Page 57 of The Mafia and His Obsession Part 2 (Tainted Hearts 5)

In a life like this…love didn’t belong.

Yet, amidst the chaos we caused, our demons had found Angels.

Ayla patted my back before pulling away. She palmed her pregnant belly, smiling. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I’ll bring her home soon,” I vowed.

“Good.”

She stood up, and I followed. “Are you leaving?”

“Yes. Soon. I have to go back,” I replied.

Ayla palmed my cheek and gave me a tender smile, almost motherly. “You’ve never disappointed me, Viktor. Whatever you do now, whatever your choice will be now…do what your heart feels is right.”

I nodded once before taking a step back. Ayla bent forward and she opened her arms for Princess. Maila instantly fell into her mother’s arms, and she giggled loudly when Ayla swung her up.

I started to leave the room, but Ayla’s voice stopped me.

“What’s her name?”

I paused at the doorstep. “Valerie.”

“Solonik?” she asked.

I felt my eyes narrow at the filthy name. Hatred spilled through my veins with a fury to match. “Not for too long,” I announced.

I couldn’t see her face, but I knew she was smiling behind my back. Ayla didn’t say anything else. She continued to play with Maila, my presence no longer of importance to her.

I walked away with a smile, my heart feeling lighter and my chest no longer hurting.

***

When it was time for me to leave the estate, Alessio was outside beside the waiting car. I approached him with cautiousness. I was almost scared he was going to shoot my ass again.

“How pissed are you?” I asked, stopping in front of him.

He stared at me coldly. “I’ll survive.”

“And Lyov?”

“He is alive too.”

I heard myself chuckling at his words before I quickly replaced it with a fake cough. Alessio pierced me with a deadly glare, and I pushed the laughter back.

The feud I created between father and son wasn’t meant to last long. Yes, I wanted a reaction. A fight. My revenge. Like Isaak said, Lyov wasn’t exactly the bad guy.

I knew they would push their differences away soon enough. If not, Ayla would have some fun pushing both of them into the doghouse together. For all we knew, she would lock them there for a whole night.

I wouldn’t be surprised.

She was as savage as she was sweet.

He came closer, crowding my space. Alessio brought his hand up, and I almost flinched away, expecting him to punch me, but instead, he placed a hand on my shoulder. He squeezed, hard enough to almost make me wince, but I only returned his deadly stare.

“This is your last chance, Viktor. You are going back to Solonik and you won’t have this chance again. You’ve won his trust, exactly like we wanted. I don’t care what you have to do…I want you to ruin him. In every way possible. I wanted to do the honors, but this time, I’ll let you do it.”

“I know,” I drawled dryly.

Solonik’s death belonged to me.

For every pain he inflicted on my Valerie, he would bear it ten times worse.

I’d burn him until his flesh would melt away. The rancid smell of burning flesh would probably make me gag, but I’d watch it all. His screams would be my favorite music.

I was going to make sure he would suffer.

After all…the game had just begun.

I would honor my family in the only way I knew how.

We said our goodbyes, and I left the Ivanshov estate behind. I watched as Alessio faded away from the rearview mirror. Closing my eyes, I leaned against the backseat.

It was frustrating. Going back and forth. Being Viktor one day, and then Konstantin the next.

The only consolation I had was… all of this would end soon.

I just had to play all the cards right and it would all end the way Alessio—I wanted.

The moment Solonik was dead, my job in Russia was done.

Everything else wouldn’t be my business any longer. I’d be back here, in New York, with my family.

Only this time, I wouldn’t be coming back alone.

It was the only thing I could think about. All the way back to Moscow, it was the only thing on my mind.

Kill Solonik. Turn his Empire to ashes and dirt.

Ruin everything that belonged to him.

And steal my sweet myshka away.

But I still had to wait. Rein all my anger in, until it was time to unleash it.

When the car came to a stop, I got out and faced the Solonik estate.

I’d wait like a patient wolf, for the right time. Because in the end, everything would taste sweeter and less bitter.

The wait would be worth it.

I walked inside, each step speaking loudly. I owned this game. I owned this place.

The people bowed in my presence. Soon, I’d be the King.

I was the heir now…but soon, I’d be the most powerful man in Russia.

The people who bowed to me knew that. They knew they had to win my favor. They knew I could ruin them all with only a snap of my fingers.