Lilith was rubbing her bump as she saved a seat for Nikolai.
The kids were done with their speech.
Mila peeked out.
She looked around for her Dada.
She pouted as the principal spoke.
At that exact moment, Nikolai was stuck in traffic very close to the school.
He had flashbacks.
Nobody came.
The tears.
The yelling.
The pain.
He remembered how he had left his own school feeling completely broken.
Papa coming, sweetie, he told himself.
Nikolai left the bike and began running.
"Papa coming, sweetie," he said as he picked up his speed.
People watched him as he ran.
He finally reached the gates.
Ethan was standing outside.
"Am…I…I late?" Nikolai asked.
Ethan shook his head.
Nikolai sighed in relief.
He walked inside.
"Baby?" Lily said.
He kissed her.
"Am I late?" Nikolai asked.
She smiled.
"Just in time, Dada," she said.
Nikolai sat down and took out his phone.
Then it was Mila's class turn.
They came out.
Nikolai looked at Mila.
He watched the way she was searching for him.
Her eyes moved across the crowd.
Then her eyes met his blue eyes.
She immediately broke into a very happy smile.
She waved excitedly at him.
Nikolai waved back.
That was a sign.
Showing up mattered a lot to a child.
Mila and her class began their ballet dance.
Mila giggled with the other children.
Nikolai recorded her as she spun around.
Then finally came the last part.
Mila did her first perfect split.
Nikolai smiled.
Everyone began clapping.
Nikolai finally clapped too.
Backstage, Mila's teacher gave her a golden star.
Mila waddled toward her parents.
"Wook! A shiny star!!!" she said proudly.
Nikolai hugged her.
"Papa, here," he said.
"Dada, what about work?" Mila asked.
"You are more important than anything," he whispered.
She hugged him.
Nikolai lifted her into the air and threw her gently upward.
She giggled.
After a while, they went home.
Mila fell asleep.
"Best Dada ever," she mumbled in her sleep.
Nikolai wiped his tears.
He kissed her forehead and carefully laid her down on her big-girl bed.
They had upgraded her room four months ago.
Nikolai went to their bedroom.
Lilith was asleep.
He kissed her forehead.
He held her hand.
Then he fell asleep.
Two weeks later—
Lilith ranked first.
Nikolai spoiled her so much.
She was reading a message.
"The Taekwondo and Karate champions are almost set in this second semester," she said, reading it.
"By then our little girl will be out," Nikolai said.
"Our girls," she whispered.
"Hm?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Nothing."
Nikolai strapped her shoes on.
"Alright, Mama. Let's go," he said.
She held his arm.
Nobody was home, so he was taking her to the office.
Damian had accepted Iniya's hand in marriage.
Lilith was making a list for his wedding.
"Oh, these!" Urlima said, showing Lily jewelry.
Damian's mind flicked back to Iniya's words.
"Why can't I have the beautiful kind of love I wanted?"
He remembered those painful words of hers.
But he was also thinking about his own marriage.
Nikolai was in his meeting room when Enzo whispered something in his ear.
Nikolai's eyes darkened.
He nodded.
"Dammy!!!" Lilith called.
Damian looked at Nikolai.
Nikolai held back his laugh.
"Go on, Mr. Groomy," he said.
Damian rolled his eyes and went to her.
Lilith showed him a groom outfit.
"By the way, Damian, what culture are you?" Darya asked.
"Well, I'm actually Marwari," he said.
"What's your Indian name?" Olivia asked.
"Damian Prem Rathore," he said.
"Premmmmmmmmm!" Lilith said.
They all laughed.
Damian pouted at them.
It was 11:20 p.m.
Nikolai carefully snuck out of the room.
He made sure that his girl was fully asleep.
He got into the lift.
There was a secret yellow button.
He pressed it.
The lights changed to red.
The lift began moving underground.
It moved into a hidden path.
The doors opened.
The Bratva were waiting for him.
"Boss!" they said.
Nikolai took the letter.
He read it in Russian.
The letter said:
"Moy dorogoy Nikolay
Proshlo tak mnogo vremeni s tekh por kak my v posledniy raz razgovarivali i videlis posle smerti moyey zheny
Togda ya reshyl otoyti ot mafii chtoby zashchitit svoyu yedinstvennuyu doch
No teper ya vozvrashchayus radi neyo
Ya skoro priyedu poetomu podgotovtes k moyemu priezdu
I o pozdravlyayu tebya s rozhdeniyem rebyonka
Ne mogu dozhdatsya vstrechi s malyshami
Itak vot spisok skladov
Razberis s nimi i perevedi dengi na moy schyot
Ty znayesh ty dlya menya tozhe kak syn
Ya lyublyu tebya nu mozhet byt sovsem chut chut
No ty vsyo ravno ostayosh'sya ublyudkom
Do skoroy vstrechi
S lyubovyu
Krestnyy otets"
My dear Nikolai
It has been such a long time since we last spoke and saw each other after my wife died.
