"God," I whispered, stepping inside. "What... what is this?"
Yuri swore under his breath. "We need to call him–"
But I wasn't listening. My eyes had found the vanity. Carved deep into the wood were the wordsSTRIP HER BARE.
I touched the letters with trembling fingers.
The door slammed open, and Mikhail stormed in with his eyes blazing. "What happened here?!"
I didn't turn. "You tell me," I said softly.
"Who did this, Isabella?!"
I looked at him finally. He was barefoot and standing in ruins.
"A calling card," I said, my tone grave. "From the Italians."
My eyes lifted to his. "They're promising to strip me bare.”
Chapter Eighteen
Mikhail’s POV
I couldn't breathe, I just stared at the destruction. Her dresses in shreds, her broken mirror, and the scent of her perfume mixing with the stench of fear and anger. Every inch of that room screamed violation.
Then I saw them, the guards and my men. They were standing frozen by the door like scared dogs.
"What happened?" I asked in a quiet, low tone. But no one answered, and my vision went red.
"You had one job," I said. "To protect her."
Still nothing, just silence. The kind that made my blood hum like fire. I moved fast, and my hand shot out, grabbed one by the collar, and slammed him into the wall. "Where were you? Where were you when all this happened?"
He stammered something about checking the cameras. I didn't care. My fist connected with his jaw. The other guard triedto stop me, but I turned on him, too. Then, I heard a blur, the sound of a bone cracking, or was it a scream?
"Mikhail," Viktor's voice thundered from behind. He grabbed my shoulder, yanking me back. "Enough! That's enough! You're going to kill them!"
"They failed her!" I roared, with my chest heaving. "They let this happen under my roof!"
Viktor stepped in front of me, blocking my next swing. His face was calm, but his eyes weren't. "And what then? You'll kill half of your men and still wake up to the same enemy tomorrow?"
I was shaking, and my knuckles were bleeding. I didn't even feel it.
"She could've been here, Viktor," I said, in a breaking voice. "She could've been here when they came."
Viktor's tone softened. "But she wasn't. You got lucky tonight, don't waste it."
I turned away, trying to breathe, but the sight of her room made it impossible. Every broken mirror, every torn thread made it all personal. Like they were mocking me or mocking her.
Viktor looked around slowly. "You think beating your men will fix this?"
"They need to fear me more than they fear our enemies," I muttered.
He let out a low, bitter laugh. "Fear doesn't make them loyal, Mikhail. It makes them stupid."
I glared at him, with my jaw tight. "You don't understand."
"I do," he said, stepping closer. "You're losing control, Mikhail. And when you do, she'll be the one you destroy."
