go of Grip, turning like the sarcastic little menace I am to offer a handshake to Alek. But grip was still trying to stand-so he fell on his back as soon as I let go.
Oops. My bad.
(Not really.)
He ignored my handshake But then i remember that behind that handsome face of his he is a total Jerk
I went to offer the handshake again, but Sofia grabbed my wrist like a woman on a mission and started dragging me toward the kitchen. Before we were out of earshot, Alek said without even glancing our way
"Be quick, Miss Grapes."
"Fine," Sofia snapped before I could even reply.
She was pissed.
Once inside the kitchen, Bogdan and Ivan followed. Sofia turned on me like a damn demon.
"What the fuck was that all about?!" she shouted, eyes blazing.
I raised my hands. "Okay, I know what I did was dumb but-"
"Dumb?!" she interrupted.
"You knew it was stupid and still went through with it?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Bogdan sighed.
"Do you think Alek's gonna let this slide?"
And finally, Ivan, hiding behind Bogdan like a trembling puppy, squeaked:
"A-are they gonna... start coming here... e-every day?"
I sighed, dragging a hand down my face.
"Okay, listen. I'm not that dumb. I wouldn't do something this dangerous without a reason, alright?"
Sofia rolled her eyes, arms crossed.
"And what was the reason? Food?"
Her voice. That sarcastic tone.
I fucking hate that tone.
"No!" I snapped.
Then I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.
"I did it for this."
Sofia blinked.
"What the hell is that?"
"A chip," I said.
The glare she gave me could've murdered me on the spot.
"I know it's a chip-"
Bogdan snatched it from my hand and stared.
"You can't be serious..."
Ivan leaned closer, eyes wide.
"B-but how did you get that?"
I took a deep breath. Time to come clean.
"When I was standing next to Thinker-yeah, while he was still trying to decide what to eat-I saw him fiddling with this chip. Then Sofia called me into the kitchen and when I pointed that knife at him from the window, I saw him hide it in his collar."
I looked at each of them.
"It has to be important. That's why Alek showed up himself."
...No reaction.
Just three blank faces.
Damn. They must be too impressed to even speak.
Then-
"I'm gonna go give it back," Bogdan said.
"WHAT?!"
I snatched it back from him.
"Are you fucking stupid? After all that, you're gonna just hand it over?!"
"Or what, you wanna wait until Alek finds out and kills us all?" Sofia countered with that same damn smug tone.
"Facts," Bogdan muttered.
Ivan nodded.
I rolled my eyes, done with their panic.
"Just drop it, okay? We'll talk about this later. First, let's make something for Thinker so he can finally eat his damn food." I looked at Bogdan and said, "But he didn't say what he wants to order."
"Fuck it, just make something everyone likes," Sofia snapped, already getting ready to cook.
I turned to Ivan, grabbed his hand, and placed the chip in it. "Don't you dare lose it, or I'll fucking kill you."
Ivan nodded quickly, "O-Okay! I won't!"
15 minutes later...
"All done, right?" I asked, staring at the dish. He made Olivier Salad for Thinker.
"Yeah," Bogdan replied, finishing the decoration. I mean, we don't have time for this, but arguing with him is useless.
"Now go and serve it," Sofia said, glaring at me.
"Ivan, you do that," I grumbled. Honestly, I really didn't want to see Alek's face again. Not that I'm scared or anything-well... you get it, right?
"I can't... I'm looking after the chip," Ivan muttered. This kid seriously-how does he even survive here?
I sighed and looked at the other waiters. Of course, all of them suddenly looked very busy.
"I hate you guys," I said.
"We feel the same," Sofia replied. Bogdan nodded in agreement.
Ignoring them, I grabbed the tray, but Bogdan stopped me.
"Wait-take this too," he said, handing me Borscht.
"For Thinker?" I asked
"No, it's for Alek. It's his favorite." Bogdan said
"But he's not even here for food, is he?"
"Yeah, yeah, just do what you gotta do," Bogdan said, pushing me out.
Now here I am, standing just steps away from their table. I took a deep breath and walked over.
I set the tray down. "Here's your fo-"
"I didn't order anything," Alek said, his deep voice calm and cold.
"I know. Bogdan told me to bring it," I said, meeting his gaze. He looked at Thinker.
"Eat fast."
Thinker was just about to take his first bite when Alek's phone rang. He answered it, "What?"
Rude. Ever heard of 'hello'?
Lost in thought, I was suddenly jolted back when Alek stood up.
"Looks like you'll die hungry, Oleg."
Oh. So Thinker's name is Oleg-WAIT, hungry?!
