Alia's hand was trembling violently. Viktor's unshakable confidence and the lethal threat to Sofia Loren's life had mentally paralyzed her. Although her finger remained steady on the trigger, the fighter within her was beginning to surrender.
This was the exact moment of weakness Viktor had been waiting for.
With a lightning-fast strike, Viktor clamped his left hand around Alia's wrist and wrenched the pistol away. Alia's thin black nightdress crumpled under the force of his grip, and the golden anklets on her feet let out a frantic, mournful chime. Viktor slammed her against the wall, the silver pistol now firmly in his possession.
Viktor: (With a twisted smirk) "You shouldn't try to scare adults with toys, Alia. Didn't I tell you this fortress would be your grave tonight?"
As Alia struggled to break free, the phone in her pocket began to ring incessantly. The name Zhekha flashed on the screen. Holding Alia pinned with one hand, Viktor answered the call and switched it to speakerphone.
Zhekha's voice drifted through the line, but the familiar, confident Zhekha was gone. His voice was cracked, heavy with the weight of absolute defeat.
Zhekha: (In a shattered voice) "Alia... forgive me. I am sorry..."
Alia's heart skipped a beat. She screamed into the phone, "Zhekha! What happened? Where is Sofia?"
Zhekha: "Viktor's network was deeper than we ever imagined. The commando team guarding Sofia in Bangladesh... they haven't responded for an hour. I just confirmed they were all on Viktor's payroll. Sofia is no longer in my hands. I... I couldn't save you."
The line went dead. Alia stood frozen, the world turning dark before her eyes. Viktor tossed the phone away and loosely draped his red tie around her neck.
Viktor: "Did you hear that? Even your 'hero' Zhekha has surrendered. Now tell me, Alia, by whose mercy will you survive in this Frost Fortress? Mine? Or the memory of your dead sister?"
Alia broke into a sob. Her golden anklets were silent now, as if they realized their mistress was trapped in a web of darkness. Viktor scooped Alia up in his arms and began walking toward the bed.As Viktor was carrying Alia in his arms toward the bed, her silence suddenly erupted like a volcano. The golden anklets on her feet jingled with a fierce, clashing sound, as if sounding the final drums of war.
With every ounce of her strength, Alia shoved against Viktor's hard chest, struggling to break free. Her thin black nightdress had become disheveled in the scuffle, but the diamond-like spark in her eyes had returned with a vengeance.
Alia: (Screaming with intense hatred) "Get away! I said get away, Viktor! Don't you dare lay a finger on me!"
Viktor froze. This sudden rebellion caught him off guard. He set her down, yet his grip on her wrist remained as unyielding as a steel vice. The red tie around his neck now hung loosely, swaying with his movements.
Viktor: (In a low voice, with a mocking smirk) "Still so much fire? Your boss has surrendered, your sister is in my clutches... and you're still ordering me to stay back?"
With a violent jerk, Alia wrenched her hand free and scrambled two steps back. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths.
Alia: "Zhekha lost because he was weak. But before I am a CIA agent, I am a woman, Viktor. You want to kill my sister? Go ahead! But know this before Sofia's blood even hits the ground, I will burn this entire palace to ashes with you inside it. I am ready to die, but I will never be your puppet again!"
From within the folds of her nightdress, Alia pulled out a small black remote that had escaped Viktor's notice.
Alia: "Do you see this remote? It's a silent signal. If I don't press this within five seconds, the C4 explosives rigged beneath this room will detonate. Are you ready to go to hell with me, Viktor?"
The contemptuous smirk on Viktor's face finally flickered and faded. He realized then that Alia wasn't just making empty threats she was truly prepared to be a martyr. Viktor's demonic laughter seemed to make the very walls of the bedroom tremble. There was no fear in that sound, only absolute contempt. Alia stood frozen, the remote in her hand now feeling like nothing more than a useless piece of plastic. Seeing Viktor's supreme confidence, a chill ran through her soul she realized he had anticipated her final move. The explosives, the plan everything had likely been neutralized under Viktor's orders long ago.
Alia: (In a trembling voice) "Why... why are you laughing? Five seconds have passed, Viktor! Why isn't anything happening?"
Viktor stepped forward, still chuckling. The open collar of his black shirt and his dangling red tie swayed like the banners of a victor.
Viktor: "Five seconds? Even if five hours pass, nothing will happen, Alia. Do you really think an ant could carry gunpowder through my palace without my permission? That remote is nothing but a toy now."
Alia realized she had lost. Her house of cards had collapsed in an instant. Consumed by humilation and hatred, she couldn't bear to stand before this monster for another second. She tried to bolt toward the door, her golden anklets ringing in a chaotic, frantic jingle.
But she hadn't even taken two steps before Viktor's predatory speed paralyzed her. He lunged downward, grabbing Alia by her legs with a violent jerk. Unable to keep her balance, Alia crashed onto the carpet.
Alia: (Screaming in agony) "Let go! Let me go, Viktor! Just kill me, but don't keep me trapped like this!"
