Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lyov reaching for his glass of scotch. He downed all of it in one gulp and then pulled at his tie, loosening it from around his neck. Both he and Isaak appeared frustrated…guilty.
Little shits.
I wasn’t done.
“How many?” Alessio’s face blazed with fury, and his lips pulled back into a snarl.
“Hundreds. So many you will lose count.”
“Fuck!” Lyov roared, standing up. He paced the length of the room, mumbling under his breath. His chest rose and fell with each haggard breath he took.
“It goes by many names. The arena. Bloodhound. But the club itself, where all the ringmasters sit, it’s called The Kingpin. Previously known as The Royalist,” I declared.
Raising an eyebrow, I fixated Isaak and Lyov with a look that said…I know. I know the fucking truth.
I didn’t give anyone else a chance to speak, to think, before I continued. “Also, previously owned by the Ivanshovs.”
Annnnd bullseye.
Lyov looked frantic, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He stopped pacing now, staying rooted in the spot. Looking lost…and was that fear?
I almost laughed. Shaking my head, I tried to fight back the chuckle threatening to pierce out from my chest.
Oh no. I wasn’t done yet.
“Ask Lyov. He knows about this very well. Also, ask Father dearest…where did he meet your mother for the first time?”
Sick. Sick. Sick.
We weren’t the good guys. We were far from it.
When someone would tell a story, we were the villains. We were feared, and I’d done things that would make even hell bow to me.
But it appeared Lyov and Isaak, they were going to take the trophy home.
When Alessio and I took over the Ivanshov family…the Bratva, Lyov and Isaak had passed on all the little details we were supposed to know.
Alessio and I had done our research well. But apparently…there were things we missed. Or rather, there were things that were hidden very well.
Secrets our fathers kept from us and secrets that they tried to bury over the years.
But you see, secrets never stayed secrets when more than one person knew it.
Secrets never lasted…
And secrets could consume and destroy.
“What?” Alessio slowly said, his head snapping toward his father. His eyes narrowed on Lyov, causing the other man to realize that he was at a disadvantage. His truth was out. There was no escape. No more lies. No more secrets.
I shrugged and watched the chaos unleash.
Alessio stood up to his full height, looking intimidating as fuck. He owned the room with only one word. The air turned brittle, and it felt like all the warmth had been sucked out, turning the room into a freezing slaughter-house. A vein bulged in Alessio’s throat, and I watched his jaw tick with each second.
“Alessio—” Lyov started to say, but his son cut him off.
“I’ll give you one chance to explain what Viktor means. One chance only, or else I’ll forget you are my father,” he sneered, moving closer to Lyov. His steps thundered around the room. A depraved look was now on his face.
Lyov swallowed hard and tried to pacify Alessio. But it was no use.
Untamed. Vicious. Cruel. Violent. Dangerous.
Many words could describe Alessio Ivanshov in this moment. He was livid.
I slowly got up and backed away, my lips quirking up on the sides as I watched the feud between father and son.
An Ivanshov business meeting or dinner was never complete without a little drama.
And my job here was done.
Nikolay and Phoenix seemed to realize this was about to turn bad. They did the only thing they could. They stepped back and walked out of the room.
Bringing my fist to my mouth, I tried to hide my laughter. Fuck. This was good.
Giving them one final glance, I walked out of the room too. My father followed closely behind, and he closed the door.
Before I could get away, he gripped my arm and pulled me back. My gaze went to the hold he had on me, and I looked up, leveling him an empty look. “Let go of my arm or I’ll make you regret it.”
He ignored my words, his fingers pinched into my muscles instead. “Why the fuck did you do that?” he snarled in my face.
“Watch it, old man,” I forced through gritted teeth.
“It took years. Years for Alessio and Lyov to fix their relationship. I’m not saying they have the best father and son bond, but they were getting there. Ayla was helping them. She was fixing them, and you just fucking destroyed years of hard work,” he hissed, almost spitting into my face.
A growl rumbled through my chest, and I pulled my arm away. Stabbing a finger into Isaak’s chest, I moved forward and crowded his space. “I did what I should have done the moment I found out the truth. Alessio deserves to know. Alessio deserves to know what fucking sick bastards you guys are.”