I open my mouth to warn Jelena. To scream. To run.
But she doesn't react. Doesn't look surprised. Doesn't move away from him. Doesn't show any of the fear or shock flooding my system like ice water.
No.
The betrayal hits like a physical blow. Harder than Ramiz could hit me with his fists. Steals oxygen from my lungs and strength from my legs.
Not Jelena. Not her. Not the woman who stood beside me when we built this organization from nothing. Who risked her life on operations. Who believed in what we were doing. Who I trusted more than anyone except maybe the men I'm now questioning.
"Finally." Ramiz's voice is smooth. Pleased. Like he's been waiting for entertainment and it's finally arrived. "It took longer than I expected, but here you are."
I look at Jelena. Searching her face for explanation. For denial. For anything that makes this not what it so obviously is.
She won't meet my eyes. Her gaze stays fixed somewhere past my shoulder. Jaw tight. Expression carefully blank. A stranger wearing Jelena's face.
"I was negotiating with your father for the same arrangement Maksim made," Ramiz continues, standing slowly. Deliberately. The gun stays pointed in my general direction. Casual. Confident. "But Maksim beat me to it. Married you first taking away my leverage with Arthur."
He walks around the desk. Each step measured. Controlled. The gun never wavering.
"But this works out better," he says, and his smile makes my skin crawl. "Because now I get to keep you for myself. Kill the Severyns and take over their operations. And blame it all on Eryan Nis."
He laughs. The sound echoes wrong in the small space. Too loud. Too pleased.
"Your vigilante persona will take the fall for destroying your own organization. For killing the men who tried to help you. For everything. It's poetic, really. Beautiful in its simplicity."
I can't process what he's saying. Can't move beyond the fact that Jelena is standing there. Silent. Complicit. Betraying everything we built together.
"Why?" The word tears out of me. Raw. Broken. Looking at her. Only her. Needing to understand how the woman I called sister could do this. "Why are you doing this?"
"You're too infatuated with them to see what's in front of you." Jelena's voice is flat. Cold. Nothing like the woman I thought I knew. "When we started this operation, we agreed. Revenge.Justice. Taking down the men who profit from women's suffering."
Her voice rises. Gets sharp. Cutting.
"The Severyns were part of the Valkov Bratva. The same organization that trafficked me. That destroyed my life. So I made an alliance with Ramiz. Enemy of my enemy. Basic strategy. He wants the Severyns' territory. I want them dead. I want everyone who ever wore that tattoo dead."
"Jelena, that's not—" I start.
"How do you explain the tattoos then?" she interrupts. Voice getting louder. More aggressive. Pain bleeding through the anger.
"I don't know," I admit. My voice cracking under the weight of uncertainty. Under the crushing realization that I might have been blind. That wanting to be loved might have made me vulnerable to people who would use that want against me. "But I know they wouldn't traffic women."
"Actually," Ramiz interjects, his tone almost cheerful. "I can clarify the tattoo situation for you both."
We look at him. Pulled from our confrontation by his interruption.
"I had the warehouse thief marked with the Valkov tattoo," he says, examining his gun like it's mildly interesting. "Paid him well. Very well. More money than he'd see in a lifetime. Just tospread confusion. To make everyone chase ghosts. To see what the Severyns would do when their past came back."
He shrugs. Casual. Like he's describing a mildly clever business strategy instead of psychological warfare.
"Worked perfectly. Got them chasing shadows while I set this up. Vitor was harder to convince. But everybody has a price…. And an expiration date."
He turns slightly. Looks at Jelena with cold assessment. Eyes going flat. Emotionless. The look of a man who's decided someone has outlived their usefulness.
"And this is yours"
The gun moves. Swings smoothly. Points directly at Jelena's chest.
"Wait—" Jelena starts. Her eyes going wide. Finally showing fear. Finally understanding that betrayal cuts both ways.
