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Zyon

I watched Valeria from a safe distance throughout her day with Chester and her daughter. I couldn't make myself leave her. My gut was telling me that something was in the air, something was wrong. Whether it was my paranoia or obsession with her, it didn't change the fact that I was right.

First, George showed up beside Valeria out of nowhere, and she clearly didn't look happy at his sudden appearance.

And second, Chester had a brief, intense meeting with Giovanni Valentino in the middle of the fun fair.

Mr. Kellerman had to have messed things up colossally if he had experienced such a visit during his family day.

The curiosity was eating me alive. I fought with myself to keep away from them while they talked.

They couldn't see me around, or they would've instantly known I had suspicions about their activities.

No one would be able to explain to them I was there by accident, watching the woman of my dreams playing at being a fucking family with a man I fantasized about challenging to a deadly kickbox match.

I dreamed about smashing his head with my bare hands, breaking every bone in his fragile body for touching her. Valeria was the reason for an unceasing tide of murderous thoughts and ideas that I craved to practice on her husband.

I knew that day was close. I just had to be patient and play my part in the perfect plan I created to restore my reputation.

It was crucial to execute every single thing with surgical precision.

My enemies didn't know I had discovered their scams, and I was about to use this advantage to the maximum.

However, ignoring Valeria's dismay and shock after the conversation with George was hard. My fingers tickled with the need to message her and ask what they talked about, but I quickly decided on a different approach. Once, I had tolerated his inappropriate behavior. It wouldn't happen again.

I called Malin and Dorian with the promise of fun, and they immediately agreed.

George crossed the line by harassing her.

Even when I didn't know the topic of their dialogue, it was evident she didn't enjoy it.

No one would disturb my girl. I was past the line of acting tolerant.

My enemies woke up the beast, and everyone would bear the consequences.

"What a nice afternoon, don't you think, George?

" I pointed out loudly when he walked past me, chewing a hot dog.

His little eyes widened in shock, but he swiftly masked it with a friendly expression.

He threw the unfinished food into a trash bin and wiped his hands, observing me as I approached him leisurely.

"Are you watching your stunning redhead?" George winked at me, not realizing he just signed his death sentence.

I worked hard to keep whatever was happening between Valeria and me hidden.

I wouldn't risk his big mouth destroying everything.

It was too soon for the world to discover us.

Not to mention, I dreaded the moment she would find out I was the man under the skull mask.

In every scenario I imagined, she was pissed like hell.

In most of them, she left me. The thought kept me up all night when I wasn't with her. It was my biggest fear.

"I'm watching Chester Kellerman with Giovanni Valentino plotting against me," I replied casually, watching as George's face paled. The realization kicked me unexpectedly hard. It wasn't a coincidence he was around, too.

Shit!

"What about you, George?" I asked, my eyes narrowing at the edges. "What are you doing at the same place as my enemies?"

"Your enemies?" he echoed, chuckling nervously. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day, and we were surrounded by people. He surely thought I wouldn't attack him between stalls with chocolate and coffee .

"Acting stupid doesn't suit you," I said, glancing behind him at Malin's tall figure. He disappeared behind the wall of a tent, and he would appear somewhere close at the right time. "We both know about problems with contractors, invoices, and Mrs. Santangelo's brutal murder."

"Amelia's death was a tragedy," George said mournfully, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Poor Matilda witnessed everything those beasts did to her mother.

But why do you think that event is tied to you?

Michelle Santangelo made a mistake, and his wife paid the price. It has nothing to do with you, Zyon."

I would've believed him if I hadn't known about the link between Kellerman and Valentino and the accidents of other people involved in my business.

George was my father's friend. He worked for my family for decades.

But because I discovered the scheme to bring my downfall, his chances of seeing another sunrise were zero.

He upset my girl and probably plotted to destroy me.

His final moments and inevitable death would serve as a memo to my enemies.

"What mistake did Michelle do?" I asked, stopping before George so other people couldn’t hear our conversation. "He simply didn't agree to steal from me. Did his wife deserve to be fucked and beaten to death?"

George's tiny eyes widened in shock and realization. He stepped back from me, but his back collided with Malin's front. He was trapped between us.

"Answer the question, George," I said sweetly, watching him as he struggled to realize he couldn't escape me. "Did Amelia deserve her fate?" I tilted my head when he stepped to the side, looking for an escape route. "Do you deserve the same fate as her?"

Watching him desperately thinking about how to get out of there was funny. His only chance was to yell at someone to help him, but then, Malin would pacify him.

The plan for these situations was always the same.

The black van driven by Dorian stood at the front entrance, and my men would escort the person to it.

If the person of interest didn't cooperate, it was either by physical force causing injuries or a taser that persuaded them.

No one dared to cause a scene in the middle of the street because they had families that we could visit.

They knew they were done but chose to go willingly in order to protect their loved ones .

Only one person decided not to follow my orders and tried to escape.

He ended up as a reminder to never force Malin to run after someone.

