The meeting was okay.
Nikolai flipped through the papers, carefully reading every page while the room remained quiet.
Boss Rima said she was pregnant with her second child.
"Ria, why don't you go home and rest? It's better for you," Nikolai said.
Rima nodded.
"Yes, Boss," she said.
Nathan immediately stepped forward and escorted her downstairs to her car.
Hecate gave Nikolai the file with a smile.
"Uhmm, Boss…"
Nikolai looked up.
"Look who is awake."
Damian was standing there holding Nyxara, who was crying.
Nikolai immediately took her into his arms.
"Hey… what's wrong, hm?" he whispered.
Nyxara sniffed and made a tiny "Mmmmmm" sound.
"Why are you crying silently? Shhhh… there we go," he murmured, gently patting her.
Nyxara lay comfortably in her father's giant arms while he continued working.
"Are the others awake?" Nikolai asked while flipping through the papers.
"Others?" Hecate asked.
"No, Boss. They are asleep. She's the only one who was awake. I'm guessing she's hungry," Damian said.
Nyxara blinked at the window before hugging her Dada.
"Boss, we need to stop Mila from karate classes," Jaxon said.
"Why?" Nikolai asked with a little chuckle.
"She broke the girl's arm. That's the sixth time this week," Jaxon said.
Nikolai raised an eyebrow.
"All right. Listen."
His voice immediately shifted into boss mode while he continued patting Nyxara.
"There are a few errors here which are going to break this deal, so cross-check your papers well. I want this project done by the end of next month. Are we clear?" Nikolai said.
"Of course," Hecate said.
"Papa done. Love, looks like you're hungry," Nikolai said to Nyxara.
Nyxara gave him a gummy smile.
Lilith was sleeping at home when the door opened.
Giggles filled the room.
"Shhhh… Mama is sleeping," Mila said.
Her sisters were placed on the bed.
Giselle gently tapped her mama's nose.
"Hmm?" Lilith murmured sleepily as she opened her eyes.
She smiled when she saw her babies.
They immediately began giggling even more.
"Hey, darling," Nikolai said.
"Hi, Nikki," Lily replied.
"How was training?" he asked.
"That's why I'm taking a nap before these little cuties came home," she said.
Tasnim's little hands were tapping her Mama's chest.
"Hungry, huh?" Lily said.
Tasnim cooed.
Lilith took her into her arms and breastfed her while also feeding Rhea at the same time.
"Baby, Mila broke a kid's arm again. That's the sixth time this week," Nikolai said.
Lilith chuckled.
"Really, baby?" Lily asked.
Mila nodded.
"Uh-huh. I did this to her. I'm very strong," she said proudly.
Lilith kissed her forehead.
Mila hugged her.
New York
Riyana's hands were buried in her messy hair.
She had barely gotten any sleep.
The same nightmares.
The same messages.
Over and over again.
Sohan sat beside her.
"Riyana, look at me," he said.
She shakily turned toward him.
He held her hands.
"Tell me, darling. What's making you scared every night? You jump from sleep. Look at you, baby. You haven't gotten any good sleep in two months," Sohan said.
Riyana suddenly hugged him.
"T…T…They are watching me. They will take my daughter. They will harm my children. My boys… my girl… I…I shouldn't have made that deal, but—"
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Riyana screamed as she held her head.
Sohan immediately held her.
"Ria!?" he said.
"No, no, no, no, no, NO!!" Riyana cried.
She looked toward the window.
Then she suddenly ran into the storeroom.
Tamman grabbed her immediately.
"What the hell is going on?" Amala asked.
Karim looked toward the window.
There was a crow.
"Mumma, that's just a bird. It's a crow," he said.
"NO! IT'S NOT! THEY ARE WATCHING ME! THEY ARE GOING TO KILL ME AND MY FAMILY! LILITH IS IN DANGER! THAT'S NOT A BIRD! IT'S SOMEONE'S EYE!!!!!!!!!!!" Riyana screamed.
She grabbed Sohan.
"You believe me, don't you? Huh? Right!?" she demanded.
Sohan turned toward the window.
He saw the bird.
Riyana panicked and threw a glass at the window.
"GO AWAY! STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY, PLEASE!!!" she cried.
The crow blinked.
But far away, inside an ancient temple, a woman sat with her eyes closed.
A cold smirk appeared on her face.
She was connected to the crow.
The crow screamed at Riyana.
Riyana screamed back.
Sohan held her tightly as the crow dropped a paper inside before flying away.
Riyana picked it up.
There was blood on it.
She read the message.
Bring Our Queen Back To Us, Riyana, or else you will pay the price. Give Lilith Mhaira Baneva to us, or we will come to her!
