DM Chapter 76
Knock knock.
Instead of a bell, Yuri knocked on the thick door and waited for someone to come out from inside.
Soon the door swung open. A large, burly man spotted Owen in the doorway and bowed his head briefly before stepping aside.
Thud.
As soon as Owen stepped inside, a glass thrown against the wall next to him shattered with a loud crash. The shards grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
It was deliberately thrown wide of the mark. If the opponent had really intended to hit, the shards would have squarely covered his face. Owen casually glanced down at the shattered remains while stepping on them with his shoe.
“Making an old man wait without energy. Just because you’re big doesn’t mean you have to be so uncouth.”
Nikolai, not behaving like the one who threw the glass, just coolly glanced at Owen with eyes full of resentment before sitting on the sofa’s main seat. There was already someone familiar sitting there.
Owen treaded the carpet, stepping on the glass pieces. His lips twisted at the sight of the familiar back of the head.
“Finally decided to end your fugitive life?”
Owen turned his head slightly to look at the person sitting opposite Nikolai and diagonally from the first guest. He met Kirill’s expressionless face and meaningless gaze.
“Well. You look like you’re afraid I’m going to be a liability to Eden City.”
“No. It’s because it would be inconvenient if you were to follow in Belov’s footsteps.”
“Quiet!”
Nikolai shouted at the mention of President Belov of Russia. It’s no secret that that’s what got Kirill into this position in the first place.
Belov’s power must be passed down. That was why Nicola was searching for a suitable successor so that the huge kingdom of Russia, built by him, could rule both day and night.
In that sense, Kirill was the perfect candidate.
In Russia, already accustomed to Belov’s dictatorship, it was extremely natural for his son, Kirill, to succeed in politics. Owen found it amusing to think that such people would rule Russia.
The look in Nicola’s eyes as he gazed at his two grown grandsons resembled that of a proud father observing his accomplished sons. Those with fatal flaws tended to have similar tastes. Nikolai’s eyes narrowed. Owen, compared to Pavel, had been reserved in that respect until now.
Kirill was a troublesome man who insisted on seeing blood before making decisions, and the fact that there were no normal individuals to his liking only increased Nicola’s worries.
“What mischief are these two supposed to be up to in front of this old man who needs to take care of them in the future?”
“Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’m coming back.”
Kirill responded calmly. Nikolai stared at Kirill through narrowed eyes. Owen leaned on the armrest, chin in hand, observing the two who had just begun talking with a face that revealed nothing about what he thought.
“You’re a disgrace to your family, living off of a wench.”
“That life wasn’t so bad, but the constant surveillance was getting annoying.”
Sometimes when Gayeon wakes up at night, she couldn’t fall back asleep and would stare out the window. He wanted to cut out the factors that made her anxious. Kirill’s idea to meet Nikolai was for a simple reason. To get rid of the cause in my own way.
If she wanted to settle down, he would make it happen, and if she still wanted to live a nomadic life, he didn’t care. As long as Gayeon was with her, it didn’t matter where they were; everything revolved around her.
“Come back. That guy’s worried about you, too.”
The only person who could refer to the President of Russia as “that guy” was Nikolai. The words he directed at Kirill were gently persuasive. Kirill and Owen both chuckled silently at the same time. In that, they were alike.
Everyone knows that this is a lie. Only a child who has just started walking would believe such words.
“I went to visit him once, late at night, but he wasn’t too happy about it.”
Kirill’s red lips curled slightly. The thought seemed to amuse him as his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. After that, Belov didn’t pursue him any further. Gayeon may not know, but Kirill knows what his opponent fears the most.
The sudden late-night visit was a surprise to no one.
By the time Belov wakes up in bed, he’s already being held by the nape of the neck. Kirill had proven that he could strangle Belov’s throat anytime, anywhere. They go their separate ways. They shouldn’t meet, and they couldn’t meet.
“This is why weak children are useless. If the body is weak, so is the mind.”
Nikolai clicked his tongue in a low, sarcastic voice.
The words aimed at Kirill, who had suffered greatly in his childhood, were also directed at Owen.
“If my visit isn’t welcome, don’t look for me. Don’t even attempt to touch her again.”
Kirill stood up from his seat, not looking particularly pleased, and tugged once at the jacket of his disheveled suit.