I decided to step away from the Mafia to protect my only daughter.
But now I am returning for her sake.
I will be coming soon, so prepare for my arrival.
And oh, congratulations on your baby.
I cannot wait to meet the little ones.
So here is the list of warehouses.
Deal with them and transfer the money into my account.
You know you are like a son to me too.
I love you, well maybe just a little bit.
But you are still a bastard.
See you soon.
With love,
Godfather
Nikolai read the entire letter.
He folded it and pulled it into his pocket.
"Let's go," he said.
The men loaded their guns.
They wore masks.
Then they zoomed off.
By morning, Lilith was in the gym.
Mila went to school.
"89…90…91…92…93…94," Lilith said while walking on the treadmill.
"96…97…98…99…100," she said.
Nikolai wasn't back yet.
He had been gone all night.
Lilith continued walking and doing more exercise.
After that, she took a quick shower.
She had a nice garden picnic.
She was also ordering things for her shop.
Some builders came.
Lilith pointed at the spot.
She had cleaned it up last month.
The builders began their work.
Her greenhouse had caught fire because of an electricity problem.
She had redesigned it again.
Meanwhile, at Moscow Aviation Institute, Charvi was writing her notes.
The group came over.
"What did you do to my phone? The video is gone!?" the boy named Gavriil said.
"Nothing. I didn't do anything. The family did it, not me," she said while writing.
She closed her books.
She zipped her bag.
She stood up.
Gavriil blocked her.
Charvi held her anger.
"Move. I owe you nothing," she said.
He grabbed her neck.
She dropped her bag.
She kicked him.
"THAT'S IT!" she said.
The students attacked her.
Charvi began beating them.
Everyone watched her.
"Chi!?" Pritam said.
Atharva grabbed her.
But she was stronger.
She lifted the desk and smashed it onto both the girl and the boy.
They were bleeding.
"What the hell!?" the Dean said.
Charvi was breathing heavily.
After twenty minutes, the Dean spoke.
"Bring your parents tomorrow. You are suspended for a month," he said.
"It's not my fault! It's his!?" Charvi said.
"His parents are the biggest donors of this school, and you are just an ordinary student!" a lady said.
Charvi held her tears.
"When a girl is sexually harassed, it's her fault and the boy goes free?" she said.
"So now it's my fault for wiping out the videos he took of me in the bathroom?" she asked.
"Yes!" the woman said.
"You are a shameless slut. Who knows? Maybe in your adopted family doesn't know what you have been doing. Huh? Or maybe we should expel you permanently," she said.
Charvi took the letter.
"Thank you," she said.
She walked out of the school.
"Remember, if your child was in my situation, you wouldn't even bother thinking he's rich, or maybe they will silence you with money," she said.
She walked out of the school.
During lunch, Nikolai came home.
Lilith was eating junk food.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!?" he said, taking the plate away.
She whined.
"Boss, it's not good for you and the baby," Zorina said.
Lilith whined like a child.
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!!" she said.
"Only one," Nikolai said as he dropped the plate.
She happily ate.
Charvi came home with tears in her eyes.
"Chi, you're home early. Where are the others?" Lily asked.
Charvi was nervous.
"S…still in school, Maa," she said.
Nikolai looked at her.
"Who made you cry?" he asked.
Everyone looked at her.
"T…Then school expelled me," she said.
"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!" Lilith shouted.
Charvi gave Nikolai the letter.
He opened it.
He read it.
"Is it that boy?" Knox said, walking in with his hands in his long coat.
Charvi nodded.
"They want my parents tomorrow," she whispered.
"So they want me and Lily to come tomorrow, huh?" Nikolai said.
"Huh?" Charvi asked.
"Alright. I will be there tomorrow. So don't worry, Bambi. I will handle it," Nikolai said.
"But why?" Charvi asked.
"I am father, right? So they want your parents, and Bambi can't leave the house, so I'm going. You just go take a shower and a nap," Nikolai said.
Charvi stared at him.
More tears rolled down her cheeks.
She hugged him.
He patted her.
"Thank you," she said.
He smiled.
"No problem," he said.
Knox sat in the garden smoking shirtless.
He saw Charvi sitting close to the pond.
She was swinging her legs in the water.
"It's cold," Knox said.
