As the lethal games and hidden strategies continued, 7 days quickly passed inside that underworld palace. Within these seven days, a strange and special change came over Alia's body. Her pale cheeks turned completely red, casting a bewitching, enchanting glow over her entire face.
Seeing her walk around in her oversized black shirts with this radiant aura, the maids and guards began whispering that the Godmother was probably pregnant. However, with her sharp CIA intellect, Alia knew that wasn't the case at all.
According to medical science and her agency training, this had nothing to do with pregnancy. It was a type of rare disease that mimics the natural glow of an expecting mother due to a specific hormonal shift. Most importantly, this condition was completely harmless to the body; instead, it made her skin look flawless and significantly more beautiful. Behind her glasses, her flushed cheeks and mesmerizing countenance cemented her status as the absolute 'Symbol of Beauty.'
As Alia sat on the sofa in the dim light of the main hall, adjusting her collar, Viktor walked down the grand staircase. Seeing her new, crimson allure and breathtaking beauty, Viktor felt extremely jealous.
Viktor's jaw tightened. He couldn't stomach the fact that after spending 7 days as a captive in Anashia's custody, Alia's beauty hadn't faded at all. Instead, she sat before the Dark Lord radiating a dangerous, heightened grace. Viktor stepped closer, staring intently at her flushed cheeks, his eyes burning with envy and territorial rage.
Viktor: (In a heavy, sinister voice) "The poison of your beauty has grown even sharper over these 7 days, Alia... Looking at those red cheeks of yours, one can hardly tell if the Mafia Godmother is a captive or if she is being worshipped like a queen."
Sensing the raw jealousy dripping from Viktor's stance, Alia let a cunning, victorious smile curl her lips. The raw jealousy within Viktor instantly twisted into a deep, suppressed hunger. He could no longer resist the hypnotic allure of Alia's flawless, flushed cheeks and enchanting grace. The Dark Lord's pride shattered in a single moment.
He stepped even closer. Sitting on the sofa, Alia tracked his every move with the sharp, calculated gaze of a CIA agent behind her glasses, yet she didn't flinch or move an inch.
Viktor leaned down, looming directly over her. His heavy breath fanned across her brow. With a slow, intensely possessive movement, he pressed his lips firmly against her forehead.
The warmth of the Dark Lord's kiss against her skin made her flushed cheeks deepen with a fresh wave of color. Viktor lingered, extending the kiss as if to declare that no matter what had transpired in Anashia's room over the past 7 days, the ultimate claim over this 'Symbol of Beauty' belonged solely to him.
Pulling back just a fraction, his lips brushing her skin, he whispered
Viktor: "The disease of your beauty is intoxicating the very air of this palace, Alia. I don't care how deep Anashia took you... remember, there are only 3 days left of these 10 days. After that, this Dark Lord will drag you into a hell where no CIA asset will ever reach you."
Alia merely smiled, the mark of his kiss still fresh on her brow. Running a finger along the collar of her black shirt, she locked eyes with him. The CIA Godmother's honey trap was finally tightening its threads around the Dark Lord himself. Following Viktor's heavy threat, Alia elevated her dangerous CIA Godmother persona to the next level. Manipulating his jealousy to her absolute advantage, she tightened the threads of her honey trap.
Rising fluidly from the sofa, her flushed cheeks and loose black collar captivated his gaze. Without a shred of hesitation, she pressed her bare chest against his and planted a soft, lingering kiss on Viktor's cheek.
Pulling back just enough to look into his eyes, her gaze was laced with a calculated exhaustion. Clutching his collar in a seemingly vulnerable grip, she spoke in a strained, breathless whisper
Alia: "I can't take it anymore, Viktor... The heavy darkness of this palace, Anashia's raw ferocity, and now your suffocating jealousy it's driving me completely insane. Every second of these 7 days feels like a sweet poison spreading through my veins... Either free me from this hell, or claim me completely as yours."
Hearing her desperate plea, coupled with the radiant, flushed glow of her skin, the Dark Lord within Viktor shuddered. He realized that this magnificent 'Symbol of Beauty' hadn't just ensnared Anashia; she had successfully unleashed the exact same destructive hunger within him.
Locking his arm securely around her waist, Viktor pulled her flush against his body, his eyes burning with a volatile mix of territorial jealousy and an absolute urge to possess her. Finally, the long-awaited 10 days were officially over. Today marked the absolute last day of the Mafia Godmother and CIA agent's high-stakes captivity inside the dark palace. Every single night of these ten days had been a volatile tug-of-war between Anashia's hidden Dragon identity and Viktor's suffocating possessiveness.
As Alia stood before the mirror this morning, wearing her signature loose black shirt, the crimson hue of her rare condition still flushed her cheeks, making her look profoundly enchanting. She knew today was the day her entire mission would either succeed or collapse.
Without wasting a second, she walked down the grand corridor and went straight to Viktor, who was seated in his imperial chair, calculating the final terms of their deal. The moment she faced him, the cold mask of the CIA agent slipped away. Her eyes welled up with heavy tears. Dropping to her knees right before him, she clung to his legs and burst into desperate tears—
Alia: (Sobbing uncontrollably in a shattered, vulnerable voice) "It's over today, Viktor... our 10-day contract is officially over today! Can you truly find it in yourself to abandon me in this living hell forever? I endured Anashia's brutal ferocity and your cruel silence for all these days, only because of you! I can't take it anymore, Viktor... don't push me away from your heart!"
