Page 4

Valeria

D orian sent us one by one to meet Zyon and Malin in Mr. Rivers' old office. Natalia spent ten minutes inside and walked out weeping like a child, trembling. It didn't look like they touched her, but the talk with them was surely traumatizing.

I stood up from my place and came to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dorian lifting an eyebrow at me, but he didn't stop me. I crouched in front of her, gently taking her hands into mine.

"It's going to be over soon," I whispered, trying to sound reassuring. However, my voice trembled. It was almost my turn to enter the office and speak with the lunatics.

"Valeria."

I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Malin's voice was ringing in my ears like some sinister bell announcing my last day on earth.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, squeezing Natalia′s hand for the last time before I turned to him. He was standing on the threshold with a baseball bat, looking expectantly at me.

His brown eyes had that insane glint, which I had seen for a split second before, but now, it was permanently settled there. The crazy vibes emitting from every cell of his body were eating away my courage to stand up to him. And I wasn't alone. Everyone in the lounge was petrified .

"What can I do for you, Mr. Zhumagulov?" I asked politely, mentally celebrating that my voice didn't tremble.

The question was useless. I knew what he wanted from me, but I felt the need to show him I would not crumble like my colleagues.

I would not beg him to leave me alone or let Dorian drag me inside against my will as he did with Linda.

I planned to go there, tell him and his brother I didn't know anything, and I would leave without being harmed. They had no reason to hurt me.

"Join us for a little chat, please," he replied sweetly and stepped to the side so I could walk in.

With one last glance at Alice, who was staring at me with wide eyes, I entered the space, inhaling the familiar scent of vanilla. Mr. Rivers' wife often brought him candles, which he always lit because he smelled mold everywhere.

Normally, I would not consider this office small, but the place felt cramped with two massive men inside. Their arrogance and hostility sucked the air out of the room, and I almost asked them to open the window so I could take oxygen into my lungs.

"Mrs. Valeria Kellerman," Zyon spoke in a low, chilling voice, eyeing me up and down.

He was standing behind the desk. With his long fingers, he took the file from the pile in front of him and opened it. My eyes widened when I saw my husband and daughter's photo.

"Quite a file we have here," he continued, turning the papers. "Sit down, please." He pointed to the brown armchair, and I obediently followed his order. "Chester Kellerman is your husband?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded, nervously playing with my fingers in my lap. His probing glance was making me even more anxious. The pressure on my chest grew, and my previous plan of answering their questions and leaving in peace suddenly looked unachievable.

"Interesting," he mumbled more to himself than for me to hear, taking the image of Zara. My heart skipped a beat, and a drop of sweat traveled down my back, but he didn't say anything about her. He only looked at the photo and put it away.

"Do you know where Adam Rivers is?" Malin asked from behind me, making me wince. I was so lost in fear of Zyon knowing about my family that I completely forgot he was there, too .

"No," I stated firmly, shaking my head. But they didn't look convinced.

Zyon narrowed his eyes at me and sat in the office chair.

Malin plopped beside me in the armchair, casually crossing his long legs as if we were attending a lovely tea party.

However, the sad reality was that they were scaring me to death with their intimidating presence and attacking questions.

"That's weird," Malin uttered, checking his perfectly manicured nails, and I gulped. His calmness was the scariest thing I ever witnessed. My mind had difficulty understanding how someone could be so frightening just from looking at his fingers. "Your husband played poker with him last night."

Dread washed over me like a wave, taking away the remnants of my courage. My hands trembled, and my chin quivered, but I refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"I don't know where my husband spent last night," I admitted, feeling embarrassed and anger starting to bubble in my stomach.

Chester lost our money again. He may have dragged his family into something shady.

If something happened to our baby girl because of his lack of responsibility, I would do unspeakable things to him.

"That's a shame," Zyon said, leaning closer over the desk. His dark eyes were bored into mine, holding me captive in his scorching gaze. "If I were him, I wouldn't leave such a beauty alone at night."

My eyes widened in shock, and my breath stuck in my throat.

My already-deprived lungs begged for some air, but I couldn't take it.

The thundering of my poor heart was deafening to my ears, and I was sweating profusely but couldn't look away from his absurdly gorgeous face.

He stared at me like a lion ready to feast, and I was the main course.

"You should be flattered, Valeria," Malin uttered, casting me a sideways glance. "It's been a long time since he showed interest in a woman."

"I'm m-married," I stammered, looking everywhere but them. Despite being frightened, my body reacted in a highly inappropriate way to Zyon's words.

