KAIREN:
I sat at the head of the table, my expression carved into a mask of cold composure, the same one Father had drilled into me until it became second nature. Inside, I was fraying. My jaw ached from clenching, my nails bit into the smooth surface of the polished table, and the hollow thrum of blood pounded in my ears. Every smile from the board felt like a blade under my skin, every carefully phrased suggestion laced with condescension and thinly veiled threats. They were testing me, all of them. And they thought I'd crumble.
I didn't.
I couldn't.
Because that would be weakness. And weakness in this room meant death, figurative or literal, it didn't matter.
Artem, with his greased words and predator's smile, brought up a topic that made the back of my neck tighten. "As for the recent acquisitions, we've had interest from a foreign investor regarding shares in one of our subsidiary companies. Their proposal seems beneficial at face value, substantial capital injection, potential expansion into markets in South Asia—"
I cut him off, my voice deceptively calm. "Who's the investor?"
Artem hesitated, his smile twitching. "The documentation wasn't entirely clear. I believe they're operating under a holding company, but the details are forthcoming—"
"You're letting a shadow buy into our company," I said flatly, my voice low enough that the room seemed to lean in. My temples throbbed. This is the shit Father warned me about. These games. These masks. I shot a glance at Jace, who'd mentioned something about new investors in a rushed whisper this morning, but I hadn't had time to press for details.
Artem offered a conciliatory nod. "I'll personally look into it, Mr. Kurov-Shin."
I let the silence hang, watching his discomfort simmer beneath his polished exterior before nodding once. "Make sure you do."
The rest of the meeting went on, discussions about market shares, partnerships, the usual dance of dominance and submission masked as business. The Romans came up, and though I kept my face impassive, my mind flicked back to Father's dealings with them, men as dangerous as us, but cleaner in their branding. Their presence in the conversation left a metallic taste on my tongue, but I held my tongue. For now.
Eventually, the meeting staggered to a close. As the room emptied, I rose from my seat, my shoulders tight with unspoken curses. I stepped into the corridor, rolling my neck, trying to exhale the weight of the room from my lungs. The cool air outside the boardroom felt thin, and I hated how much I dreaded walking back into my office, to sit at a desk that wasn't mine, signing papers for a father who'd already decided my fate.
Then I heard his voice, that voice, low and amused, slicing through the tension like a blade wrapped in silk. "Didn't know you had it in you, little prince."
I stopped, my pulse ticking up sharply, my hands curling into fists. I turned, catching Viktor's lazy smirk, the amused glint in his ice-blue eyes. He was leaning against the wall like he owned the damn building, a coffee in one hand, his other shoved in his pocket.
"Fuck off, Viktor," I snapped, my voice sharp with irritation as I stalked down the corridor.
But he wasn't done. He fell into step beside me, his long strides easily keeping pace with mine. His voice was soft but carried a weight that curled around my spine. "Your father may have underestimated you… or maybe he didn't. Maybe he's got you exactly where he wants you, caged in this building, sharpening your claws while he waits to see if you'll break or bite."
I stopped dead in my tracks. My chest was tight, heat prickling beneath my skin, anger burning up my throat like bile. Without thinking, I turned and grabbed his tie, yanking him down to my height. His breath ghosted over my lips, a mixture of cigarette smoke and bitter coffee, warm and infuriatingly close.
"Don't fucking push me," I hissed, my voice low and trembling. "Just because you're playing lapdog for my father doesn't mean you get to say whatever the fuck you want. And don't think for a second that I won't get rid of you when I decide you're a liability."
Viktor's smirk didn't waver. If anything, it deepened, his lips curving into something sharp and taunting. He leaned in, his voice a murmur against my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine. "I'd love to see you try, Kairen. Show me those claws. Let's see how deep they cut."
My heart slammed against my ribs, fury and something darker twisting in my chest. I hated him. I hated how he got under my skin, how his presence both infuriated and, goddamn it, grounded me in a way I didn't understand.
I shoved him back with a sharp jerk of his tie, releasing him as if his skin had scorched mine. "Get the fuck out of my face."
His quiet laugh followed me as I stalked away, the sound curling around me like smoke and shadows. Fucking bastard.
I pushed the office door open a little too hard, the polished wood rattling on its hinges, and stalked inside. My pulse was racing, faster than I wanted to admit. Behind me, Viktor's quiet footsteps followed.
I spun around sharply. "What the hell are you doing?"
He stepped inside as if he owned the place, the door clicking shut behind him. He didn't even flinch at my sharp tone. "I'm doing my job," he said, voice low and calm, as though we were discussing something as mundane as the weather.
I glared at him. "Your job is to stay outside my office."
He lifted one broad shoulder in a shrug, his lips curving into a faint, unreadable smirk. "Yeah, but I think security should be a little tighter now. After all, you've just made yourself a few more enemies from the board meeting, haven't you?"
I swore under my breath, biting down the urge to throw something. He was right, and that only made me want to kick him out more. I sank into the chair behind my desk, raking a hand through my hair, trying to will the tension from my shoulders.
But Viktor didn't move. He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, until he was towering over me, his palms pressing flat against the polished surface of my desk. His eyes pinned me in place, that infuriatingly calm, sharp stare that made my skin feel too tight.
He leaned down slightly, his voice dropping to a quiet murmur that felt like smoke curling around my throat.
"You're good at playing the part, Kairen. Almost had me convinced."
I bristled, my hands curling into fists on the desk. "I don't need you to believe anything," I snapped.
Viktor's smirk deepened, the corner of his mouth quirking upward like he was toying with me. His head tilted slightly, and his gaze swept over me, not quite predatory, but enough to make me feel stripped bare.
"But you can't fake it with me," he murmured. "I see through the cracks. You're trembling underneath all that polish."
I hated how the words hit, how they slithered beneath my practiced calm, coiling around something raw and vulnerable. I shot to my feet, pushing back the chair with a scrape of wood against tile. "Get out," I said tightly.
He didn't budge. His palms stayed planted on my desk, his towering form unshaken. He leaned in just enough that I could smell the faint, smoky scent of cigarette clinging to him, mingling with coffee and something sharper, like gunmetal. His voice dropped lower, brushing against my ear.
"I wonder what you'd do if I really pushed you," he murmured, and I felt a chill dance down my spine. "You going to order me out like a scared little prince? Or beg me to stay and make you forget for a while?"
My breath seized, I hated how it did, how his words caught in my chest and ignited a simmering, helpless anger. I shoved at his chest, but it was like trying to move a wall. "Don't flatter yourself," I hissed.
His smirk only widened, slow and maddening. "No need," he said softly, his breath warm against my skin. "You're doing a fine job of it for me."
The silence stretched, thick and taut between us, as if the air itself had curled into a snare. And then, almost as if granting me a reprieve, Viktor leaned back slightly, his hands finally peeling off the desk. He straightened to his full, imposing height, his smirk still lingering like a shadow.
"But I'll play along, Kairen," he murmured, as though this was all some dark, private game between us. "For now."
I ground my teeth together, my pulse hammering in my throat as I tried to hold onto what little dignity I had left.