The demonic monster within Viktor seemed to have retreated in the calm morning light. Lying on one side of the bed, he gazed fixedly at the sleeping Alia. Her disheveled long black hair was scattered across her face, making her exhaustion even more apparent.
Viktor gently brushed the hair behind her ear, his massive, stone-hard hand trembling with a strange tenderness. He leaned in and placed a long, quiet kiss on her forehead. In that single kiss, the violence and dominance of the previous night seemed to seek a silent penance.
Viktor: (In an incredibly low voice, to himself) "Sorry, Alia... what did I do in my fit of rage! Your defiance drove me to madness."
At that exact moment, a soft knock echoed at the door. The palace's trusted maid called out from the other side in a deeply respectful tone.
Maid: "Sir, breakfast is ready. Should I serve it downstairs, or will you both be eating up here?"
The maid's call snapped the thread of Viktor's thoughts. He glanced quickly at Alia, who remained submerged in a deep, motionless sleep. Her golden anklets were partially covered by the bedsheets—silent witnesses to the previous night's frenzy.
Viktor stood up from the bed, his naked, muscular frame appearing even taller and more powerful in the dawn light. He picked up his black shirt from the floor, but its buttons had been ripped off during the struggle. The red tie still lay in a corner of the bed.
Viktor walked to the door and replied in a very low whisper, ensuring Alia would not wake.
Viktor: "Bring the breakfast here. And listen, no one is to enter this room today. Alia is resting."Viktor's regret vanished like mist in an instant. The man who had whispered "sorry" moments ago had returned to his familiar, demonic self. Standing by the window, he began speaking into his phone in Russian, his deep voice and arrogant laughter echoing through the room as if the previous night were nothing more than a prideful conquest.
Alia had awakened by then. Her body was wracked with intense pain, but within her burned the fire of vengeance. She slipped silently out of bed, her eyes falling upon the blood-red tie lying on the floor. She scooped it up, twisting it into a rope as strong as a cable.
While Viktor was laughing over the phone, Alia moved behind him with the stealth of a cat. Without wasting a second, she threw the tie around his neck and pulled it tight like a chain.
Viktor's laughter cut off abruptly. Though his friend shouted from the other end of the line, Viktor didn't answer. He stared in shock at the reflection in the mirror—at Alia's burning eyes. Alia gritted her teeth, pulling the tie even harder, as if she intended to end the monster then and there.
With one swift motion, Viktor disconnected the call. Alia's assault couldn't last long against his 6'8" frame. In a flash, he twisted her arms and spun her around to face him. The black leather choker around Alia's neck rose and fell rapidly with her labored breathing.
Viktor: (With a chilling, strange smile) "Has the tigress awakened again? I thought you had been tamed."
Viktor grabbed Alia from behind, his muscular arms clamping around her waist like iron shackles. Alia tried to struggle, but his scorching breath and the heat of his body began to paralyze her once more.
Viktor pushed Alia back toward the bed. Their naked bodies intertwined again, their re-intimacy in the morning light even more dominant and forceful. Alia's golden anklets let out that familiar, piercing cry a sound that echoed through every corner of the Frost Fortress, announcing her defeat once again. At that exact moment, the maid knocked and entered the room. In her hands was a silver tray laden with steaming breakfast, but she froze instantly at the scene before her. Viktor and Alia's naked bodies were still entangled on the bed, and Alia's golden anklets continued to ring out in a frantic jingle.
Panic-stricken and consumed by shame, the maid immediately closed her eyes. Her hands trembled, causing the glassware on the tray to rattle softly. She quickly turned her back, stammering an apology.
Maid: "S... Sorry, sir! I... I didn't realize. I'm leaving right now!"
Viktor, however, was not the least bit fazed. Moving his massive 6'8" frame slightly off Alia, he kept one hand clamped firmly around her waist. The black leather choker around Alia's throat vibrated with her rapid, shallow breaths. Flushed deep red with humiliation, Alia made a desperate attempt to cover herself with the silk sheets.
