Victoria's head snaps up. Confusion floods her face, genuine and unguarded. "What?"
"The jewelry store." Maksim's tone stays level. Dangerous in its calm. "Robbed last week. Two million in inventory stolen. Our security guard was shot. Nearly died."
"That wasn't us." Victoria's response is immediate. Absolute. No hesitation. No calculation. Just truth delivered with the force of certainty. "We would never—"
"Now is not the time for more secrets, Victoria." Maksim leans forward slightly. His scarred knuckles press against the desk edge. "This is too serious. Someone almost got killed. We need everything out in the open."
"It wasn't us!" Victoria surges to her feet, her voice is immediate. "I would know. I'm the one who has final approval on every operation. We've never hurt anyone. Never. Even when some of those bastards deserved it."
Her voice cracks. Urgency bleeding through every syllable.
I watch her stance. The way her weight distributes evenly despite the emotion. The way her uninjured hand forms a fist at her side. Fighter's instinct even when she's cornered.
"Someone is pretending to be Eryan Nis." She looks between all of us, desperate for us to understand. Her eyes are red-rimmed but sharp. "Using our name. Our reputation. I don't know why or to what end, but you have to believe me. We didn't attack you. We wouldn't."
I believe her.
The certainty settles in my bones with the weight of absolute truth. Years of reading people—allies, enemies, assets, liabilities—have taught me to recognize truth under pressure.
She's not lying.
The confusion when Maksim mentioned Éclat was genuine. The horror in her eyes at the thought of violence against an innocent man is real. The kind of visceral rejection that can't be faked.
"I believe you," I say.
Her gaze snaps to mine. Hope flickers through the fear like light through cracks.
"I believe you too," Alexei adds, his voice rough but sincere.
We both look at Maksim. Waiting. He's the one who needs to decide. The Pakhan. The final authority.
Maksim studies Victoria for a long time.
Then he nods once.
The relief that crashes over Victoria is visible. Physical. Her exhale is audible across the room, like she's been holding oxygen hostage for hours. Her whole body trembles with the release of tension.
Then her legs give out.
She drops back into the armchair. No grace. No control. Just sudden collapse as adrenaline drains and leaves nothing but exhaustion in its wake.
Her hands shake as she stares down at them. Picks at the gauze on her burned palm with nervous, unconscious movements that make me want to cross the room and still her fingers with mine.
Silent tears start to fall. Tracking down her cheeks without sound. Without drama. Just pure emotional overload finally breaking through.
Alexei takes a tentative step toward her. Stops. His usual certainty fractured.
"I never betrayed you," Victoria whispers, still looking at her hands. Her voice is barely audible. "Yes, at the beginning, I saw this arrangement as a way to fund operations. The money you paid me could save lives. Help women who had nowhere else to turn. But with time..."
She trails off. Takes a shuddering breath that makes her shoulders rise and fall.
She lifts her head. Looks at each of us in turn. Her eyes are red. Wet. But clear. No evasion. No masks.
"I fell in love with you." The words come out steady despite the tears. "All three of you. I love you."
Alexei moves before the confession fully registers. Drops to his knees in front of her chair with zero ceremony. Takes her face in his hands and kisses away her tears.
"I'm sorry," he murmurs between kisses. His voice breaks on the words. "I'm so sorry I thought you were betraying us. That I didn't trust you enough to ask first.Kotyonok, I love you."
