Alia got ready in haste, her heart a storm of conflicting emotions, but her resolve to submit the report remained unshakable. She arrived at the main police headquarters. The atmosphere was somber and tense. The officer standing at the counter looked at her intently and asked, "What is your name?"
Alia paused for a split second. Viktor's cold voice and the harrowing memories of the previous night flashed through her mind. Taking a deep breath, she stood tall.
With a voice that was quiet yet steady, she replied, "My name is Alia."
As the officer began to jot her name down in the register, he asked, "Very well, Alia. Are you here to file a specific complaint? Please, go on and tell me the details."
Alia's hands were still trembling slightly, but there was a strange, newfound clarity in her eyes. She knew that by giving her name, she had officially begun her battle against Viktor's dark world. She placed the file on the table and said in a low, determined voice, "Yes. I have information that you need to know immediately."
Amidst the officer's probing gaze and the bustle of the station, Alia was no longer the vulnerable girl she had been; she was now a fighter, desperate to reclaim control of her own life.The police officer furrowed his brow, looking at Alia with confusion. Her voice carried no hesitation, only a strange, chilling sense of finality.
As the officer began to open the file, he asked, "Are you filing a formal complaint against a specific individual? Your report should contain the names of all involved parties."
Alia met the officer's gaze directly. Her voice held no fear, only a blend of melancholy and ironclad resolve. She said quietly, "There are no other accomplices. The person I am reporting has already met his own punishment. Before his crimes could be judged by your hands or mine, he had already become a prisoner of his own dark world. He is serving his sentence in the very hell he created."
The officer looked taken aback and asked, "Are you talking about Viktor? Is no one else involved besides him?"
Alia offered a faint, sardonic smile. She replied, "Viktor relies on no one, not even in his crimes. He is the emperor of his own empire, and yet, he is his own prisoner. There is no need to punish him separately, because the life he has chosen is the greatest punishment he could ever receive."
As she spoke, Alia thought of Viktor's relentless cruelty and the endless cycle of power he lived for. She realized that for a man like him, the emptiness and isolation of his own making was a much harsher sentence than anything the law could ever impose.The officer looked stunned, his eyes shifting from the file to Alia. He pointed at a newspaper headline on his desk and said, "Are you talking about the Chinese mafia boss, Liang? The reports say he was arrested by the police last night for a massive betrayal. People have been whispering about you two—this 'powerful couple'—being behind it. Now you're saying he's dead? How is that possible?"
Alia froze for a split second. The complexity of her connection to Viktor and Liang's betrayal flashed before her eyes.
The officer pressed on, "You're claiming he's dead, while the official record says he's in custody. How do you know? Were you there when it happened?"
Alia realized she had made a slip. She forced herself to regain composure, a faint, artificial smile touching her lips. She shrugged, "Rumors are often more powerful than police reports, aren't they, officer? I only told you what I heard last night. And as for us being a 'powerful couple'? People love that label because they've seen our dark side, but none of them ever saw how trapped we really were."
The officer stared at her with deep suspicion, but Alia skillfully deflected his gaze. She pivoted the conversation abruptly, "Honestly, I was losing my own identity in the middle of all this. Now, tell me, what happens to my file? Can I finally leave here safely?"The officer looked at Alia with a strange sense of empathy. His gaze, previously filled with suspicion, now held a hint of pity. He closed the file, slid it into his drawer, and motioned for Alia to sit.
In a calm, measured voice, he said, "Yes, you are legally free to leave. You can walk out of here right now. But Alia, I've been in this line of work for many years I know how to read the language of a person's eyes. The mental turmoil you are going through won't end just by filing these papers."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "If you truly want to find peace, you don't just need to walk away from this dark world. You need to free yourself from the fear and the guilt that you've buried behind the identity of that 'powerful couple.' Have you ever stopped to wonder if filing this report will actually bring you the peace you're looking for?"
Alia sat frozen. The officer's words struck a chord deep within her. She had spent so long believing that distancing herself from Viktor was the only key to peace, but his question forced her to confront a deeper crisis is peace a place one goes to, or is it a resolution one must find within?
Alia let out a long, shaky breath and said, "You're right, Officer. Perhaps peace isn't a destination; it's a decision a place where no dark shadows remain."
The officer gave her a faint, knowing smile and slid the file back across the desk toward her, adding, "That decision is yours alone. From today, you are free. But remember your past will never leave you behind until you learn to make peace with it yourself."
Alia picked up the file and walked out of the station. The bright, harsh sunlight outside felt like a sign, beckoning her toward a new, uncertain path. The police officer pointed at a map, his expression softening as he looked at Alia. "Look, if you truly want to forget yourself and all these haunting memories to start over, sometimes you have to lose yourself somewhere very far away."