Riyana held the paper tightly.
Then she ran upstairs.
She shut the doors behind her.
"Baby, please come out! What the hell is going on!?" Sohan shouted.
"Mumma, please open the door!" Nihal cried, tears filling his eyes.
Khushi held his arm, comforting him.
"Mama, please open the door!" Aarav cried.
The boys were crying.
Inside the room, Riyana threw clothes into luggage bags.
She packed desperately.
Then she took guns.
She also took an old box.
Russia
It was the weekend.
Lilith and the girls were asleep.
Nikolai made breakfast and prepared eight bottles of buttermilk for his girls.
As he got upstairs, Lunessa was awake, kicking her feet in the air.
"Good morning, my angel," he said.
He kissed her forehead.
She had his blue eyes.
He kissed her lips.
She smiled in her sleep.
"Good morning, Bambi," he whispered.
"Morning, Nikki," she said sleepily and smiled at him.
"It's the weekend, darling," he said.
Tasnim and Hareena's eyes opened.
"Hi, my little darlings. Good morning," Lilith said.
They smiled at her.
Nikolai lay beside Rhea, who was frowning in her sleep.
"Looks like Rhea's having a nightmare," Nikolai said.
"Aww, my sweetheart," Lily said.
Rhea suddenly burst her eyes open.
She was about to cry.
Then she saw her father.
"Hey, baby girl. Papa's here, love," he said.
A huge smile grew on her face.
He smiled and kissed her.
Azenari was still asleep.
Mila was still asleep too.
Giselle and Nyxara were asleep as well.
"Ready, Boss?" Nora asked.
Lilith made a tight fist.
She was dressed in her training clothes.
Nikolai watched as the Red Order sat around the training area.
Kalma held both Mila and Giselle in her arms.
"Go!" Catalina shouted.
Lilith scanned around her.
The Red Order began their training.
Tsillah launched first.
Lily dodged it.
She immediately gave a knee kick as the others followed.
She delivered special attacks with precision.
Nikolai was very impressed.
"Wow!" Mila said.
"Uh-na. You will not use Mama's skills to break any more bones at school," Nikolai said.
Mila pouted.
Lilith jumped into the air.
Both of her legs delivered a triple kick toward Luisa, Seria, and Astrea.
They fell.
"Damn," Selena said.
Lilith kept fighting.
She kept training.
For four hours.
The Journey to Russia
Riyana came out in the middle of the night.
Sohan's bags were packed too.
Everyone was ready.
Riyana ran into the car.
Sohan held her hand.
"Calm down. We're going now," he whispered.
Then they all left for Russia.
Match Day
Meanwhile, it was morning.
Today was Lilith's match day.
Giselle was crying until she saw her mama's face.
"Hi, my little pumpkin," Lilith said.
"Yeah, baby. It's Mama," Lily continued.
Giselle sniffed.
Lilith fed her.
Giselle sucked her mama's milk to calm down.
"Easy now, sweetheart," Nikolai said.
"Save some for Dada," Nikolai added in a flirting tone and winked at Lily.
Lilith gasped.
She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
He laughed at her.
"Lilith!" Kesian called as her friends came in.
"Good morning, my sweet little bears," she said, kissing their cheeks.
Gloria and the twins sat down.
Nikolai carried four girls into the bathroom and bathed them.
Wiktor scrolled through his phone.
"Ugh. Diana is such a bitch. She organized a party and it went viral. The seniors were there too," Wiktoria said.
"She called us losers," Wiktor said.
"Ohhhh, that little bitch," Wiktor replied.
Giselle was taken away from Lilith to be bathed.
She immediately began to cry.
"Oh Lord. Just ten minutes," Nikolai said as he took her away.
Lilith saw the party announcement.
"Wike," she called.
"Yeah?" he replied.
Lilith smirked.
"Let's host a party. The baddest yet."
"HELL YEAH!" they shouted.
Nikolai heard them.
He smiled proudly while washing his girls.
The Challenge
At school, Lilith wrote on her paper.
Diana slammed her hands on the desk.
"Hi," she said.
Lilith looked at her.
"I heard you're hosting a party," Diana said.
Lilith smirked.
"You're not popular, so how can you host one?" Diana continued.
"Besides, maybe your man will pay. I host a party worth ₽20 million," she said.
Lilith broke into a loud giggle.
She laughed.
And laughed.
"What's funny?" Peter asked.
Lilith continued laughing.
"Sorry. It's just that ₽20 million is a small amount in my eyes. I have money, not my man's money," Lilith said.
"All right. Let's make a bet. Over 200 people and more to attend. Each party worth millions. And we'll see who is more powerful," Diana said.