It happened fifteen years ago, yet I still felt chills at the back of my neck when I remembered seeing the news the following morning with a dead, mutilated body hanging from the tower of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

"What’s going on, George?" Malin inquired in a low, hushed voice that reminded me of a deadly whisper from a horror movie. George turned to him, frightened. "You always have something to say. Is everything okay?"

George gulped, licking his thin lips. The drops of sweat traveled down his temple, and his meaty hands shook. We hadn’t done anything yet, and he was already shit scared. Well, he should've known better than to go against us.

"We should go somewhere private to discuss your involvement with Kellerman and Valentino," I suggested, and George whipped his head toward me.

Malin's brows furrowed because he didn't have the same information as me.

It was only an observation, but I was sure I was right, and George's behavior only confirmed it. He looked like a trapped mouse.

"This is a misunderstanding, Zyon," he objected in a trembling voice, grabbing my forearm. "I have nothing to do with them."

"Let us decide about that," Malin uttered, grabbing his shoulder. George instantly let go of my arm, casting me a pleading look. He knew it was pointless to negotiate with my brother. He could never succeed. With me, he at least had a chance of being listened to.

"C'mon, George." I nodded toward the main gate. "We just want answers, that's all."

We all knew I lied. Once we made the trouble to take him off the street, it was barely impossible to escape our claws. I wanted to shut him up because of Valeria's safety, but he might have had helpful information. We had to interrogate him first.

"You're making a terrible mistake, Zyon," George warned, slowly walking toward the entrance with Malin holding his arm. "I'm on your side."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," I replied, looking over my shoulder at Valeria. She mindlessly stirred her concoction, staring at the roller coaster. I hated the idea of leaving her, but I had to take care of this .

George didn't put up a fight and got into the van without saying another word. Jamal waited until he climbed into the back and joined Dorian in front. Malin sat beside our prisoner, and I slowly walked to my car.

My mind swirled with thoughts about Kellerman and Valentino's meeting behind the fence, yet I couldn't do anything reasonable about it right now. My priority was to get information from George. If my assumption was correct and he worked with them, he could provide an insight into their plans.

When I got to our secret facility, the van was already empty, and two of my men guarded the entrance.

I hadn't been here for almost four years after I promised my mother to clean the family company and play by the established social rules.

She hoped I would become a successful businessman without the ties to the mafia.

It was hard but not impossible. Most of my firms were clean. Authorities still tried to find some evidence against me to put me behind bars. However, they couldn't find something that didn't exist.

I stopped Malin and his extracurricular activities. Dorian had a real job as a successful surgeon in his own clinic. We played outstanding citizens. Yet here I was, facing a massive problem because people considered us harmless.

Ordinary people still dreaded meeting us, but the ones who feared us before dared attack us. They mistook my lack of interest in the criminal underworld for weakness. It was outrageous how quickly they forgot who the Zhumagulovs brothers were.

But I was ready to remind them of the fear we were capable of spreading. There wasn't a hole deep enough to hide the people who decided to go against me. I was prepared to regain my ruthless mob boss position and restore the previous order.

It required hard work and cleansing from rats that thought they could push me into the corner. Still, they had no idea what kind of show I prepared for them. With Malin off the leash and Dorian's help, they would crawl before us to spare their pitiful lives.

"What is the plan, boss?" Dorian disturbed the flow of my thoughts, grinning like a lunatic. He played with a thick iron chain, which hit the floor loudly every five seconds.

"George might have information about Kellerman and Valentino," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "We need to make him talk. "

George was tied to the chair on the other side of a spacious square room.

On the sides were cages for our prisoners, and in the middle were ancient torturing equipment with a metal table and restraining system.

Another set of chains hung from the ceiling, along with ropes and cuffs.

People in the cages had to watch as someone was tortured right before them.

It was a psychological trick to force them to talk without effort. Mostly they shit their pants just from looking at the suffering, screaming person before them. Witnessing someone die was hard to digest, mainly when they knew they were next.

"Do you think he's involved with Valentino?" Dorian questioned, glancing at Malin, who had picked some instruments from a metal rack.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, lifting a brow at Malin and his choice of toys. His eagerness for some fun filled the room, making Dorian's eyes shine with excitement.

"Let's try to get something useful from him," I suggested, taking iron pliers from Malin. "He won't leave this place alive anyway."

"What is his biggest sin?" Malin asked, standing before me as a priest, ready to give absolution.

But it was just a mask, and he really was a devil in disguise.

His dark eyes showed no empathy or remorse for what we were about to do.

On the contrary, his lips twitched into a tiny, almost invisible smile, which was the only indicator of his true feelings about this situation.

"He disturbed my girl," I replied flatly, clenching my fist. "No one upsets Valeria twice in a row and lives to do it again. I made the mistake of tolerating it once. It won't happen again."

"It's so romantic," Dorian chirped, wiggling his brows playfully, and I snickered.

"Yeah, I should deliver it with a bouquet of black dahlias," I uttered, nodding toward George, who tugged on his restraints.

"Maybe that's exactly what I'll do," I whispered more to myself than for them to hear.

It would hit two flies with one slam. Valeria would know her stalker would protect her from anyone, and Chester would finally realize that his ass was in grave danger.

What a fantastic idea!