Her tears traced down her flushed, radiant cheeks, creating a sight that could melt the coldest of stones. Viktor sat frozen. For ten days, he had known her as a dangerous adversary, but seeing her break down in pure tears on this final day unleashed a wave of uncontained desire within the Dark Lord.
Right at that moment, Anashia appeared at the doorway, his gaze locked onto the scene. On this final day, the two absolute titans of the underworld stood paralyzed before the tears of the Symbol of Beauty. Seeing Anashia suddenly appear at the doorway, Alia's sharp CIA instincts instantly weaponized the moment. Glancing at the formidable stance of the Dragon Lord, she put on a flawless display of sheer terror.
In one swift motion, she released her grip on Viktor's legs, scrambled to her feet, and scrambled behind Viktor's back as if fleeing for her life. Pressing her bare front flush against his broad back, she wrapped her arms securely around his chest and waist, hugging him tightly.
Her flushed, radiant cheeks were pressed hard against his spine, her trembling frame seeking complete refuge behind the Dark Lord. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered in a desperate, shuddering breath
Alia: "Viktor... why is he here? He's going to drag me back to that hell! I can't survive another moment of his feral, dragon ferocity. Please, Viktor... on this final day, protect me from him!"
This sudden, desperate embrace and the warmth of her body against his back sent a violent jolt through Viktor's imperial pride. The suppressed jealousy that had been rotting inside him for the past few days erupted like a volcano. Seeing his dangerous captive seek refuge behind him, trembling and pleading, triggered a profound sense of absolute ownership.
Viktor rose slowly from his seat, keeping her locked securely against his back. He fixed Anashia with a sharp, piercing glare that asserted total dominance.
Viktor: "The 10 days are over, Anashia. Her embrace makes it explicitly clear whose protection the Godmother belongs to now. It's time to close the dragon's lair."
Standing at the threshold, Anashia clenched his fists, a dark fire igniting in his eyes as he watched them. Hidden safely behind Viktor's shadow, Alia let a familiar, cunning smirk return to her lips. Completely shattering Viktor's absolute arrogance in a single second, Anashia took a decisive step into the room. There was no trace of a subordinate's loyalty left on his face; instead, it burned with the unyielding obstinacy of the 'Dragon Lord.' Staring directly into Viktor's eyes, he delivered his final ultimatum in a heavy, commanding voice
Anashia: "The 10 days are over, Viktor, but my claim over this woman is not. I will marry Alia!"
The sudden, explosive declaration seemed to freeze the very air in the room. It felt as though the ground had been ripped from beneath Viktor's feet. The Dark Lord's cunning eyes widened in a dangerous mix of shock and pure rage, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Viktor: (Stunned and venomous) "What...! You are forgetting your boundaries, Anashia! The great Dragon Lord of the Asian underworld wants to marry a mere CIA captive?"
Hidden behind Viktor, the facade of terror completely melted away from Alia as she witnessed the escalating madness of these two titans. She realized her honey trap had driven them so utterly blind with desire that they were ready to compromise their empires just to possess her.
Slowly stepping out from behind Viktor's shadow, Alia faced them both. There were no more tears in her eyes only the cold, triumphant gleam of a mastermind behind her glasses. Letting out a sharp, enigmatic smile that flushed her beautiful, crimson cheeks, she spoke in a low, intoxicating cadence
Alia: "Then let's go through with the wedding... Are you wondering what your gain is, Viktor? Think about it, I lose nothing. In fact, from this day on, I will get two husbands! When the Dark Lord of Russia and the Dragon Lord Korean both kneel before me, I will become the undisputed queen of this entire mafia empire!"
Hearing the dangerous, uninhibited proposal from the 'Symbol of Beauty,' Viktor and Anashia locked eyes in a tense, silent realization. The very CIA asset they had captured to destroy had successfully woven a net to bind them both under her roof. On this final day, the underworld palace descended into a breathtaking, volatile three-way game of power and passion. Hearing Alia's provocative proposal, the Dark Lord within Viktor roared like a feral beast. Anashia's audacity and Alia's sharp smile struck a devastating blow to his imperial pride. He could no longer contain his brewing fury.
Yanking Alia roughly by her arm toward his side, Viktor stepped aggressively toward Anashia, unveiling the absolute truth in a heavy, venomous voice—
Viktor: "I don't accept this madness, Anashia! You have absolutely no claim over her. Alia isn't just anyone... she has been my wedded wife since long ago!"
The explosive revelation sent another paralyzing shockwave through the room. The hidden past beneath the complex game of the CIA captive and the Mafia Godmother was finally ripped wide open. Viktor locked his arm around her waist with a savage possessiveness, making it clear that no force in the underworld could tear this 'Symbol of Beauty' away from him.
Standing at the threshold, Anashia froze as Viktor's words sank in. His crimson eyes narrowed into slits of pure fury and betrayal. The woman the Dragon Lord wanted to crown as his empire's queen was already the legal wife of the Dark Lord!
Even caught in Viktor's suffocating grip, Alia remained remarkably composed, tracking both of their expressions behind her glasses. A fresh, devastating smirk played across her flushed, radiant cheeks. She realized that the hidden fracture between the two titans had officially shattered beyond repair. On this final day, the Russian palace stood on the precipice of a bloody, catastrophic war of love and power.