Eyes of a man who will bury anyone who hurts what’s his.
Chapter 28
The rage starts the second Viktor Volkov’s name appears on my caller ID.
I’d been expecting something—some show of concern, some acknowledgment of what happened to Elena.
My wife. His daughter.
But no.
He didn’t ask how she was. Didn’t ask if she was healing. Didn’t even pretend to give a damn. He only asked for me.
A meeting. Alone.
Like Elena was nothing but an object on a chessboard they traded away.
I shut that down immediately. If he wanted to speak to me, he would do it with Elena at my side.
And if he didn’t like it, he could go to hell.
The rage simmered all the way through the drive, a slow, steady burn beneath my ribs.
But walking through that house—the house she grew up in, the house that shaped every fear she’s ever had—the fire spreads.
Because they don’t look at her. They don’t speak to her. They don’t even acknowledge her presence.
She stands at my side—my brave, brilliant girl—and her father walks right past her like she’s smoke.
My jaw aches from clenching.
By the time he speaks to her—finally—his first words are a sneer. A dismissal. A slap in the face.
He scoffs at her contribution to the conversation, like she’s too stupid to breathe without permission.
And that’s it.
Something in me snaps.
I lean forward, voice low but vibrating with fury. “I told myself I would be patient,” I say, staring Viktor down. “I told myself that maybe—somehow—you would respect your daughter now that she is my wife.” The room stills. “But I see now that will never happen.”
Viktor lifts his chin, unimpressed.
Elena goes still beside me—mask on, eyes empty—and that only fuels the inferno climbing through my chest.
So I keep going.
“We will honor the alliance,” I say, voice like steel. “Our families will stand together in business, in territory, in the eyes of every enemy we share.” I let the next words sharpen. “But you will never contact Elena again.”
Silence crashes over the room. Viktor’s brows twitch. My mother-in-law pales. Rocco shifts closer to Elena, ready for anything.
“She is the smartest, strongest, kindest woman I have ever known,” I say, locking eyes with the man who raised her to bow.“And if anyone in this house ever disrespects her again… I will not be polite about my response.”
Viktor’s eyes narrow. “Are you threatening me, Moretti?”
“No,” I say calmly. “I’m promising you.” He opens his mouth, but I’m already standing. “Come, Elena. We’re leaving.”
I reach for her hand—but Viktor lifts a hand sharply.
