Viktor hurriedly buttoned his shirt, though his sweat-drenched hair and disheveled appearance couldn't hide the storm within. He glanced at the still, paralyzed Alia on the bed and pulled a sheet over her. Then, with a deep breath, he unbolted the door.
As the heavy oak door slowly creaked open, the figure standing there made the room's temperature drop to freezing. Petrov Senior holding an expensive wooden cane, wearing glasses, and carrying an aura of authority that could bring even the strongest man to his knees. Behind him, four armed guards stood like stone statues.
The elder Petrov took a step inside. His sharp eyes immediately took in the ransacked room, the blood on the floor, and Alia lying on the bed. He crinkled his nose at the pungent scent of sweat and blood filling the air.
Viktor: (Keeping his voice as low as possible) "Father, I still don't understand the reason for your visit at this hour."
Petrov Senior stared into Viktor's eyes for a moment before suddenly striking Viktor's shoulder hard with his cane. Viktor winced in pain but let out no sound.
Petrov Senior: (In a grave, scolding tone) "The reason is written in your disheveled shirt and that girl's tears! I gave you this empire to rule, not to turn your home into a slaughterhouse. Have you forgotten that enemies are lurking outside? And here you are, consumed by madness over a woman!"
He walked slowly to the bedside. Alia was still staring with open eyes due to the drugs, unable to move. Senior Petrov placed his cold hand on Alia's forehead. For a fleeting second, a strange flash of pity appeared in his eyes perhaps a remnant of a memory from thirteen years ago.
Petrov Senior: (Looking at Alia) "She was as spirited as her father, Viktor. You want to break her, but remember even a diamond cracks if you apply too much pressure."
Viktor stood back, clenching his teeth, trying to suppress his rage. He knew his father wasn't just here to give advice; there was surely a bigger play behind this.
Petrov Senior: "Viktor, get her dressed now. The car is ready downstairs. I am taking Alia with me to my private villa tonight. It has become necessary to keep her and my granddaughter away from your insanity."
It felt as if the sky had fallen on Viktor's head. He didn't want to let Alia out of his sight, but he didn't dare defy his father's orders. In the Petrov empire, the old man was still the true King.Viktor stood frozen, the command hitting him harder than any physical blow. The demonic frenzy he had unleashed just moments ago to assert absolute control over Alia felt suddenly, bitingly futile. But he knew the cost of defying his father's word it was the only law that superseded his own.
Viktor: (In a low, trembling voice) "Father, you don't understand. Leaving Alia alone is a mistake. She... she isn't safe."
Petrov Senior: (With a hollow, mirthless chuckle) "She is most unsafe with you, Viktor. I understand the politics of this underworld far better than you do. And listen carefully I am taking my granddaughter as well. After what she witnessed tonight, you have forfeited the right to look her in the eye."
At a sharp gesture from his father, two female nurses entered the room. With professional detachment, they began wrapping Alia's paralyzed form in a heavy silk robe and preparing to move her onto a stretcher.
Alia still couldn't speak, but a final tear tracked through the dried blood on her cheek. This time, however, it wasn't a tear of sorrow. It was a look of horrific triumph. She knew that at this moment, Viktor had lost. He might have claimed her body, but he had failed to keep her in his cage.
Viktor: (His voice cracking like a wounded animal) "Father! You cannot take her from me!"
Petrov Senior: (Pausing at the doorway without looking back) "I am not taking her, Viktor. I am giving you time. Fix yourself. When you can be a man again instead of a beast, the doors to my villa will open for you. Not a second before."
The nurses wheeled Alia out of the room. In the corridor, their 14-year-old daughter stood waiting. Seeing her mother on a stretcher, she broke into fresh sobs, but she didn't cast a single glance toward her father. She took her grandfather's hand and began the walk down the grand staircase.
The room suddenly felt hollow. All that remained was the blood on the floor, Viktor's discarded shirt, and an unbearable, ringing silence. Viktor exploded into a fit of primal rage, smashing the expensive furniture and kicking the very door he had bolted shut to trap her.
Tonight, Viktor Petrov had sought to conquer everything, but as the rain intensified outside, he was left alone in the dark the most defeated man in his own empire. The storm roared on, as if nature itself was trying to wash away thirteen years of Alia's silent agony. As Alia was being wheeled out on the stretcher, a faint, mysterious smirk played on her lips a expression so subtle it was almost invisible to everyone but her.
Deep down, this was Alia's ultimate move. She knew Viktor better than he knew himself. She knew that his obsession would eventually lead to this moment of madness, and she had prepared for it.
While Viktor was busy injecting her with a sedative to paralyze her, Alia had been one step ahead. Hidden in the palm of her hand, she had concealed a micro-syringe containing a counter-agent—a stimulant she had smuggled months ago for a moment just like this.
Phshhh!
In the chaotic struggle, just as Viktor had pinned her down, she had managed to press the tiny needle into her own thigh. She hadn't been fully paralyzed; she had simply been playing the part. She had made her body go limp and remained silent to lure Viktor into a false sense of total victory, knowing that their daughter who she had tipped off earlier would witness his true monstrous nature.
She had intentionally provoked the "beast" to ensure his downfall in the eyes of the one person he actually cared about: his daughter.
As the stretcher passed the threshold of the room, Alia's eyes flickered toward the shadows where Viktor stood shattered. Her smile widened just a fraction. She wasn't the victim tonight; she was the architect.
Alia: (Thinking to herself) "You thought you broke me, Viktor. But I just burned your world down, and you were the one who held the match."
By calling in the "Old Lion" Viktor's father she had secured her exit. She was leaving the palace not as a captive, but as a woman who had successfully orchestrated her own rescue by using Viktor's own violence against him. As the elevator doors closed, cutting off the view of the blood-stained room, Alia let out a soft, cold breath. The game was finally hers. Viktor was roaring like a wounded beast. Alia and his daughter had been snatched away before his very eyes, and he couldn't accept this defeat. He kicked the massive drawing room door with all his might, the sound echoing through the entire corridor. Stumbling with rage and humiliation, he pushed forward.
He stormed toward Anna's room. Anna, Viktor's own sister, was the one who always knew the secrets of the palace. Viktor kicked her door open and barged in.
Viktor: (Screaming) "Anna! Did you know? Did you know Alia and Father were planning this move? You're my sister—how could you not warn me even once?"
Anna was standing by the window, calmly watching the rain. She turned around slowly. Her eyes held no sympathy for Viktor, only a sense of pity.
Anna: (In a very calm and cold voice) "I wanted to warn you, Viktor, but you were blinded by the arrogance of your power. Alia isn't just any woman you haven't realized that in thirteen years. She destroyed you using your own weapons."
Viktor: (Grabbing Anna's collar) "Shut up! She cannot leave me. I'm going to Father's villa right now. I'll bring Alia and my daughter back. No one can stop me!"
Anna: "There's no point, brother. Father's guards won't even let you near the perimeter. And more importantly, you can never erase the hatred in your daughter's eyes after what she saw today. You didn't just lose Alia; you lost the future of the Petrov dynasty."
Viktor shoved Anna away. He broke into a fit of manic laughter.
Viktor: "Future? I am the future! Anna, get the car ready now. I want to see how long Father can keep me away. Alia thinks she's won? No! The game has only just begun."
Anna sighed. She knew the path Viktor was taking led only to destruction. The dark clouds gathered over the Petrov empire tonight might never clear again.