Lilith had spent the evening making dinner for the entire family.
The mansion was warm and peaceful, filled with the soft sounds of the babies and the delicious smell of the feast Lilith had prepared. She moved around the kitchen while preparing the babies' milk, carefully mixing each bottle while making sure everything was ready.
Near the entrance of the mansion, Mila sat directly in front of the door.
She was holding her favorite teddy bear tightly against her chest, her little legs stretched out in front of her as she patiently waited.
She was waiting for her papa.
Lilith looked toward her daughter and smiled.
"Mila, come have dinner," Lilith called gently while continuing to mix the babies' milk.
"Coming, Mama. I wait for Papa," Mila replied.
Lilith looked at her little girl.
"Mila, Papa will be home soon."
But Mila shook her head slightly and continued sitting there.
"I wait for Papa."
A few minutes later, the sound of several cars and motorcycles approaching the mansion could be heard.
Mila immediately lifted her head.
Her eyes widened.
"Papa!"
The vehicles pulled up outside the mansion.
The doors opened, and Nikolai finally stepped down.
"Hello, sweetie!" he said.
The moment Mila saw him, she immediately ran toward him.
Nikolai opened his arms and caught her, lifting her up into his arms.
He hugged her tightly.
Mila sniffed a little as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
Nikolai immediately noticed.
"Scared, love?" he whispered.
Mila nodded.
Nikolai kissed her forehead.
"Give Papa a kiss," he said softly.
Mila leaned forward and kissed him.
Then she hugged him again.
Nikolai smiled before carrying her inside.
"Hi," he said as he walked toward Lilith.
He leaned down and kissed Lilith.
Lilith smiled softly.
"Go freshen up. Come have dinner," she told him.
Nikolai nodded.
"Okay, my love."
He turned toward his seven daughters.
"Hi, my angels."
The seven babies looked toward their father.
"Yeah, babies," Nikolai said lovingly.
The girls smiled at him.
Nikolai smiled back before heading upstairs.
Enzo was also with his son, Yefim.
He held his little boy and took a bath together with him.
Forty minutes later, Nikolai came downstairs.
He sat in the hall while eating the enormous feast Lilith had prepared.
The food covered the table.
Lilith watched him quietly for a moment before sitting nearby.
Nikolai looked at her.
"I will be touring the properties in your name," he said.
Lilith listened.
"And also, word has spread about your takeover."
Lilith became quiet.
Nikolai continued looking at her.
"Are you ready to rule, my Queen?"
Lilith thought about it.
She looked down for a moment before looking back at him.
"I will learn, Nikki. I learnt from you, and I will learn more too," she said.
Nikolai smiled.
"Of course, my love."
He continued eating before adding,
"And oh, I called your friends. They are coming over tomorrow, so you just go ahead and rest."
Lilith nodded.
"Okay."
"Boss."
Catalina walked over.
She kissed Nikolai before walking toward her group.
Meanwhile, money was being counted.
"Eighty…"
"Eighty-one…"
"Eighty-two…"
Zorina continued counting.
The money was scattered across the floor.
It was already 10:23 p.m.
Bundles of money were stacked everywhere.
Lilith stood nearby and looked at everything.
She studied the piles carefully.
"Xandra," she called.
"Yes, Boss?" Xandra answered.
Lilith explained several things to her while everyone listened.
"Move them," Lilith ordered.
They nodded.
Everyone began moving the money.
Eventually, the mansion became quiet.
Everyone went to sleep.
Later, Mila's bedtime arrived.
Nikolai read her a bedtime story.
He also read for her sisters.
One by one, the seven girls fell asleep.
Nikolai carefully covered Mila.
He kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, my little princess."
He then went to his room.
The seven girls were now asleep.
Lilith was asleep too.
Nikolai walked over to her.
He kissed her nose.
Then he pulled her closely toward him.
He held her throughout the night as she slept peacefully in his arms.
Morning came.
Lilith's friends arrived at the mansion.
Gloria held Azenari.
Kesian held Tasnim.
Wiktor held Giselle.
Wiktoria held Hareena.
"Hello, sweetie," Wiktoria said.
Nikolai came downstairs.
They greeted him.
Then Wiktor looked at everyone.
"Did y'all see this shit your school sent?" he asked.
Wiktor shook his head.
"Thank Jesus I am not the only one who called it shit."
"Good," Nikolai said.
He looked at them.
"So currently, your friend took over a very dangerous territory. She killed the leader and the team."
Everyone looked at each other.
Nikolai continued.
"So now she has some properties in her name, and I am going to be seeing them."