She looked at him.
Then she looked back down.
"Like my heart," Charvi said.
He sat beside her.
He blew his cigarette smoke away.
"Saw the video from school," he said in his deep voice.
She looked away.
"And your video," he said.
"What?" she asked.
"Yeah. I was the one who wiped his phone," he said.
"T…Thank you," she whispered.
"That's not what I wanted from you," Knox said.
She blinked.
"Then how much do—" Charvi began.
"Please don't insult me like that," he said.
She looked at him.
"Then what do you want?" she asked.
He leaned forward.
"You," Knox said.
Charvi moved backward.
"It's late. Goodnight," she said as she stood up.
He grabbed her hand.
He pulled her into a small hidden dark corner.
"Hey!" she said.
He sat down and pulled her into his lap.
"Shhhhhhhh," he whispered.
He placed his forehead against hers.
Charvi gasped.
Her cheeks became pink.
He rubbed her thighs softly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He pulled her closer.
His nose brushed against hers as he smelled her perfume.
She tried moving away from him.
He kissed her neck.
She grabbed his hair.
He blinked at her.
She stared into his red eyes.
"I am not a toy," she said.
He didn't reply.
He kissed her deeply.
It was her first kiss with him.
Knox kissed her slowly sucking on her tongue licked her lips as his giant hands squeezed her soft breasts she moan into the warm kiss.
It was morning.
June 26th.
Desmond and Violet got married in Norway.
Galina and Enzo were expecting their first child.
Farhid was in labor.
Hammed sat there nervously.
"Come on, Faru. Push!" Lilith said.
Farhid gripped her hand.
"Dr. Liv, help! I see a head! Come on!" she said.
Farhid screamed.
Hammed shut his eyes in pain as he heard a cry.
He sighed in relief.
After an hour, they came out.
"Congratulations. A baby girl," Dr. Liv said.
Hammed wiped his tears.
Farhid was asleep.
Lilith handed him his daughter.
"Hi," he whispered.
His daughter gripped his finger.
His heart melted even more.
Meanwhile, Charvi arrived at school.
She walked into the Dean's office.
"Charvi, where are your parents?" Mr. Sam asked.
"Coming," she said.
"So you're the girl who beat my son up!" Mrs. Steph said.
"Well, if you had taught your shameless son manners, he wouldn't have recorded me taking a shower in the girls' bathroom and blackmailed me for money," Charvi said.
Mr. Dapson looked at his son Gabriel.
"You did WHAT!?" he said.
"It's not his fault!" Mrs. Steph said.
"It's this shameless girl!" she added.
"Expel her now!" she demanded.
"Who are you to give that useless order?" the Apex Monstrosity said.
Everyone looked toward the door.
Their eyes widened.
"Is that…?" Mr. Sam said.
"Nikolai Devereaux," Mr. Dapson said.
Nikolai walked in with Knox.
Knox winked at Charvi.
"Who are you to give orders on my daughter?" Nikolai said.
"S…S…Sir, we didn't know she was your daughter," Mr. Sam said.
Nikolai's blue eyes met his.
"Mr. Sam, my daughter was sexually harassed in your school, and when that video was taken down, this boy came to bully my child. She defended herself. You suspended her instead of him, and your stupid board member, as a woman who was meant to defend her, ended up taking his side," Nikolai said.
"We are very sorry, sir. We didn't know she was your daughter. But she's adopted," Mrs. Anna said.
"My wife's daughter is also my daughter. Six of them are my kids. It's none of your business if she's adopted," Nikolai said while sitting down.
Knox blew his cigarette smoke out.
He looked at Charvi and winked.
"So you're the bastard who took a video of her. You don't look like you're struggling financially, so why did you take that video?" Nikolai asked.
Caleb swallowed hard.
"I…I…It was just a little joke. Not a big deal," he said.
Nikolai snapped his fingers.
The guards grabbed Gavrill.
"Naked him and tie him to the pole. Flag him," Nikolai said.
"No! No! No! No!!!!" Gavrill cried.
"Do something!" Mrs. Steph said.
Mr. Dapson looked at his son.
Mrs. Steph tried to speak again.
"Mrs. Steph, I will shut your company down if you dare say another word," Nikolai said.
Gavrill dropped to his knees.
He grabbed Charvi's legs.
"Please! I'm sorry! I will never do it again! Please!" he begged.
Charvi looked at Nikolai.
"Leave him," she whispered.
The guards left him.
"Mr. Sam," Nikolai said.
"Y…Yes, sir?" Mr. Sam replied.
"Kick him out," Nikolai said.
They looked at him.