Viktor gripped her legs firmly and dragged her back toward him. The sound of her body sliding across the carpet mixed with the mournful chiming of her anklets to create a scene of pure horror. Viktor leaned over her, his blue eyes burning like volcanic lava.
Viktor: "I blocked all paths of escape a long time ago, Alia. I won't let you die. Death is far too easy an escape. I will keep you imprisoned in this Frost Fortress, where with every breath you take, you will whisper my name."
Alia's thin black nightdress was now covered in dust. She clawed helplessly at the floor, but Viktor's iron-like grip wouldn't let her move an inch. Viktor's sinister calm transformed into a display of absolute madness. Looking down at the helpless Alia on the floor, he pulled a pitch-black leather choker from his pocket. Its silver metallic engravings glittered under the light of the diamond chandelier.
With a sudden jerk, Viktor hauled Alia against his chest. In the struggle, her thin black nightdress became even more disheveled, and the golden anklets on her feet trembled in pure terror. Through the open buttons of his black shirt, his hot breath fanned against Alia's neck.
Viktor: (In a lethal whisper) "You've roared enough, Alia. Now, it's time to be tamed. This chain will remind you who truly owns this Frost Fortress."
Before Alia could even scream, Viktor expertly fastened the choker around her fair neck. As the metallic clasp shut with a definitive (Click!), Alia felt as if her final shred of freedom had been snatched away. Viktor gripped the silver ring at the center of the choker, pulling her face even closer to his own.
Alia: (Choking out the words) "Viktor... let go... you... you can't keep me prisoner like this!"
Viktor moved his red tie aside with one hand and stared into Alia's eyes. His blue gaze held a terrifying sense of absolute possession.
Viktor: "I can't? Look around, Alia. Your CIA is gone, Zhekha is gone, and your sister is in the palm of my hand. This choker is the grave of your pride. From today, you are nothing but a caged bird in this fortress, whose wings I have clipped with my own hands."
Alia tried to claw at the choker with both hands, but Viktor's iron grip kept her perfectly still. Her golden anklets scraped against the floor, letting out a mournful chime as if they were bearing witness to Alia's new life of domesticity and chains. Viktor's demonic madness has now reached its absolute peak. Gripping the black leather choker around Alia's neck with one hand, he yanked her closer with a violent jerk. In the struggle, her thin black nightdress slipped slightly off her shoulder, and the golden anklets on her feet chimed incessantly in a frantic rhythm of terror.
With a strange, icy coldness in his blue eyes, Viktor leaned down toward Alia's ear. Through the open buttons of his black shirt, he could feel her hot, rapid breaths against his skin.
Viktor: (In an incredibly low and grave voice) "Enough games, Alia. Now... let's go to the bed. Tonight belongs only to us."
Alia let out a piercing scream. Her entire body recoiled in a mixture of hatred and fear. She shoved against Viktor's solid chest with both hands, desperately trying to push him away.
Alia: (Screaming) "No! Never! I would rather die than go to that bed with you, Viktor! Let me go!"
This blunt rejection awakened the silent devil within Viktor. He paused for a heartbeat, then, in a disturbingly sinister manner, he looked into Alia's eyes and winked. There was no affection in that wink it was a terrifying signal of dominance and total victory.
Immediately following that gesture, Viktor gripped the silver ring of the choker and pulled it hard. Wincing in pain, Alia collapsed against his chest. In one swift motion, Viktor scooped her up in his arms.
Viktor: "I stripped you of your right to say 'no' three years ago, Alia. Tonight, this Frost Fortress will bear witness you are no CIA agent; you are mine alone."The sleeves of Viktor's black shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his muscular arms forming an iron cage around Alia's body. When Alia let out one last defiant scream of "No!", Viktor remained silent, swiftly scooping her up in his arms with predatory ease.
Alia's thin black nightdress fluttered in the sudden motion, and the golden anklets on her feet chimed in a mournful melody as if singing the song of a captive princess's defeat. Viktor's blood-red tie draped over Alia's shoulder, creating a hauntingly beautiful contrast in the darkness of the room.
Alia: (Pounding her fists against Viktor's chest) "Put me down! I said put me down! How dare you!"
Viktor didn't even acknowledge her protests. His blue eyes held a strange, calm glow of satisfaction. He walked with measured steps toward the bed, the light from the diamond chandelier casting a long, distorted shadow on the back wall resembling a monster hovering over its prey.
Viktor: (In an incredibly low voice, staring into her eyes) "The more you struggle, Alia, the sweeter my victory becomes. Every brick of this Frost Fortress knows from this day on, you are merely my prisoner."
Alia realized her physical strength was nothing compared to his massive frame. Exhausted, she finally rested her head on his shoulder, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. The black leather choker around her neck, tightened by the pressure of Viktor's grip, caused a painful sensation with every breath.
Upon reaching the bed, Viktor laid Alia down with a sense of absolute possession. Her golden anklets scraped against the bedsheets, letting out one final, sharp jingle before falling silent.