Chapter 4
Anya. Grace.
There were times when she thought the name, which was like a shackle, was terrifying and humiliating. But as the years passed, she grew numb to it. Now, it was a name that evoked no emotion, but every time Denis called her, Anya would feel her throat dry up.
“It’s been a while, Father.”
Pretending to be calm, she walked toward the table and sat down. No one would have known how tense Anya was. In fact, they shouldn’t have known.
“Yes, Anya. You handled this well.”
Denis placed his cigar in the ashtray, rubbing his beard with his thick fingers.
“Those idiots. They’re barking at Pavarda and Oleg.”
Denis’s jaw, covered with thick beard, twitched. It was a clear sign of displeasure.
“Still, I feel a bit more at ease knowing you took care of those dirty people.”
The lips beneath his beard twisted into a smile, but Denis’s gaze remained cold as he looked at Anya.
“The FSB still supports the Abramovich Bratva. That hasn’t changed.”
FSB—the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Denis thought the FSB was backing Oleg.
“Anya.”
The name was called with a feigned warmth, but the words that followed were inevitable.
“Yes, Father.”
“You’ve dealt with the small trash, now it’s time to take care of the big one.”
To take care of the big one. Just hearing those words, Anya understood immediately what it meant. She had probably suspected it ever since Denis mentioned the FSB.
To bring down Oleg’s Bratva, they had to sever the connection with the FSB, who were backing them.
“One of the FSB executives… seems to be a big fan of women.”
It would be difficult to sever the connection with Oleg and the FSB right away, so they would have to use their connections. She had tried many times before, but failed each time.
“Anya, our daughter.”
Despite the neutral expression on his face, Anya’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
“You’ll have to take the lead, won’t you?”
As soon as Denis’s words ended, Valery, who had been standing behind Anya, spoke up.
“Boss, for such matters, perhaps another—”
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor interrupted him. Denis stood up from his seat, holding the cigar he had previously placed down between his thick fingers.
“Valery.”
As he called out Valery’s name and approached him, Denis raised his hand. The burning cigar headed straight for Valery’s chest.
*Crackle—*
With the smell of burning, Valery furrowed his brow.
“Have you forgotten your role?”
“…No, I haven’t.”
“Good, that’s how it should be.”
The cigar that had been pressed against Valery’s chest fell. Anya’s gaze drifted to the spot where the cigar had burned through Valery’s black t-shirt, leaving a hole. Red, scorched flesh peeked through the fabric.
She couldn’t show any sign of distress. If she showed any…
Anya repeated it to herself in her mind, keeping her expression steady. If she reacted to seeing Valery injured, Denis would not hesitate to kill him right in front of her.
“Anya, my lovely daughter.”
With her lips tightly pressed together, Anya looked up and met Denis’s gaze.
“Yes, Father.”
“I believe you, being so smart, understood what I meant.”
Anya had no right to refuse. It was something she never even considered. From a young age, Denis’s gaslighting and his method of ruthlessly taking away what was precious to her had thoroughly conditioned her to obey.
“The target, if you hand him over, we can proceed immediately.”
Without hesitation, Valery moved despite the cigar burning into his chest, not flinching.
“Anya.”
“Be quiet, Valery.”
Anya lifted the corners of her lips. She hoped to appear at ease. A deep dimple appeared on her cheek as she smiled faintly.
“Father.”
If she had to obey anyway, it was easier to follow without question, avoiding bloodshed.
“It seems there’s a lot to do. I need to prepare as well.”
At that, Denis grinned widely.
“Haha, yes. The more perfect the preparation, the better. I’ve placed the cash in the trunk. I’ll also deposit a hefty sum into your account, so make sure you bring it properly.”
“Yes, Father.”
Denis reached for a new cigar from the case on the table. With a sharp click, the cutter sliced off the cigar cap, which fell to the floor. The cap rolled and stopped right at Anya’s feet.
“Two months should be enough?”
Denis, holding the cigar between his fingers, extended an envelope containing information about the target. Anya nodded, accepting the envelope.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sure you can do it.”
As Denis reached for the zippo lighter, Anya spoke up, as if waiting for the right moment.
“I’ll head back now. The department store will be closing soon.”
“The department store?”
“I need to take care of the FSB executive. I should buy some new clothes, don’t you think?”
“Yes, that’s my daughter.”
Denis seemed pleased with her response, nodding his head. With a detached smile, Anya turned and gave a discreet glance at Valery, signaling him to follow quietly.
Her tightly sealed lips didn’t open. As Valery turned to follow Anya, Denis’s voice echoed from behind them.
“Don’t overstep and just do your job, Valery.”
His tone was filled with mocking laughter. Speaking only loud enough for Valery to hear, Denis added:
“If you don’t want to see Anya dealing with your brothers as well.”
The mention of “dealing with brothers” meant that Anya could be handed over to the Chechen mafia executives. Valery’s face instantly flushed with anger, knowing that Denis, who was openly using Anya and speaking in such crude terms, had no regard for her.
However, there was nothing Valery could do at that moment. The only thing he could do was follow Anya, grinding his teeth.
As soon as they left the mansion, Anya immediately got into the car, and Valery sat next to her.
“You were told to stay quiet in front of Father,” Anya scolded, and Valery lowered his gaze.
“I’m sorry.”
Before he could respond, something was pushed in front of his face. It was a handkerchief that Anya carried with her. It wasn’t for an elegant purpose; it was used to conceal bullets or hide evidence.
“Stop the bleeding.”
Only then did Valery realize why Anya had given him the handkerchief, and he exhaled sharply.
“Thank you.”
He took the white handkerchief that was wrapped around her delicate hand. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should stain her belonging with his filthy blood, but there was no time to second-guess.
The fact that Anya had shown care for him was enough. He was willing to reopen his already bleeding wound just to keep the handkerchief a little longer.
He pressed the handkerchief firmly against the wound, where the dried blood had started to harden. Anya glanced at him briefly before turning her head toward the car window.
“You don’t need to return it, so make sure you stop the bleeding properly.”
She spoke indifferently, but Valery could see her sigh softly. He spoke up.
“Are we going to the department store?”
Anya sighed quietly.
“I’ll head back now. The department store is about to close.”
“We need to deal with the FSB executive, don’t we? Shouldn’t we buy new clothes?”
Anya answered, recalling what she had said to Denis earlier.
“No. I think my hair smells like cigar smoke. I’ll go home.”
At those words, Valery gestured toward the driver’s seat. It was a signal to head home. The car slowly began to move, and as it did, Anya’s black hair swayed. The faint scent of cigar smoke lingered in the air.
The disgusting, rancid smell of Denis’s cigar.
“Looks like I’ll be taking a longer shower tonight.”
Muttering to herself, Anya’s gaze drifted toward the car window. As she watched the distant mansion fade away, she silently prayed to God. She hoped Denis wouldn’t summon her to that place again anytime soon.
The black car carrying Anya quickly sped away from Denis’s mansion. From a distance, someone was watching.
A man, holding a sniper rifle, raised his head from the scope and removed the mask covering his face. He pressed the in-ear device tightly to his ear.
“The target is leaving Denis’s mansion and on the move.”
A faint voice responded through the in-ear device.
– Return, Alexei.
Alexei nodded in response to Ivan’s words, then turned his gaze back to the spot where the car had just vanished.
“It would be easier to just kill him now.”
Despite being one of Ivan’s followers, Alexei found Ivan’s twisted sense of amusement truly chilling.
The way Ivan would toy with his prey before brutally killing them.
