Page 117 of His Forced Bride

"You have thirty seconds to leave my property," I tell Viktoria, voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

"If you're still here when that time expires, my guards will remove you in whatever manner they see fit."

"You can't threaten me?—"

"Twenty-five seconds."

Viktoria looks to Inessa for support, but my wife has gone silent, gray-green eyes wide with something between fear and fascination.

She's seeing me as I truly am—not the controlled businessman who negotiates contracts, but the predator who built an empire by shedding blood and raining terror.

"This isn't over," Viktoria says, gathering her purse with wounded dignity.

"Inessa knows where to find me when she's ready to come home."

"Twenty seconds."

She moves toward the door quickly, trying to maintain her composure.

But I see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands shake slightly as she grips her purse.

She feels the danger radiating from me and understands that her time is running out.

The front door closes behind her and through the window, I watch her climb into a black sedan and drive away from the compound.

Only then do I turn my attention to Inessa.

She hasn't moved from the sofa, but her breathing has quickened.

She knows what's coming.

"Upstairs. Bedroom. Now."

"Yuri, let me explain?—"

"Move."

The single word carries enough warning to propel her into action.

She rises on unsteady legs and walks toward the staircase.

I follow close behind, and I'm trying hard to keep my temper in check.

Whatever just happened, I know Inessa only wanted to reach out to heal a fractured relationship.

She has no idea the danger Viktoria poses.

At the bedroom door, I push it open and wait for her to enter.

When she's inside, I close the door and turn the lock before facing her shaking form.

"How long have you been in contact with her?"

Inessa wraps her arms around herself, a defensive gesture that does nothing to quell my fury.

"This morning. I called her this morning."

"Using whose phone?"