He paused.
"But first, how far is your apartment from school?"
He pointed at Gloria.
"A bit far. It takes one hour, but without traffic, twenty minutes. And now the traffic is hectic," Gloria answered while rocking the baby.
Nikolai looked at Kesian.
"You?"
"Well, Papa takes me to school late. I hate when he makes quick stops at work. I always miss three classes," Kesian said angrily.
Nikolai looked at the twins.
"We come early, but now Papa's bitches are back home, so it is going to be hard," Wiktor said.
Nikolai sighed.
"Lily just gave birth, so I am working on this."
He showed them the options.
They looked at them.
"So pick one each. The designers will contact you all," he said.
They each chose one.
Suddenly, Rhea began crying loudly.
Nikolai immediately stood up and carried her.
"Shhhhh," he whispered.
The others continued talking amongst themselves.
One week later, school officially started.
Lilith wore her school uniform.
Before leaving, she pumped milk for the babies.
She wore her ring and her wedding ring on her hand too.
Mila left for her own school.
"Bye, Nikki!" Lilith called while getting onto her bike.
She rode away.
Nikolai strapped the babies safely into place and placed their strollers in the car.
They also left.
Meanwhile, at school, Lilith and her friends had just finished their sixth period.
"Oh Jesus, help!" Wiktoria said as they sat down tiredly.
"Gosh!" Gloria said.
Lilith lay down on the grass.
"Good Lord," Kesian said as she lay beside her.
They were completely exhausted.
Then the bell rang.
All the students groaned in frustration.
They reluctantly stood up and went back to class again.
Meanwhile, Nikolai was touring one of Lilith's newly acquired properties.
He gently pushed the all-in-one joint stroller containing the septuplets.
The babies were peacefully sleeping.
The hotel staff were lined up.
Nikolai stood before them.
"Now, my wife is now the owner of this hotel and many more. I believe you all know that?" he said.
"Yes, sir!" the staff answered together.
"Good," Nikolai replied.
He spoke to them and also addressed the hotel manager.
He explained several things regarding Lilith's ownership and the expectations for the properties.
After three hours of touring the other properties, Nikolai finally went to the office.
The babies were sleeping peacefully.
He entered the meeting room.
Meanwhile, at school, students were laying complaints about the schedule.
The door opened.
A woman walked into the hallway.
Her name was Ms. Anja Marković.
She was half Serbian and half Russian.
She was a ruthless and strict woman.
She was the vice principal of the school.
Ms. Anja walked down the halls.
Students gave her mean looks.
No greetings.
Nothing.
She did not care at all.
Lilith closed her locker while zipping her bag.
Anja suddenly looked at her.
"You. That necklace and rings are not allowed. Give it. I am seizing them."
Lilith looked at her.
"Madam, it's my family necklace and this is—"
"I don't care. Give it now. And wipe that red color from your forehead," Anja said.
"No, I can't," Lilith replied.
"And why is that?" Anja asked.
They stared at each other coldly.
"This is my engagement ring," Lilith said.
Anja blinked.
"Your engagement ring at this age? Oh, please. You can't fool me. It's just some dumb promise ring your boyfriend gave you."
Lilith's phone suddenly rang.
"What?" she said.
Anja grabbed her hand.
Lilith immediately pushed Anja's hand away.
"Yeah, tell me," Lilith said as she walked away from her.
A teacher approached Anja.
"That student isn't lying. That's her engagement and wedding ring, and that's her wedding necklace, so please let her be," the teacher said.
Anja stared at Lilith.
"You just became a target. I like to see your worst," she said with a smirk.
That evening, it was 8:45 p.m.
Lilith still wasn't home.
Nikolai stood outside waiting for her.
At 9:00 p.m., Lilith finally came home.
She looked completely exhausted.
"Hi, Nikki," she said.
Nikolai immediately hugged her.
He kissed her forehead.
"Hey, baby," he said while hugging her.
The babies were asleep.
Lilith kissed each of them before they went inside.
She took a bath.
Nikolai fed her afterward.
Lilith lay on his lap while he gently rubbed her hair.
"Is she okay?" Ethan asked.
Nikolai nodded.
"She's just tired."
At 1:09 a.m., Hareena began to cry.
Lilith woke up immediately.
She took Hareena into her arms.
"Shhhhh, baby. Dada took care of you all day, hm?"
She looked toward Nikolai.
"Let him."
Lilith fed Hareena.
Hareena drank her mama's milk until she was full.
Then Rhea began crying too.
Lilith fed her as well.
She eventually fed all seven of them.