"Yes, s…sir."
"Gavrill, for this act you committed, you are expelled from this school," Mr. Sam said.
Knox smirked at Charvi.
She was shocked.
He leaned forward.
"You look beautiful," he said.
She blushed at him.
Two weeks later—
"Nikki!!" Lilith said, waking him up.
He groaned.
"Bambi," he said.
She giggled at him.
"Hungry?" he asked.
"Nope. I have a surprise for you. I did it all by myself!" she said.
He smiled.
He sat up and rubbed his face.
"I'll take a shower," he said.
He entered the bathroom and cleaned himself.
Lilith wore a flowing white maxi dress perfectly suited for her pregnancy.
A lovely cream-colored textured cardigan with bell sleeves added a touch of style and warmth.
Her whole outfit was designed for her special time.
Nikolai came out wearing a black polo shirt and milk-colored pants.
She made his hair messy.
Then she held his hand.
They walked outside.
She guided him.
Everyone was outside.
Lilith stopped.
"Ready?" she asked.
He nodded.
He closed his eyes.
She removed the sheets.
"Open," she whispered.
Nikolai opened his eyes.
He saw it.
He looked at her.
"Bambi?" he said.
He stared at her work.
It was—
THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE
THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE was Lilith's magnificent private botanical sanctuary, an enormous palace-like conservatory constructed almost entirely from crystal-clear floor-to-ceiling glass with elegant black and antique-gold framing.
The entire structure appeared almost weightless beneath the sunlight.
Towering transparent walls, enormous glass ceilings, and sweeping glass roofs allowed the gardens within to remain surrounded by natural light from every direction.
At night, the entire conservatory glowed with warm golden illumination, turning it into a breathtaking jewel within Lilith's estate.
At the grand entrance stood an enormous pair of glass doors framed in dark metal and antique gold.
Above them was a magnificent illuminated sign bearing the words:
THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE
The lettering was elegant, powerful, and timeless, appearing in refined antique gold against a dark architectural frame with subtle lighting surrounding each letter so that the name could be seen glowing beautifully after sunset.
The entrance opened directly into the enormous central botanical hall.
Polished pale-marble pathways extended through a breathtaking landscape of flowers, trees, water, and greenery.
The entire greenhouse was connected together as one continuous architectural masterpiece rather than separate buildings.
Enormous glass corridors seamlessly connected every garden wing, creating the feeling of walking through one endless transparent palace.
Every section remained visible through the glass, allowing Lilith to look from one garden into another while the black and antique-gold framework created elegant symmetry throughout the entire structure.
At the very heart of THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE was an enormous magnificent indoor pond positioned beneath the highest section of the glass roof.
Crystal-clear water stretched across the center of the botanical hall.
It was surrounded by smooth natural stones, polished marble edges, lush greenery, and delicate flowers.
Water lilies floated across the surface.
Elegant ornamental fish moved quietly beneath the water.
Small streams flowed through the gardens and eventually merged into the main pond.
Several gentle waterfalls descended over natural stone, creating the peaceful sound of continuously moving water throughout the conservatory.
A beautiful circular glass pathway surrounded the central pond, allowing Lilith to walk completely around the water while viewing the gardens from every direction.
Elegant little bridges crossed narrow sections of the pond and led toward secluded garden areas hidden among flowers, trees, and greenery.
Marble benches were positioned beside the water, creating quiet places where Lilith could sit alone or with Nikolai, surrounded by the sound of flowing water.
The main botanical hall contained an extraordinary collection of rare flowers, exotic plants, flowering trees, orchids, enormous ferns, palms, and carefully cultivated greenery rising toward the enormous glass ceiling.
Some plants grew several meters high, creating the feeling of an enchanted forest growing inside a palace.
Delicate hanging plants descended from the upper framework, and flowers climbed naturally along sections of the glass walls.
One enormous glass wing was dedicated to a tropical botanical paradise filled with towering palms, exotic flowers, rare orchids, enormous green leaves, tropical trees, and lush vegetation carefully arranged around winding marble pathways.
Small streams passed between the plants before flowing toward the central pond, creating a continuous connection between every part of the garden.
Another grand glass wing contained Lilith's private rose garden.
It was filled with thousands of roses climbing elegantly along the glass walls and architectural arches.
Flowers bloomed in deep burgundy, crimson, ivory, blush pink, dark plum, and subtle antique-gold tones, creating a romantic atmosphere surrounding secluded marble seating areas and small fountains.
Another connected wing contained a magnificent fruit and herb garden where citrus trees, berries, herbs, vegetables, and rare edible plants grew beneath carefully controlled conditions.