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, panicked.
"It means you wasted your 45 minutes for nothing," he said casually, pointing at his men to grab Thinker. They started to leave.
"At least take the foo-" I stepped forward, but Alek's voice stopped me.
"Enough of your games, Miss Alina."
The moment he said my name, my mind went blank. I couldn't move. Couldn't think. I just stood there, frozen, watching him leave the restaurant.
What was that just now? When he said my name it sounde-
"Hello, Miss Grapes? You there?"
I jumped. Sofia's voice pulled me back to reality.
"W-What did he mean by that?" Ivan asked.
"Mean by what?" I turned to the three of them.
"When Alek left... he said, 'See you soon.'"
...Wait, what?!
I was so lost in my own head, I didn't even hear that part.
"What the fuck? But why?" I asked.
"Who knows, but we know one thing-we're all fucked," Sofia muttered, giving me a death glare.
"Well, today's definitely not a good day," Bogdan added.
I sighed. "I'm going home. Ivan, go get changed-you're dropping me off."
He just nodded and headed to the changing room.
I turned to go too, but Sofia stepped in front of me.
"You can't just leave. It's Sunday-you have the night shift, remember?"
"Sofia, please. I'm way too tired after all this. I'll talk it out with Irina," I said, walking past her.
She followed me into the changing room.
"You said that last Sunday too. At this point, you're taking advantage of being Irina's friend."
I started changing into my regular clothes.
"Come on. If I wanted to take advantage of her, I'd have asked for money, not a part-time job."
Sofia scoffed. "It's not like this is the first time you've done something dumb like this."
Yeah, she was going on and on, but come on-that shit was cool.
I mean yeah, dangerous... but also fun.
"Hello, Miss Grapes?" Her voice pulled me back.
"All done," I said, looking in the mirror and grabbing my bag.

"And yeah, don't call me that."
"Why not? It suits you," Sofia teased.
We walked out of the changing room.
"It sounds so dumb," I muttered.
"That's why I said it suits you."
I ignored her jokes and saw Ivan and Bogdan at the exit. I walked over to Ivan.
"The chip?"
He handed it back, and I tucked it safely into my bag.
I looked at Sofia. "Next Friday night-drinks on me."
Bogdan and Sofia said at the same time, "You can't take that back now."
I waved goodbye to both of them and got in the car with Ivan. I told him my address, and he started driving. The silence? Yeah, it got awkward real fast.
I sighed. "Listen... I know what I did was stupid, but I had to get that chip. It was our mission, okay?"
Alright, here's the real because i know you all are confused-
Yes, I'm a part-time waitress, only working Friday and Sunday nights. But I'm also studying at the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs-just six months away from becoming a police officer. Pretty awesome, huh?
Everything was going fine until last week. Then this idiot-yes, I'm talking about Ivan-got transferred to my university. We don't exactly get along. So, Professor William decided the best way to fix that? Give us a joint mission.
The mission was to get the chip from Thinker.
Turns out, Thinker is one of secret agents. He was working with crown one but I don't know why Bogdan said he was working for crown three. HQ contacted him and told him to come to the restaurant I work at.
And the rest? You saw it all unfold.
Back to the story-
Ivan parked in front of my house.
"What do you think is inside that chip?" he asked.
"Well, I don't know. I'll submit it to HQ tomorrow," I answered.
He ran a hand through his hair. "Why did you tell them about the chip?"
I looked out the window.
"Well... umm... you know, everything was happening so fast. I couldn't come up with a lie, so I told the truth. But I'll cover it up, don't worry."
Ivan sighed. "Whatever. I still need to learn how things work here."
I looked at him. "Here's something important-
"You know how the mafia does whatever they want? Years ago, when the police tried to stop them, it only made things worse. People lost faith in the police. So HQ offered a deal to Crown One: Stay hidden. Don't attack any police stations. And you can do what you want."
"Surprisingly, they agreed. But both sides still send secret agents to spy on each other."
Ivan was quiet for a while, then he said, "The more I learn about this place, the more fucked it is."
I laughed. "I agree. Well, I'm heading in."
I was about to close the door when Ivan asked,
"By the way... what's Yelena's sister's name?"
Ah. Here's the fun part.
I smirked and said, "Her name is Alina Romanov."
Yeah, he was just as shocked as you are.
Then I added, "Can't people have the same name?"
Ivan paused, then nodded. "Yeah... right. I'll get going then. Good night."
"Good night," I said and closed the door.
I stood there watching him drive away.
"What an idiot."
That's it for this chapter guys i hope you enjoyed it i will try to upload next chapter soon (ー_ー゛)