By 4:50 a.m., Nikolai woke up.
He saw Lilith rocking the babies to sleep.
"Darling, why didn't you wake me up?" Nikolai asked.
"You took care of them all day. You need rest, baby," Lilith replied.
Nikolai kissed her forehead.
Eventually, sleep took her.
That day, Lilith was late for class.
Five weeks later, the situation had become worse.
At school, Lilith had been sleeping in classes for weeks.
The late nights with the babies were taking a toll on her.
She was tired.
She was stressed.
Nikolai was very worried about her.
Her mental health was collapsing under the pressure.
Ms. Anja also made school hell for her.
It was fourth period.
Lilith was extremely sleepy.
"Hey, Lily. Here, some energy drink," Kesian said.
Lilith took it.
Then Anja walked into the classroom.
"Hello, students. We are having a surprise test, so take a sheet of paper and start."
Everyone became shocked.
"What!?" Diana exclaimed.
Lilith sighed.
The bags under her eyes were obvious.
Her hair was messy.
The test began.
Anja walked around the classroom.
Lilith rubbed her face and tried to stay awake.
Anja eventually stopped beside her.
She looked at Lilith's paper.
Then she took it.
"I am not done, ma," Lilith said.
Anja read what Lilith had written.
Surprisingly, Lilith had written well.
"I think she cheated," Anja said.
She looked at Lilith.
"Stand up."
Lilith obeyed.
A student whispered.
Anja searched her.
Nothing.
Their phones were at the front desk.
Lilith yawned.
She was becoming even sleepier.
Anja tore the papers.
"Start over," she ordered.
"What the bloody hell? I work damn hard on that!" Lilith said angrily.
But then Lilith suddenly felt dizzy.
"Mhaira, your health," Gloria said worriedly.
Lilith breathed heavily.
She sat down.
She picked up another sheet.
She began writing again.
Anja smirked.
She crossed her legs and watched.
Two hours later, the test ended.
Everyone handed in their papers.
"Now, everyone, assignment," Anja announced.
The students groaned.
They took their papers.
"Interview each CEOs of these companies and also give a presentation on the topics given to you," Anja said.
Everyone became frustrated.
"Madam, how? These are two CEOs. It's going to be impossible to interview them," the class representative said.
"Not my problem," Anja replied.
The classroom went silent.
"This should be submitted in two weeks," Ms. Anja said as she walked out.
Lilith looked at her assignment.
Her assigned person was a man named Mr. Domenico Bloodhound.
He was the CEO of Bloodhound International Holdings.
Lilith stared at the assignment.
She sighed.
Later, she left for the restaurant.
At the restaurant, an older man entered with his international business partners.
They approached the table.
"Hello, dear. Please, I would like coffee, no sugar, with full cream," the older man said.
"Right away, sir. Anything else?" Lilith asked.
"Butter croissant," he replied.
She nodded.
Lilith made their orders and served them.
They sat together, talking about their own businesses.
Two hours passed.
Lilith stared at her assignment paper.
"I can't ask Nikki. No. I just need to make my own research," she whispered.
The older man eventually walked toward her.
"I really enjoyed the coffee," he said.
"Thank you, sir. Come again next time," Lily replied with a smile.
He nodded.
Then his eyes moved toward the paper in her hands.
He saw the assignment.
He picked it up slightly and read the topic.
He became interested.
"Is this an assignment?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. Our vice principal gave us a surprise test and this heavy assignment and presentations. I have two weeks to interview the CEO," Lilith explained.
The older man looked at her.
"Why don't you take a leave from your boss?" he asked.
Lilith chuckled.
"I am the boss. The owner of this restaurant, actually."
The man looked surprised.
"Oh wow. Impressive."
He smiled.
"Daddy money?"
"Oh, no, no, no. Actually, I worked in a restaurant in my first year, and with the monthly salary, I brought this place and made my dream come through," Lilith said happily.
The man smiled.
"Well, this says you have to interview me, right?"
Lilith froze.
"Huh? You?"
The older man smiled.
"Let me introduce myself. Mr. Domenico Bloodhound, CEO of Bloodhound International Holdings."
Lilith blinked.
She immediately took out her phone.
She searched for him.
And there he was.
The exact man standing before her.
"Sir, I…I—oh my gosh," she said.
He chuckled.
"It's okay. I understand. I also got this assignment once. It was really hard," he said.
He pulled out his card.
"Here's my card. Show the security men tomorrow. You can come in. And oh, bring some coffee too. I really enjoyed it!"
"Of course, sir. I will," Lilith replied.
