As Alia's boots clicked rhythmically down the prison corridor, Viktor remained standing in absolute silence within his cell. Her final threat that his "friends" would silence him forever tonight only carved a demonic, contemptuous smirk onto his lips.
Slowly, he turned away from the window and moved to the center of the cell. He was no longer wearing that cheap prison uniform; whether by the magic of his influence or some clandestine deal, he had reclaimed his iconic appearance.
Viktor took a deep breath, leaving the top few buttons of his black shirt open. The collar sat disheveled at his throat, and his signature red tie hung loosely on both sides of his neck, completely unknotted. The two ends of the tie draped over his chest, accentuating his wild and reckless aura of nobility.
He stood before a large mirror, calmly adjusting the ends of the tie without ever pulling them into a knot. The blue fire in his eyes burned with even greater intensity now. He knew the assassins would come tonight and he was the one waiting for them.
Viktor: (Whispering to his own reflection) "Alia... you thought iron bars could hold me? This red tie will become someone's noose tonight. And this prison? It was merely my place of rest."
He rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. His taut muscles signaled that the predator was now fully awake and ready. Outside, the wail of the prison sirens began to rise signaling the start of a bloody night.It was a silent Siberian night. Outside, a bone-chilling blizzard raged, but inside Viktor's vast fortress, a magical and mysterious stillness reigned. Alia was now alone in her bedroom, draped in a thin black nightdress that cast her silhouette in a hauntingly ethereal light.
As she paced slowly across the plush, carpeted floors of the palace, the golden anklets (nupur) on her feet let out a delicate, rhythmic chime. Every soft ring seemed to echo against the cold walls of the silent mansion. There was no sleep in Alia's eyes; her mind was haunted by Viktor's final threat and the story of that other girl Zhekha had mentioned.
In a corner of the room stood a maidservant, head bowed, silent and ready to fulfill Alia's every command. Alia walked to the window, staring out into the endless Siberian darkness.
Alia: (Whispering to herself) "The assassins were supposed to reach Viktor's cell tonight. Is everything going according to my plan? Or is my fate swaying to an uncertain rhythm, much like the sound of these anklets?"
The maid stepped forward to drape a woolen shawl over Alia's shoulders, but Alia raised a hand to stop her. The heat of vengeance was coursing through her veins; the Siberian cold could not touch her.
Suddenly, the howl of a wolf drifted in from the distance. Alia looked down at the golden anklets on her feet. She knew that while she might be the queen of this palace now, if Viktor survived the hell of this night, these very walls could become her grave. The silence was shattered as a maidservant burst into the room, gasping for breath and visibly terrified. "Mem... Memsahib! Disaster has struck!" she cried out. Alia turned, her golden anklets let out a sharp, sudden ring. The maid revealed the horrific news from the prison: Viktor didn't just survive the assassins he slaughtered them before they could even enter his cell. Even worse, Viktor has escaped and is already on his way back to the fortress. Alia remained unnervingly still, realization dawning on her that Zhekha was right Viktor is a force of nature. Outside, the palace guards have gone silent, suggesting that the "King" is already at the gates.Alia remained unfazed by the news of Viktor's escape. With a cold, mocking smile, she ordered the maid to put the entire fortress on Red Alert. She commanded that every corner and window be guarded by laser sensors and snipers. "Give it the tightest security possible," she declared, "not even a single fly should be able to enter without my permission." Alia, now fully embracing her role as a CIA leader, secretly armed herself with a silver pistol, her golden anklets chiming in anticipation of the confrontation. She was ready to turn the palace into a fortress that even a "Mafia Lord" couldn't breach. As Alia stepped toward the door, a heavy, familiar voice drifted out from the pitch-black corner of the room. The moment she heard it, her entire body froze like stone. The golden anklets on her feet let out a sharp, sudden jingle before falling deathly silent.
The Voice: "Ah... Alia! What's the rush? Where exactly are you going?"
Alia slowly turned her head. Emerging from the shadows with measured steps was that towering figure. Viktor! His black shirt had the top buttons undone, and that blood-red tie draped loosely over his shoulders. His eyes held that same demonic nobility looking not like a fugitive who had just escaped prison, but like a king returning to his throne.
Alia frantically reached for the silver pistol hidden beneath her dress, but Viktor's agility was like that of a leopard. In a flash, he was inches away from her, gripping her hand with a crushing force.
Viktor: (In a low whisper, leaning close to her ear) "Your snipers outside are standing like statues of ice, Alia. And your security? They move at my command. Did you truly believe the walls of this Frost Fortress could keep me away from you?"
Alia's breath hitched. Her thin black nightdress and the golden anklets on her feet now felt like ornaments of a prison she had built for herself. Viktor used his free hand to brush away the strands of hair clinging to her neck.
Viktor: "I told you, didn't I? I told you I would return. Tonight, no CIA and no Zhekha can save you. Tonight, the game is played only between you and me."
Alia hissed through gritted teeth, "Viktor, you've invited your own death by coming here. My commandos will be here in a minute!"
Viktor simply laughed the laugh of a victorious predator. He slowly began to toy with that red tie with his fingers, as if reminding her that tonight, this very tie was destined to become someone's noose. In a sudden surge of strength, Alia wrenched her hand free and pulled out her silver pistol from beneath her black nightdress. With a metallic click, she pressed the barrel directly against Viktor's forehead. Her golden anklets jingled sharply with her fury. "Don't move an inch, Viktor!" she roared. Viktor, unfazed, leaned his forehead further into the gun's muzzle, mocking her newfound courage. As footsteps approached from outside, Viktor threw a final psychological bait claiming that if she pulled the trigger, she would never learn the truth about the "other girl" Zhekha mentionedViktor's lips curled into a demonic, triumphant smirk. The barrel of the gun pressed against his forehead didn't budge an inch, but Alia's pupils dilated in pure shock. The magical silence of the room shattered into a million jagged pieces.
Viktor: (In an incredibly low, grave voice) "You know it, and Zhekha knows it. But what you don't know, Alia, is why she is in Bangladesh. Your precious little sister, Sofia Loren... did she go there of her own free will, or was she sent there as a pawn on a chessboard?"
Alia's breathing grew heavy. Her golden anklets jingled in an erratic, frantic rhythm. Through her thin black nightdress, the rapid pounding of her heart was visibly evident.
Alia: (Through gritted teeth) "I know she is safe in Bangladesh. No one can touch her under the watch of my people. Do you think you can subdue me with these old fears?"
Viktor took a step forward, the muzzle of the gun now digging into the skin of his forehead. He reached up with one hand and loosely tugged at his red tie, adjusting it with chilling nonchalance.
Viktor: "Safe? Alia, have you forgotten the story of those three hours? The girl who lay there like a broken doll in the VIP room the one Zhekha didn't have the courage to mention... do you know how hauntingly similar she looked to Sofia?"
Alia's hand began to tremble slightly. The murderous intent in her eyes was being replaced by an unknown, gnawing dread.
Viktor: "Sofia is currently in an isolated house in Noakhali Otherwise, it is in Sylhet. . Your commandos think they are guarding her, but they are actually working for me. With a single flick of my finger, Sofia Loren will leave this world before the sun even rises in Bangladesh."
Outside, the blizzard intensified. Alia realized that Viktor hadn't come to this palace alone; he had arrived with a massive, lethal blueprint.
Alia: "You... you will not play these filthy games with my sister, Viktor! I will pull the trigger right now!"
Viktor: "Then pull it. But remember, the moment I die, Sofia's death warrant becomes active. Now tell me, Alia... will you take your revenge, or will you save your sister?"