"I don't do millions. I am above billions, Diana. Besides, your account can feed me. Mine, however, can feed twenty times your eighth generation to come. I work. I don't use Daddy's nor Hubby's money. So you have yourself a deal," Lilith said.
Everybody in the classroom gasped.
Diana smiled.
"Great. See you soon, bitch," she said.
"And we are betting on ₽20 million," she added.
"Oh, please. Don't insult me," Lilith said.
"Then how much? Let me guess. And honestly, you're a liar," Tiffany said.
Gloria and the twins began to laugh at them.
"We will see about that. Even more," Lilith said.
"The parties will show our true selves and who has more money. See you soon. Bye-bye, darling," Wiktoria said as they left.
The students began whispering.
Diana made a fist.
"We have to do something to put this bitch in her place. We are going to host the best party ever," Jennifer said.
"Of course. Let her come first," Diana said.
Lilith took out her phone and made a call.
The Confession
Nikolai was in his office when there was a knock on his door.
"Come in," he said.
Riyana entered.
"Nick?" she said.
"Mother, welcome. When did you come?" he asked, standing up and taking blessings.
"Bless you. I came now. How are the girls?" she asked.
"Asleep. I just fed them," he said.
Riyana looked down.
"I have done something wrong and I…I…I don't know how to tell Sohan," she said, about to cry.
Nikolai sat her down.
"Tell me what happened?" he asked.
Riyana explained everything.
Everything that had happened.
What she had done.
The deal she had made.
The people who were coming.
The threat.
The cult.
The Queen.
Nikolai stood speechless.
"I…I…I did it for him. For the family. I never thought it would actually catch up with me. And now they are coming for my Neva. The leader is dead now. They want her… Baneva. I don't know how to tell Sohan," Riyana said, crying.
"Mother, calm down, please," Nikolai said, holding her hands.
She cried.
"I will be beside you," he said.
Riyana sniffed and continued crying.
The Party Plan
Everyone was having lunch when Lilith came running in.
"WHO KNOWS HOW TO HOST THE BEST COLLEGE PARTIES?! HELPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!" Lilith screamed in a high-pitched voice.
"Jesus! Gosh! Calm down, Neva," someone shouted.
"OH, ME!!" they all shouted.
Lilith immediately smiled.
"Hi, Baba. When did you come?" she asked, hugging Sohan.
"It's your Mumma. I'm worried about her," Sohan said.
He explained what had happened.
Lilith immediately became worried about her mother.
"How about we put her to sleep?" Lily suggested.
"We can't because she will jump from sleep more," Ariz said.
Lilith sighed.
"We will handle it together," she said.
"You want to host a party?" Nihal asked.
"Yeah. The bully in my class made a bet with me. Millions! Can you imagine what she said? Oh, I didn't invite poor people to my party so they can look for a way to trap us rich people. And she made a bet with me," Lilith explained.
"How much?" Meghan asked.
"Are you guys ready to hear it?" Lilith asked.
They all held the table.
"₽20 million," she said.
Cleo screamed in disbelief.
Yulian choked.
"What the fuck?!"
"Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!" Abellona shouted.
"I'm going to pass out!" Nihal said.
The people at the party-planning table felt so disappointed and disrespected.
"I need help, please," Lilith said.
"Of course. How many people?" Cleo asked.
"200 people," Lilith replied.
"Fuck! 200? Ten million or more!" Abellona shouted.
"YES!!!!!" they all shouted.
They sat Lilith down and began talking about the best parties and how to host one.
The Darkest Secret
Nikolai came home with Riyana and the girls.
"Oh my! Look at my grandbabies! Y'all are growing bigger, huh?" Sohan said.
The girls giggled happily at him while he kissed each one.
Riyana sat quietly.
"Lily just left," Aarav said.
She nodded.
The boys made the babies smile.
Sohan held Riyana's hand.
"I have something to tell you, but I'm scared," she said.
"Baby, just say it. I just want to know what's wrong with you. What's making you so scared?" he said.
Riyana took a deep breath.
"Sohan…"
Her voice trembled.
"I was in a cult."
Sohan's expression changed.
"And they are coming for my daughter," she said.
Sohan's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
The room became completely silent.
The tension grew darker.
A secret buried for years was finally being dragged into the light.
And now, after all those years of silence, Riyana was finally about to reveal the darkest secrets she had ever kept from her family.
Secrets about the ancient cult.
Secrets about the deal.
Secrets about the woman in the temple.
Secrets about the Queen they had been searching for.
Secrets about Lilith.
Secrets about Mhaira.
Secrets about Baneva.
And the terrifying truth about why they wanted their daughter back.
The past had finally found them.
And this time…
It was coming directly for the Shattered Heiress.