Alia's last shred of patience finally snapped. Viktor's blood-stained shirt and his arrogant words ignited the fire that had been smoldering inside her for thirteen years. She jerked her hand away from his grip and gave him a violent shove against his chest.
Alia: (Screaming) "Stop it, Viktor! Just stop! Do you think spilling blood and instilling fear are the only languages in the world? Whoever you killed tonight probably had a family too maybe a daughter like mine who is waiting for her father tonight!"
Viktor stood up from the sofa, darkness clouding his eyes. He stepped toward her slowly, but this time, Alia didn't back down an inch.
Viktor: (Grit teeth) "Whatever I do, I do for this empire and for your protection. Do you want our enemies to laugh at us?"
Alia: "Protection? Who are you protecting me from, Viktor? From yourself? These palace walls feel like a grave to me. You kept my grandmother away from me, you've trapped my life in a cage. And now, you're trying to poison my daughter's mind too!"
Alia, trembling with rage, grabbed Viktor's collar. Her nightdress sleeves were now smeared with the sweat and blood from his body.
Alia: "You are a ruthless beast, just like your father! Thirteen years ago, you didn't just take a life; you murdered a belief. Today, when you stand before me covered in blood, I feel nothing but pure hatred for you!"
Viktor grabbed both of her shoulders, his nails digging in through the thin fabric of her dress.
Viktor: "Hate me! Hate me as much as you want! But remember, it's this 'beast' who has kept you safe. If you try to escape this world of blood, I will burn this entire city to the ground. You are mine, Alia! This blood, this power it's all for you!"
Alia: "I am not yours! I am only a witness to your sins. One day, this very blood will drown you, Viktor, and on that day, I will stand by and watch your downfall!"
Their shouting made the guards in the corridor freeze. The expensive decor in the drawing room rattled with the intensity of their fierce argument. Viktor's dark smirk and Alia's volcanic rage turned that midnight into a nightmare. Neither was willing to give an inch it was a battle of existence between two powerful rivals. At the peak of their confrontation, Alia's curse and hatred fully awakened the hidden monster inside Viktor. He lost all sense of reason. In one swift motion, he pinned Alia against the wall, his hand flying to her throat. Viktor's eyes were bloodshot, and the veins in his neck were bulging.
Viktor: (In a low, icy voice) "Enough, Alia... I've endured enough. Don't mistake my mercy for weakness. If I can't have you, no one in this world will. I will kill you right now!"
The pressure of Viktor's hand tightened against Alia's throat. Her breath began to hitch, but there wasn't a single trace of fear in her eyes. She stared directly into his, a tragic yet triumphant smirk playing on her lips.
Alia: (Whispering with difficulty) "Kill me... set me free. Dying at your hands today is far more peaceful than living beside you every day. If you kill me now, you will finally finish the work you started thirteen years ago. Show me your true self!"
Viktor's hand began to tremble. In Alia's eyes, he saw not terror, but a strange relief. He realized she wasn't afraid to die she was waiting for him to reach the ultimate peak of his villainy.
At that exact moment, a sharp cry echoed from the top of the stairs.
The Girl: "Baba! No!"
Viktor snapped his head toward the door. He saw their 14-year-old daughter standing there, shaking, her eyes filled with absolute hatred and horror for her father. Viktor instantly released his grip on Alia's throat and stumbled back a few steps. His hands were still blood-stained and trembling violently.
Alia slid down the wall, gasping for air. But her cold, piercing gaze was tearing through Viktor's soul. Viktor realized that he hadn't just tried to kill Alia; he had destroyed the last bit of respect his daughter had for him.
A deathly silence filled the room. Viktor stood frozen, while Alia broke into a dark, haunting laughter from the floor. She knew that by attempting to kill her, Viktor had only inflicted a mortal wound upon his own heart. Seeing the hatred in his daughter's eyes, Viktor crumbled in an instant. The formidable Mafia Lord shrank into a guilt-ridden father. He tried to hide his trembling hands, but the blood on them stood as a silent witness to his crime.
Viktor tried to stumble toward his daughter, his voice choking with unshed tears.
Viktor: (Desperately) "Believe me, Ma... believe me, this isn't my fault! I didn't want to do this. Your mother was provoking me, she was saying things that made me lose control. Look at me, Ma... I'm still your father."
The girl took a step back. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but there was no softness in her gaze. She looked at her father as if she were staring at a dangerous, unrecognizable creature.