“If inheritance is necessary, you can put that one there. Right now, he seems to be the most precious.”
Kirill’s finger pointed at Owen. Owen, jaw clenched, looked at the tip of the finger and smirked. Seeing him pass off the mess to himself openly reminded Owen of the day he had manipulated Sarin, and his mind chilled.
“If you can’t handle touching that woman, do you have any desires left?”
From the start, Nikolai knew he had to touch Gayeon to get Kirill to move.
Kirill’s eyes, standing still without hesitation, gleamed like those of a beast. The one holding the leash of that beast was Gayeon, who was not present here. Owen looked at him and remembered the woman he had met at the villa.
That Kirill was manipulated by someone.
It was clear that a smaller, more fragile woman was definitely moving him. Owen, who ran his lips with his fingers, thought of Sarin lying asleep in bed. His mouth dried up momentarily as it felt parched.
The thought of opening his eyes and finding her not there made him thirsty.
Unconsciously, he loosened his tie. He didn’t realize that Kirill and Nikolai’s gazes were both focused on him at the same time.
“You probably won’t need to pay attention to her anymore.”
Kirill said in a low voice. Owen, the child he and Nikolai had already given away half-heartedly, the one they had entrusted with the greatest thing he had ever accomplished in his life, had already tipped the scales. KirillKirill, on the other hand, was satisfied with the situation. He was only worried about Sarin, who Gayeon considered a good thing.
The one thing that would get on Nikolai’s nerves the most appeared.
“I let them loose, and they’re both running amok.”
As they did their jobs well and listened well, Nikolai had left them alone, but things were unfolding differently than he had expected.
With his gaze fixed on Owen, who was lost in thought, Nikolai gestured towards Kirill, who was standing up.
“Useless actions only drain each other’s energy. Since you’ve been taught to repay blood with blood, I hope there won’t be a need for such meetings in the future.”
That was the last thing I said to Nikolai, out of respect for Gyon. If he didn’t listen to this either, Kirill would have no choice but to enter Nikolai’s bedroom himself, just like he had with Belov.
He didn’t even like the idea of killing someone. Kirill knew the effort it took to constantly remind him what normal people were doing.
Acting like a normal person on the outside doesn’t change their true nature.
Kirill could relive the day he’d gone to see Belov again and again, if not now, then later, if it mattered. As he walked away from there, Kirill thought he should kill Nikolai now while he had the chance.
But he held back for one reason.
He had to use Owen. Nikolai’s feelings towards him were always ambiguous. But his feelings towards women were clearly readable. It wasn’t too late to turn Nikolai’s attention to Owen, watch them fight, and then make his move.
Kirill left the room with a straight face, pushing down his desire to kill Nikolai’s bodyguards.
As Nikolai, licking his lips quietly, stood up from his seat, his bodyguards rushed to support him.
“That’s enough.”
Nicola got up from his seat and went straight to the side of the suite where whiskey was prepared. After pouring two glasses of whiskey into glasses, he handed one to Owen.
Owen had learned everything he knew about drinking from Nikolai.
“I’ve quit.”
“Really?”
As the glass was flicked, it toppled over onto the table, spilling onto Owen’s knees and shoes. Even as it rolled onto the carpeted floor, he remained still without avoiding it or showing any sign of panic.
“I thought I had the best dog in the world, and even a bite from a domestic dog wouldn’t hurt like this.”
“I only did as I learned from you. Isn’t that right?”
Nikolai’s hand trembled as he held the glass. He glared at Owen, who answered calmly.
“Yes, to become a man and get the woman you desire, you need some proper showmanship. I get that.”
Nicola had come here after confirming that he was going through the necessary procedures for the transplant. He was secretly pleased that he had grown up to be the most reliable and plausible grandson, to the extent that he believed he would eventually inherit the nights of Russia. Pavel, too, was a prolific scatterer of salt and a drug user like my father.
The woman in the suite was just the beginning, and Owen, being of the same bloodline, was sure to meet many women soon. Owen wouldn’t prepare for the transplant because he was infatuated with women.
He was the only grandson who would prioritize the safety of his body no matter what, and he wouldn’t do anything to harm it, so Nikolai trusted him with that.