"That's an obstacle that can be solved with one bullet." Malin shrugged nonchalantly when I glanced at him in horror. Panic quickly spread into every cell of my poor, shaking body, but I knew I couldn't do much if he decided to shoot my husband .

"Don't scare her, brother," Zyon whispered in that deadly, commanding voice that made the tiny hairs on my body stand up. "She cares about that bastard."

I momentarily looked into his sinister eyes, noticing a pinch of sadness. But it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and I wasn't entirely sure if I saw it at all.

"Yeah, women often care for men who don't give a shit about them," Malin agreed, standing up. "You should find yourself a better partner."

I cringed when he shut the door, and silence settled in the room. I straightened my spine, mustering all my strength to get out of this conversation. The courage left me a few minutes ago, but I knew I had to give Zyon at least something to save myself and my colleagues.

"Adam's wife, Gisele, inherited a property in Texas," I said quietly, gulping down my fear and anxiety. Guilt in my chest was gnawing my heart, but I pushed it away. I had a family to protect. If Adam did something stupid, it was his fight. None of us should pay for his crimes.

"Okay?" Zyon raised an eyebrow at me, leaning back into his chair. He stared at my dry lips, and with a heavy sigh, I continued.

"She said that because of a mortgage and some Adam's debts, she transferred it to some shell company.

That's all I know." I gazed at the blank paper on the table, bitter tears burning in my eyes.

I knew I had just condemned the Rivers family to a slow, torturous death, but I refused to admit I did something wrong.

It was their mess. They should bear the consequences.

"I'm very grateful for your cooperation, Valeria," Zyon stated, wearing a stoic mask. That emotionless facade made my insides quiver, yet it was still better than the diabolical smile I had seen before.

Slowly, he stood up and motioned for me to follow him outside. He opened the door for me, watching my every move like a surveillance camera. It felt bizarre to be looked at like a rare bug under the microscope.

I walked into the VIP lounge guarded by Dorian, whose brows shot up when he noticed his brother with me. Malin sat in the corner, drinking juice, not caring about what was happening around him .

A few of my colleagues lifted their heads and glanced at me. I tried to smile reassuringly, but it probably looked like a creepy grimace. I wanted this madness to end and to go home, and surely, they felt the same. This was a nightmare, and we all wanted to wake up from it.

"Thanks to Valeria," Zyon said, waking me up from my reverie, “I finally have a lead on your former boss's whereabouts."

He shot me a charming smile, and my heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

But not from fear. He didn't look scary or crazy.

For a moment, his expression was absolutely irresistible.

Dimples formed on his cheeks, and his dark eyes glowed with excitement.

I could have fallen for this guy in a millisecond if he wasn't insane.

However, the looks I got from Travis and Linda told me they disagreed with my approach. Linda was Adam's mistress, and Travis was his nephew. His sister worked as a waitress, and they all probably knew where Adam was but chose to keep their mouths shut.

Still, I wasn't part of their crew. I’d only be in more trouble if I withheld information, and I wasn't in a position to make an effort to lie to some lunatic. I had a daughter at home. She was more important than my workplace relationships.

"All except Travis, Linda, and Esther can leave," Dorian announced, pointing a gun at the exit door. "I'm sure you won't tell anyone about this little adventure." He playfully winked at the gathered crowd, and I would've rolled my eyes if I wasn't so shaken by this.

"And one more thing," Zyon stopped us with his deep, falsely sweet voice. I dreaded to hear what he had to say. "This place is closed, and starting tomorrow, you’re all unemployed. You can thank your former boss for this development."

My heart sank, and I felt dizzy. Not only had my husband screwed me and our daughter, but in a moment, I lost my job and the paycheck that came with it. Without an income, we would be homeless and hungry, and child protective services would take away my girl. I couldn't let that happen.

I opened my mouth to protest against Zyon's words because he at least should have given us some compensation, but a hand on my forearm stopped me.

"Don't do it," Alice whispered, pushing me out of the lounge. "He won't change his decision. You will only get on his radar. "

"I'm broke," I breathed, stumbling over my feet to escape the casino. My head felt dizzy, and my vision was blurry from the tears which threatened to fall. "I can't stay without a salary. Chester ruined everything."

"We'll get through this," she reassured me, frowning at her reflection in the car window. Her perfect makeup was smeared all over her round cheeks. "I'll help you."

"Oh, God," I sighed, the heaviness of my situation crushing me. Before the shift, I thought about having a birthday party for my girl without having to ask someone for help; now, I had to think about next month's mortgage payment and where I could find a new job.

Zyon, his brothers, and my idiotic husband's decisions had destroyed my calm, everyday life. What the hell should I do now?