Hidden irrigation systems provided water automatically.
Discreet service pathways allowed the garden to be maintained without disturbing the beauty of the main conservatory.
A sophisticated hydroponic garden occupied another hidden section of THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE.
It contained vertical growing walls, automated irrigation, climate control, and advanced cultivation systems carefully concealed behind the elegant architecture so that the technology never interfered with the beauty of the garden.
At the far end of the enormous conservatory stood a breathtaking octagonal glass pavilion surrounded by water, flowers, and greenery.
The pavilion rose beneath its own magnificent glass dome.
An enormous antique-gold chandelier hung from the center, creating a warm glow across the marble floor.
Inside were elegant ivory seats and a small marble tea table, creating Lilith's private place to sit surrounded by flowers, water, and glass.
The pavilion was connected to the central pond by a narrow elegant bridge.
The water beneath it continued toward smaller streams that disappeared beneath the surrounding plants before emerging again in another section of the garden, making the entire conservatory feel like one continuous living ecosystem.
The glass walls at the rear of THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE opened toward an enormous outdoor botanical landscape.
The indoor pond visually connected with a series of exterior water gardens through the transparent glass, making the water appear to continue from inside the conservatory into the gardens outside.
The exterior landscape was surrounded by stone pathways, flowering trees, fountains, roses, and perfectly maintained lawns.
At sunset, the entire conservatory transformed.
Golden sunlight passed through the enormous glass walls and reflected across the pond while the flowers and trees became silhouettes against the glowing sky.
When night arrived, hidden illumination beneath the pathways lit the garden.
Warm golden lights illuminated the plants and architectural framework.
The enormous glass roof reflected the moon above.
The pond mirrored the lights, chandeliers, flowers, and surrounding trees, creating the illusion of an endless world beneath the surface of the water.
THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE was not simply a greenhouse.
It was Lilith's private sanctuary.
A place where glass, water, flowers, light, and nature existed together as one enormous living masterpiece.
A garden created to represent a love that had no boundary, no ending, and no final chapter.
A place where every pathway eventually returned to the water.
Every garden connected to another.
Every reflection carried the same message across the glass and beneath the stars.
THE GARDEN OF INFINITE LOVE
Where their love had no beginning, no ending, and no limit.
"Wow," Arina said.
"I designed it a few weeks ago and got some builders. And also, my shop opening is this weekend!!" Lilith said.
Everyone cheered.
"Come on, Nikki!" she said, taking his hand.
Nikolai was stunned.
He entered and walked around.
Everyone followed him.
"Did Lily plant everyone's favorite flowers!?" Xeno asked while holding a yellow rose.
Lilith nodded happily.
They looked around more.
Nikolai came to a side very close to the pond.
All his favorite flowers were growing there.
He looked at the label.
It read:
THE APEX OF MY HEART
He bent over and touched the flowers.
Lilith rubbed her bump.
"This is absolutely beautiful, Bambi," Nikolai said.
He hugged her.
She smiled.
"I got it at an affordable price. It cost just ₽2 million!" she said.
He kissed her lovingly.
"I am very proud of you," he said.
She hugged him.
Later, the Nocturne Matriarch sat with everyone.
"Boss, they are really stepping on us, and they are asking for Boss and making us a joke too," Xander said while Nora made some designs.
Lilith sat rubbing her bump.
Nikolai was leaning against the wall.
"How many dared challenge me?" Lily asked.
"They all did," Amelia said.
Nikolai was cleaning a brand-new gun that he had personally made.
"I don't know what to do," she said.
"Boss, they can overthrow us. We haven't been working hard. We have ranked to eighth," Catalina said.
Lilith sat quietly.
Nikolai dropped the gun.
"I think it's time for you all to rise again before Lilith delivers the baby," Nikolai said.
"Huh?" Tatevik asked.
"Yes. Since they have the gods to lower you all to eighth, that's a huge disrespect to the most powerful group in Russia.
"It's because of the vacations and family times.
"But now, Bambi, it's time for you to rise.
"My Queen," he said.
He gave her a gun.
Lilith stared at the gun in her hands.
"Boss, here," Nora said.
She showed Lilith the designs for her outfits.
"Girls?" Lily said.
"Yes, Boss!" they answered.
They stood up.
Lilith broke into a smirk.
"It's time to rise.
"Let the underworld tremble at our feet," Lilith said.
"YES, BOSS!!!" the Nocturne Matriarch said.
Lilith took the gun.
She shot it up into the sky.
They all raised their guns.
They fired into the sky.
Bullets rained down.
The Nocturne Matriarch had risen again.