Ivanov disregarded her warnings entirely. The madness of power and vengeance burned in his eyes. Laughing mockingly, he took two more steps closer, the belt dangling loosely in his hand. "Your brother and Viktor? They won't find me here, Alia. This room is the most secure in the hotel; these soundproof walls won't let your screams reach the outside world. And Viktor? He is away on a mission. I know exactly where he is."
He was now within arm's reach, his hot breath hitting Alia's face. Ivanov lowered the belt and tried to touch her chin. "Trying to scare me? Don't you know you can't threaten a lion by entering its den? I won't even give your brother or Viktor a chance to arrive."
Alia didn't waste a single moment. She knew this was the decisive second. Just as Ivanov reached his peak of overconfidence, she dropped her defensive stance and went on the offensive.
With lightning speed, Alia reached for a small device hidden beneath her scarf on the table. She pressed it. Instantly, an ear-splitting high-frequency signal blasted from the hidden speakers around the room, specifically calibrated to incapacitate the sensory nerves of a man like Ivanov.
Ivanov clutched his head and roared in agony, "Aah! My head! What have you done?!"
Alia darted away from him, drove her heel hard into his instep, and bolted toward the door. Ivanov collapsed onto the floor, clutching his face, his vision blurring.
Standing by the door, Alia looked down at him and said in a chilling, icy tone:
"I told you, Ivanov destruction hides behind beauty. Viktor was right. You are a hungry wolf, but today, you have become the prey yourself." Ivanov's agonized roar transformed into pure rage in an instant. Shaking off the blur from his eyes, he stood up with unnatural strength and grabbed Alia's arm. Before she could scream, he shoved her hard onto the bed.
Before Alia could recover, Ivanov lunged over her and smashed the high-frequency device on the table. Silence returned to the room, but it was a silence filled with terror.
Ivanov laughed maniacally, "What happened, beauty? Where did that courage go? I've broken your little toy; now let's see who saves you!"
Alia's heart hammered against her ribs. The courage she had maintained until now crumbled as she saw the sheer madness in Ivanov's eyes; she was genuinely terrified. She tried to scramble away, but Ivanov's heavy frame pinned her down. The faces of her brother and Viktor flashed through her mind. She realized she was trapped in a death trap.
Ivanov raised his belt again, whispering down at her, "Didn't you say I was the prey? See who the prey is now. Did you really think you could defeat Colonel Ivanov with these cheap tricks?"
Tears welled up in Alia's eyes. Shivering in fear, she whimpered, "Please... let me go. I'll give you anything you want, just don't hurt me!"
Seeing her break down gave Ivanov a twisted sense of pleasure. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her head back, and sneered, "It's still not too late, Alia. If you agree to hand over your brother's power and Viktor's wealth to me, maybe I'll let you live. Otherwise tonight will be the last night of your life."
Alia was paralyzed. She realized she wasn't just facing a personal grudge; she was standing before a monster. The air in the room grew suffocating, and her only hope now was for someone to burst through that door and rescue her.The grip on her hair tightened, and tears streamed down Alia's face from the sheer pain. But in the face of Ivanov's ugly threats, an indomitable will suddenly surged within her. Even while staring death in the face, she refused to break.
Locking eyes with Ivanov, in a trembling yet firm voice, Alia declared clearly:
"No, I won't give you anything! You won't get even a fragment of what you want. My brother's power or Viktor's wealth they are not for someone like you to satisfy your greed. You can take my life, but you will never be able to touch my honor or the dignity of my family."
Ivanov faltered at this unexpected rebellion. He had assumed that fear would shatter her, but instead, Alia had erected a wall of steel-strong resolve right before his eyes.
Ivanov roared, "Have you lost your mind? Even standing at death's door, you dare to defy me? I could end your life in a single heartbeat!"
Alia smiled then a strange, mournful, yet victorious smile. She whispered:
"A life is only lost once, Colonel. But dying is far more honorable than bowing down before a coward like you. And know this this 'no' of mine is the beginning of your downfall. My brother and Viktor already know where you are, and when they arrive, none of your 36 years of experience will be able to save you."
Ivanov's face turned black with rage. He raised the belt again, but in a corner of his mind, Alia's sheer confidence sowed a seed of deep unease. He realized that Alia was not alone; her conviction felt like an invisible force permeating the very air of the room. Ivanov's mood shifted abruptly. He let go of Alia's hair and stepped back, a twisted, sinister smile spreading across his face. He tossed the belt aside, pulled a small keychain from his pocket, and dangled it before her, saying:
"Fine, fine. Let's drop the stubbornness. My patience is wearing thin anyway. If you won't be a partner in my empire, I'll keep you as my personal 'toy.' But before that look at me, Alia. Really look at me."