The Girl: "You're lying! I saw it with my own eyes you were strangling Ammu. You always say you protect us, but today you tried to kill her yourself. Whose blood is that, Baba? Is that the proof of your 'protection'?"
Viktor slumped onto the floor, gasping for air. The arrogance of his power turned to ash in a heartbeat. He didn't know how to explain to this teenage girl how deeply he was trapped in this dark world.
Alia, still sitting by the wall, watched her daughter intently. That strange smile the smile of victory was still on her lips. She knew defeating Viktor physically was impossible, but this one moment was enough to destroy him mentally.
Alia: (In a very calm voice) "Do you see now, Ma? This is your father's true self. The blood you see on his hands is what he used to build this palace. Today he proved that he loves no one only his power."
Viktor: (Screaming) "Shut up, Alia! Don't lie to her!"
But it was too late. The girl didn't stay a second longer. She ran toward her room and slammed the door shut. The echo of that sound hit Viktor's chest like a hammer.
Viktor stared at his blood-stained hands. He realized that while he hadn't killed Alia today, he had forever murdered his own image in his daughter's heart. He sat there alone, the entire palace heavy with his silent agony.Viktor's guilt instantly curdled into a volatile, blinding rage. The slam of his daughter's door and Alia's triumphant, mocking gaze drove him past the point of reason. In one swift, violent motion, he lunged for the drawing room's massive oak door and slammed it shut, bolting the lock with a heavy metallic click. The air in the room turned suffocating and lethal.
Before Alia could even think of escaping, Viktor lunged at her like a predator. He grabbed a handful of her hair, twisting it painfully around his knuckles to yank her upward. Her head snapped back, exposing her throat, and though her face contorted in pain, her eyes remained fixed on him with cold defiance.
Viktor: (Hissing directly into her face, his breath hot and smelling of iron) "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You think you've won because you turned my own daughter against me? Because of you, my own flesh and blood looks at me with disgust! I will grind your pride into the dust tonight. For what you've done, I am going to do things to you that you couldn't imagine in your darkest nightmares!"
He tightened his grip on her hair so hard it felt as if he would scalp her. The scent of the fresh blood on his shirt filled her lungs, a grim reminder of the violence he was capable of.
Viktor: "You called me a beast? Fine. Tonight, I'll show you exactly how cruel a beast can be. Every wall of this palace will hear your screams, but no one will come for you. Even death won't be allowed to take you tonight without my permission!"
Alia squeezed her eyes shut for a moment against the agony, but she forced them open, her voice trembling but fierce. "Do whatever you want, Viktor. You've already lost. Your own blood has seen who you truly are. That is my ultimate victory!"
Viktor's restraint snapped completely. He began dragging her by her hair toward the bedroom, his steps heavy with the promise of a destructive storm. The midnight darkness seemed endless, and behind those locked doors, a terrifying ordeal was about to begin. Alia struggled like a helpless bird against Viktor's overwhelming strength. The grip on her hair was so tight she felt as if her scalp would tear. Viktor dragged her along, her feet scuffing against the cold floor.
But amidst this physical agony, a strange shift occurred within Alia. She knew no logic could stop Viktor now. So, she abruptly ceased all resistance. Her body went completely limp.
When Viktor reached the center of the bedroom and threw her onto the floor with a violent jerk, Alia didn't try to get up immediately. Instead, she lay there, letting out a haunting, sinister laugh. Her nightdress was now soiled with dust and smeared with the blood from Viktor's shirt.
Alia: (Looking up at Viktor from the floor) "Pull harder, Viktor... spill more blood. Do you think by terrifying me, you can erase the hatred in your daughter's eyes? Every time you strike me, my screams will reach her ears. With every blow, you drift further away from her heart."
Viktor leaned over her, unbuckling his belt, his eyes flashing with lethal intent.
Viktor: "If I kill you, it all ends, Alia. No witnesses, no memories!"
Alia: "The witness is inside you, Viktor. Every time you look in the mirror, you'll see the murderer. Thirteen years ago, you destroyed my past; today, you destroyed your own future. Do it... do whatever you want. I am ready."
Alia spread her arms wide and closed her eyes. Her defiant surrender drove Viktor further into madness. He couldn't tell if he was dominating her or if she was systematically destroying him from the inside out.
Thunder began to crash outside. Mingled with the roar of the storm, Viktor's rage and Alia's toxic laughter birthed a terrifying tragedy within the locked rooms of the Petrov Palace.