He smiled at her and left.
Later that night, Nikolai came home with everyone.
They entered the mansion.
They immediately saw Lilith asleep.
She was still wearing her school uniform.
She was completely exhausted.
Her bag was lying on one shoe.
Nikolai walked over.
He sat down.
He gently took her shoes off.
"Damian, is it ready?" Nikolai asked.
"Yes, Boss."
The maids moved everything.
Damian nodded.
Nikolai noticed something in Lilith's pocket.
He reached for it.
He pulled out a card.
He read it.
"Bloodhound Group entry card."
He frowned.
"Why does she need this?" he asked.
He searched her bag.
Inside, he found her assignments.
"What the hell is this?" Nikolai asked.
"What, brother?" Arina asked.
"It's an assignment to interview the CEO of Bloodhound International Groups. And she got an entry card too. But how?"
Nikolai looked confused.
"Bambi?"
He gently woke Lilith.
"Hey. Wake up, love."
Lilith whined in her sleep.
She slowly opened her eyes.
"Nikki?" she murmured.
Nikolai smiled.
Lilith sat up.
"Your assignments?" he asked.
"Yes."
She rubbed her eyes.
"Can you believe what happened today? I got a surprise test. Right then, in the middle of the test, that evil monkey tore my—" she yawned deeply, "—paper and said I was cheating on my test. Then made me rewrite it again. She gave us the heavy assignments in two weeks to present and submit the printouts," Lilith explained tiredly.
"How did you get this card, Mahira?" Farhan asked.
"In the restaurant today, an old man with people behind him came to have coffee. I took their orders and served them. After a while, he said he liked the coffee. Then he picked my paper up. After reading the name, it turned out it was actually him. Mr. Bloodhound. I could have interviewed him there, but he gave me his company entry card too," Lilith explained.
She laid her head on Nikolai's lap.
Amelia showed Nikolai the CCTV cameras.
Nikolai watched the footage.
He saw Lilith serving the older man.
He smiled.
"I could have helped, Bambi," he said.
"No. I am independent," Lilith replied.
Before long, Lilith completely fell asleep again.
Everyone laughed softly.
"I love you so much, Nikki," she mumbled in her sleep.
Nikolai smiled.
He kissed her forehead.
Morning came.
Lilith wore her school uniform.
"I will pick you up after school," Nikolai said.
Lilith nodded.
They shared a sweet kiss.
Then they left.
Lilith arrived at the company early.
She showed the security the card.
The security officers checked it.
Then they led her to Mr. Bloodhound's office.
Lilith held the bottle of coffee in her hand.
She stood outside the office.
"Sir?" she called.
"Ah, welcome, dear," Mr. Domenico said.
"Your coffee, sir," Lilith said.
"Oh, thank you so much, dear. I really want to stop by your restaurant for it today," he said.
Lilith smiled.
She sat down.
The interview began.
Mr. Domenico answered her questions.
He spoke about his life.
He explained how he started his business.
Lilith video-recorded the interview.
She also recorded his answers and wrote everything down.
She asked questions.
He answered them.
Three hours passed.
Finally, the interview was complete.
"Thank you so, so, so much, sir. I really appreciate it. It means so much," Lily said.
"And thank you for the coffee," Mr. Domenico replied.
Then something caught his eye.
He stared at Lilith's hand.
"Huh…that's strange. Can I see that ring?" he asked.
"This one?" Lilith asked.
She lifted her hand and showed him.
Mr. Domenico stared at the ring.
It was the 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐋 Ring.
His expression immediately changed.
His eyes widened.
He looked at Lilith in shock.
"Y…You are the new leader," he whispered.
Lilith looked directly at him.
"Yes, I am."
She stood up.
Then she formally introduced herself.
"My name is Mrs. Lilith Mhaira Baneva Nikolai Devereaux."
Mr. Domenico remained completely stunned.
Lilith continued.
"I am the Supreme Leader of the Nocturne Matriarch and now the Leader of the Varyagin territories."
He looked at her with absolute shock.
Lilith picked up her things.
"I will be late, sir. Goodbye. See you next time!"
She quickly ran out of the office.
Mr. Domenico remained standing there.
He stared at the doorway where she had disappeared.
His eyes stayed fixed on the ring he had just seen.
"No fucking way," he whispered.
He watched her leave.
The ring had revealed everything.
Lilith was no longer simply a college student with an assignment.
She was the woman who had taken over the Varyagin territories.
The woman wearing the 𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐋.
The Supreme Leader of the Nocturne Matriarch.
And now, officially, the new leader of the Varyagin territories.