He straightened his collar and struck a pose in front of the mirror, smoothing his hair with an air of immense vanity. "People say I'm quite handsome. You're smart, Alia you tell me. Is it appropriate for anyone to say 'no' to a man as handsome as I am?"
Alia sat up straight on the bed. Even with the lingering fear in her eyes, she was struck by the sheer absurdity of Ivanov's narcissism. To her, it was laughable that a monster like him could be so obsessed with his own reflection. She reached out with both hands as if surrendering and approached him slowly.
She moved close to him, looking at him with a mocking, sarcastic tone:
"Handsome? Do you really look in the mirror, Colonel? Have you ever looked into your own eyes? There's no humanity there, only emptiness and greed. What you call 'handsome,' I call a hideous monster wrapped in a beautiful package."
She stepped right into his space, meeting his gaze with a defiant smile. Ivanov stood still, thinking he had finally ensnared her with his charm, unaware that Alia was setting a trap of her own. With a sudden, lightning-fast motion, she grabbed his tie and yanked him toward her.It was 1:00 AM. Inside that VIP room, time felt like a horrifying nightmare. Alia clutched the bedsheet so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Her entire body trembled, and her face was flushed deep red from continuous weeping. The bed shook rhythmically a witness to a vile situation that had begun back at midnight.
Amidst this unbearable agony, a dark shift occurred.
Ivanov, who had been reveling in his cruelty, suddenly erupted into a manic, chilling laugh. It was no longer the laugh of a man fueled by arrogance, but the cackle of a madman. He leaned over Alia, his voice distorted as he hissed, "Where is your Viktor or your brother now? They haven't come, have they? It's 1:00 AM, Alia. Now, there is nothing left for me but your tears."
At that very moment, Ivanov ripped off his shirt and tossed it aside, lunging toward her to further break her spirit. But in her agony, Alia gasped, trembling, "Aahhh... Colonel, gently! You... you will have to pay for what you are doing to me!"
Hearing her cry, Ivanov grew even more agitated. He grabbed a handful of her hair and whispered against her ear, "Pay? I am about to witness a history that Viktor could never even imagine. He will see his queen like this in my hands this will be my greatest victory!"
The room felt suffocating. Alia's eyes were blurred with tears, but deep within her, a sharp hatred burned like a beacon. She knew that the longer this night lasted, the more intense Viktor's fire of vengeance would become. Ivanov was laughing, but he didn't realize that his own laughter was hammering the final nail into his coffin.After the horrifying events of 1:00 AM, the scene in the VIP room shifted. The atmosphere was thick with tension and toxicity. Ivanov was now lounging on the luxurious sofa in the room, a glass of champagne in his hand and a twisted look of satisfaction on his face. He sat shirtless, looking like a tyrant who had just conquered his greatest foe.
And Alia? She was huddled in a corner of the room, clutching a sheet tightly around her broken frame. With her hair disheveled, tear-stained cheeks, and her gown tattered, she looked like a fragile doll shattered by a storm.
Ivanov took a sip of his champagne and looked at her. His eyes held no mercy, only a savage sense of triumph. He roared with laughter:
"What's wrong, Alia? Why are you hiding yourself under that sheet? I enjoyed your beauty quite thoroughly over the last hour. Do you still think of yourself as pure?"
Alia bit her lip, trying desperately to steady herself. She remained silent, but her eyes blazed with a fury that transcended her pain. She stared at Ivanov as if she were gathering all the strength for a future strike from beneath that very sheet.
Ivanov stood up from the sofa, walked over to her, set his glass down, and tugged at the edge of her sheet, saying:
"You know, Alia, even if your brother or Viktor broke down that door right now, they would only find wreckage. Tell your so-called protector, Viktor, that his queen is in such a state today that he won't be able to reclaim her as he once did."
Alia looked up at him. Her voice didn't tremble anymore; it carried an eerie, cold resolve. She whispered:
"You are making a grave mistake, Colonel. Do you think that by violating my body, you have destroyed me? In reality, you have changed me from within. From today, Alia is not just the Prime Minister's sister not just Viktor's queen from today, Alia is the name of the vengeance that will be the cause of your ultimate downfall."
Ivanov began to laugh again, but for the first time, a shadow of uncertainty flickered beneath his triumphant grin.