Viktor: (In a deep, commanding voice) "Leave the tray on the table. And on your way out, lock the door from the outside."
With her eyes still shut tight, the maid managed to place the tray on the side table and practically sprinted out of the room. As she fled, the final, lingering chime of Alia's anklets reached her ears—a clear signal of Viktor's reasserted dominance.
The moment the door clicked shut with a sharp 'thud', Viktor leaned back over Alia. A victorious, demonic smile played in his piercing blue eyes.
Viktor: "Do you see now, Alia? No one in this fortress is coming to save you. Even when they see you in this pathetic state, they don't hesitate to close their eyes."
Alia could only shed silent tears. Her blood-red tie lay discarded in a corner of the bed, a useless remnant of the weapon she had tried to use against him only moments before. Alia's voice was a chilling blend of newfound steel and pure loathing. Faced with Viktor's demonic smirk, she violently yanked the silk sheet to cover her body. Though salty tears still tracked down her face, a defiant fire had reignited in her eyes.
Alia: (Gritting her teeth, her voice cracking) "I am going to take a shower. You are nothing but a devil... a stark-raving madman, Viktor!"
With those words, Alia stood up, swaying unsteadily. Her long, 6'3" frame was collapsing from exhaustion, yet she refused to break. As she stepped toward the bathroom, her golden anklets let out one final, mournful jingle before disappearing inside. Before Viktor could utter a word, Alia slammed the bathroom door shut right in his face.
The violent crash of the door made the crystal chandelier shudder. Viktor, however, did not flare up in rage. Instead, with an eerie, calm composure, he stepped off the bed and walked toward the window. In the dawn light, his naked, muscular physique stood like an unyielding mountain.
Viktor retrieved his expensive lighter from a corner of the floor. From his drawer, he pulled out a pack of thick, premium Cuban cigars. He lit it with deliberate slowness. Taking a long, deep drag, he exhaled a cloud of smoke that created a thick fog against the windowpane.
Viktor: (Smirking to himself behind the veil of smoke) "Mad? Perhaps. But it is in this devil's kingdom that you will spend the rest of your life, Alia."
The pungent, heavy scent of expensive tobacco filled the entire room. From behind the bathroom door, the sound of the running shower began to echo. Viktor stared out the window, As the bathroom door swung open, a cold mist of steam billowed into the room. When Alia stepped out, she was still entirely naked, droplets of water glistening like pearls on her 6'3" frame under the light of the diamond chandelier. The reddish marks from Viktor's fingers and the black leather choker remained starkly visible against her fair skin, grim reminders of the previous night's struggle.
As Alia dried her damp hair with a towel, her golden anklets let out a firm, somber chime with every step. The fear in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a shadow of pure contempt.
Viktor remained by the window, exhaling a cloud of smoke from his expensive Cuban cigar. He watched her naked form with the unblinking gaze of a victorious predator, his blue eyes seemingly measuring every inch of her through the veil of smoke.
Ignoring his lecherous stare, Alia looked him directly in the eye and let out a mocking laugh.
Alia: (In a tone of absolute disdain) "What are you staring at now? Go on, go take a shower yourself, you goat!"
Such a direct insult—calling a mafia don a "goat"—was unthinkable. The air in the room seemed to freeze for a heartbeat. Viktor took one last long drag of his cigar and blew the smoke directly into Alia's face.
Viktor: (With a deep, cryptic smirk) "A goat? It was this 'goat' who showed you your true place last night, Alia. But... I actually admire this spark of yours."
Viktor crushed his cigar into the ashtray. He walked toward her with slow, deliberate steps, stopping so close that his hot breath brushed against her forehead.
Viktor: "Fine, I'm going to shower. But by the time I'm out, I expect to see you dressed in the new outfit I provided. We have a very special guest arriving today."
With that, he gave her cheek a fleeting, light touch before heading toward the bathroom. Alia's golden anklets jingled with a rebellious clatter, as if they were shouting their defiance at his command.