He traced a line on the map with his pen. "Look here: Nalati Grassland, in the Xinjiang region of China. It is a place of breathtaking beauty where the sky and the earth seem to meet. If you seek true tranquility, there is no better place than this."
Alia stared at the name 'Nalati Grassland.' The mere mention of it brought a strange sense of serenity to her restless mind. Vast plains, drifting clouds, and endless green horizons—perhaps this was exactly what she needed, a place where Viktor's shadow or the scent of her dark past could never reach.
The officer smiled faintly. "No one knows you there. You can live as yourself, without the weight of your past. It is the perfect place to leave what's behind and move forward."
Alia let out a long, exhaling breath and said, "Nalati Grassland... Very well, Officer. That is where I will go. Thank you for showing me this new path."
She realized that this might be her final, best chance to escape Viktor's dark empire for good. Those vast green fields of Nalati Grassland might just become the first home of her new life.The police officer tucked the file away and looked at Alia with a mysterious, knowing smile. He said, "And one more thing, Alia. You don't have to go alone. You can take your husband with you. I'm authorizing a ten-day stay, no problems at all."
He paused for a moment before adding, "But don't just spend the time wandering around. At Nalati Grassland, we have a specialized training center. There is much to learn there about aligning oneself with nature and conquering the inner turmoil within. It's a very enlightening place for 'powerful' people like you two."
A sudden, genuine smile broke across Alia's face. She had been focused solely on her own escape, but the opportunity to spend ten days with Viktor in such a breathtaking location filled her with a strange, intoxicating joy. She wondered if these ten days could truly be the turning point of their lives. Could they find a fresh start in those peaceful green fields, far removed from Viktor's cruelty and the friction between them?
Alia replied, her voice brimming with excitement: "Really? Ten days? I... I am truly happy. It feels like a fresh start, not just for me, but for the both of us."
She thought to herself that perhaps the serene breeze of Nalati Grassland could finally melt the ice surrounding Viktor's heart. The officer assured her and bid her farewell. Alia stepped out of the station, her heart racing with a newfound hope she couldn't wait to return to Viktor and share the news that would change their path forever. The officer smiled gently at Alia and said, "Nalati is wonderful, but if you are looking for even more vast and boundless serenity, I would suggest you consider the Hulunbuir Grassland."
He gestured toward a picture on the desk, which perfectly mirrored the sprawling green landscape visible in the fileThe image captured the meeting point of the earth and the sky, with endless waves of grass swaying in the wind beneath a tapestry of clouds.
The officer added, "It is an unparalleled place in Inner Mongolia, China. The vast green and the profound isolation of Hulunbuir will provide you and Viktor a temporary escape from your complex world. Spending ten days there could be a transformative experience for your relationship. Lost within this massive canvas of nature, perhaps you will be able to rediscover yourselves."
Alia stared, captivated, at the image. The beauty captured in the file "seemed to wash away all the turbulence in her mind. She nodded with a smile, "Hulunbuir Grassland... Very well, Officer. That is where we will go."The officer offered a cup of tea or coffee, saying, "Alia, have some tea or coffee before you go. You'll need to prepare for your long journey." The officer's kindness deeply moved Alia. She smiled gently and replied, "You are a very good person. It is rare to find someone so genuine in this busy world."
At Alia's praise, the Chinese officer broke into a warm, genuine smile. There was no deceit in his laughter, only a sense of simple satisfaction. Sensing the weight of this moment, Alia reached into her bag and pulled out an incredibly expensive and elegant gift as a silent token of her gratitude.
She placed the gift into the officer's hands and said, "This is a small token from me, for showing me the way and for granting me the opportunity to travel to the beautiful Hulunbuir Grassland."
The officer was slightly surprised but accepted the gift with grace. Seeing the elegance of the offering, he realized that Alia was no ordinary traveler her identity and past were as mysterious and valuable as the gift itself. The officer's smile deepened, as if this moment of parting had become a lasting memory for them both. Alia bid the officer farewell and climbed into the car. Viktor was waiting inside, his gaze locked onto her with a deep, enigmatic intensity. As their eyes met, Viktor seemed momentarily flustered, a rare flush of shyness breaking through his otherwise cold and ruthless exterior. Overcome by the sudden surge of emotion and intensity of the moment, Viktor pulled Alia close and kissed her, shattering the silence between them.
Later, they stood together on a bridge in the local China Town. The sound of the water flowing beneath the bridge, combined with the chilling wind, caused all the suppressed sorrow within Alia to finally overflow into tears. She wept uncontrollably. Viktor stood before her, slowly wiping away her tears, and pulled her into a protective, tender embrace. In the solitude of the bridge, they seemed to find a new connection, marked by the poignant and calm vulnerability reflected in Alia's posture. It was a deeply human moment, a turning point in their turbulent relationship.