In stark contrast to the suffocating environment of the palace, a different scene unfolded in Viktor's private office. Usually a witness to ruthless deals and bloody politics, this glass-walled room in the heart of the city saw something unexpected today.
Viktor wasn't sitting in his grand leather chair. Instead, he was pacing the room, cradling his young daughter (who had calm eyes just like Anna's) in his arms. To the outside world, he is a heartless monster, but to this little girl, he is simply a father.
The girl clutched her father's shirt collar with her tiny hands, trying to babble something. Viktor pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. The usual hardness on his face had vanished, replaced by deep affection.
Viktor: (Whispering to the girl) "I will never let the shadow of the darkness that touched your mother reach you. Your world will be entirely different."
He walked to the window with her. Below, the city cars looked like toys. Viktor knew Alia was out and that the storm in her heart had no solution. But looking at this innocent face, he wanted to forget his crimes for just a moment.
The expensive files and the pistol lying on the office table meant nothing now. He held her close, breathing in her scent. This child was perhaps the only pure thing left in his life, and he would protect her with his soul.
Just then, his phone rang. A call from his bodyguard likely an update on Alia's location. Holding the girl steady with one arm, Viktor answered with the other. The tenderness in his eyes instantly snapped back into the sharp gaze of a predator.The quiet office atmosphere instantly turned into chaos. The 14-year-old girl, who had been calm in her father's arms, suddenly burst into uncontrollable sobs. Her eyes were filled with an indescribable terror and longing. She was no longer a toddler to be distracted by toys; she was at an age where her mother's absence gnawed at her soul.
She struggled to get down from Viktor's hold. Her cries echoed against the cold office walls.
The Girl: (Voice breaking with sobs) "Ammu... I want to go to Ammu! Baba, don't keep me here anymore. Why did she leave like that? I know you're hiding something from me. I want her! Ammu... Ammu!"
Viktor tried to hold her firmly, but he felt helpless against the stubborn grief of a teenage girl. She gripped his shirt, screaming for her mother. Subconsciously, she sensed the massive wall between her parents, and she was being crushed by it.
Viktor: "Calm down, sweetheart... Ammu will be back soon. I've sent people. Don't call her, she just wanted some time alone."
The Girl: "No! You always lie. I only see tears in Ammu's eyes. What did you do to her, Baba? Why does she always stare out the window like that? I want to go to her!"
Viktor couldn't bear his daughter's pleading. He was reminded of Alia's face from thirteen years agoAlia had lost everything at this very age. Today, his own daughter was screaming for her mother at the age of 14. History was repeating itself in a cruel cycle.
Viktor held her tight against his chest, even as she continued to wail 'Ammu Ammu.' Her tears soaked the shoulder of his expensive suit. Even the bodyguards outside felt uneasy hearing her cries. Viktor realized that while he could rule the city, he might never truly conquer his daughter's heart or Alia's soul. At just 14, the shadow of Alia's resilience has already begun to manifest in the girl. She isn't just quiet or emotional; she is exceptionally clever and sharp. She knows exactly which weapon to use and when to use it to corner Viktor. Her desperate cries for her mother weren't just out of emotion; they were a calculated psychological move to force Viktor into letting her go to Alia.
As Viktor tried to soothe her, the girl suddenly stopped crying and looked directly into his eyes. Her gaze shifted instantly—the helplessness was gone, replaced by a piercing coldness.
The Girl: (In a very calm and cold voice) "Do you think I'm still a child? I know Ammu isn't at the palace. I also know you're tracking the GPS on my phone. But Baba, you're forgetting whose daughter I am. If you keep me locked up, I'll do something you can't even imagine."
Viktor stood frozen. This posture, this style of speaking it was exactly like Alia. Just as Alia possessed a silent stubbornness and a penchant for mind games, this girl had inherited the same 'problem' or trait. She knew exactly where Viktor's weaknesses lay.
Viktor: (Laughing despite himself, though his laugh held a trace of fear) "You've learned to play these strange games just like your mother, haven't you? But remember, I am your father. I know all your moves."
The Girl: "Then take a look at this move."
She swiftly picked up Viktor's personal tablet from the desk. She had somehow bypassed his password or pattern by observing him earlier. Within seconds, she accessed something and held it up for Viktor to see.
It showed that she had discovered a loophole in the palace's security system one she could have used to slip out undetected at any time. She was simply waiting to see Viktor's reaction.
Viktor realized he wasn't just living with a Mafia Queen; he was raising a little dragon. This girl's sharp mind was even more dangerous than her beauty. Unlike Alia, she didn't just suffer in pain; she knew how to weaponize it.
As the heir to the Petrov empire, she proved today that she isn't just Viktor's blood she is the embodiment of Alia's invincible spirit. It was midnight. The entire Petrov Palace was shrouded in sleep, but Alia remained wide awake. She sat alone in the drawing room, wearing her thin silk nightdress, staring out into the darkness. Just then, Viktor entered.
His footsteps were different tonight—heavy and somewhat unsteady. He slumped into the sofa directly across from Alia, exhaustion and restlessness written all over his face. He stared at her intently, as if struggling to find words.
Alia's gaze sharpened as she noticed something. On Viktor's white shirt sleeve and near the collar, there were red stains. In the dim light, it didn't take her more than a second to recognize what it was.
Alia: (Frowning, in a sharp tone) "What happened to you? Viktor, why is there blood on you?"
Viktor didn't answer. He just looked down at his wrist, where the blood hadn't even dried yet. He was returning from a 'business deal' he had tried so hard to keep hidden from his daughter.
Viktor: (In a cold voice) "It's not my blood, Alia. Don't worry."
Alia: (Standing up and approaching him) "I know it's not yours. But whose is it? Whose life did you destroy tonight? These stains on your shirt... they remind me exactly of that night thirteen years ago."
Alia stepped closer, her fingers grazing the bloodstain on his collar through her nightdress sleeve. Her eyes held a volatile mix of hatred and curiosity.
Viktor: (Abruptly grabbing her hand) "I've told you repeatedly to forget that night. It's late. Go to sleep."
Alia: "Even if I want to forget, you never let me. Every day, you show up before me with your demonic side. Did you do this because you found out about my Nani?"
Viktor locked eyes with her, a flicker of raw violence in his gaze. He pulled her toward him in a sudden jerk, pressing her thin nightdress against his blood-stained shirt.
Viktor: (Whispering near her ear) "I spilled the blood that needed to be spilled. Don't ask too many questions. Instead, look this blood is ruining your beautiful nightdress too."
Alia shuddered. She saw the red stains from Viktor's shirt bleeding into her white nightdress. The scene was hauntingly symbolicViktor's dark world was slowly consuming her too. They stood there in the middle of the night, face to face with a bloody truth.