Chapter — The Officer’s Dilemma

Mikhail’s POV

The dimly lit warehouse reeked of gasoline, iron, and something more pungent—fear. Mikhail leaned against the sleek black table, a cigarette dangling lazily from his lips, his fingers toying with the gleaming silver lighter in his hand.

Across from him, bound to a chair, sat Senior Officer Elijah Carter. Valarie’s boyfriend. A man with too much integrity for his own good.

Mikhail exhaled a slow stream of smoke, watching with amusement as Elijah struggled against the tight ropes biting into his wrists. The officer’s jaw was clenched, eyes burning with defiance, but Mikhail could see the flicker of uncertainty in them.

Good.

“Do you know why you’re here?” Mikhail asked, his voice smooth as silk, yet carrying a deadly edge.

Elijah spat blood onto the floor, his lip split from an earlier scuffle. “I don’t give a damn about your games, Mikhail. You should be rotting in a cell.”

Mikhail chuckled, shaking his head. “So noble. So righteous.” He stepped closer, the soles of his Italian leather shoes clicking against the concrete floor. “It’s adorable, really. But let’s cut to the chase, shall we?”

He crouched down, meeting Elijah’s furious glare head-on.

“I want Valarie off my back,” Mikhail said, voice low, dangerous. “And you’re going to help me make that happen.”

Elijah barked out a laugh, despite the pain. “You’re insane if you think I’d betray her.”

Mikhail smirked, flicking his lighter open with a soft click. A flame danced to life.

“Oh, Officer,” he murmured, “I don’t need you to betray her. I just need you to… redirect her.”

Elijah’s brow furrowed, wary. “What the hell does that mean?”

Mikhail leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.

“It means,” he said, “I need her to choose between you and her precious baby brother.”

Elijah stilled.

Mikhail grinned, sensing the hesitation.

“You see,” Mikhail continued, standing back up, “Valarie’s greatest weakness is her love for Luca. She’ll do anything to keep him safe. But you?” He chuckled. “You’re a liability. A cop. Her conscience.” He sighed, mockingly disappointed. “I can’t have you interfering. So I’m giving you a choice.”

Elijah’s hands curled into fists.

Mikhail leaned down, gripping the officer’s chin with brutal force.

“Either you convince her to back off and focus on protecting her precious Luca,” he said, his voice deadly, “or I make sure you loses her forever.”

Elijah’s breath hitched, but his glare didn’t waver.

Mikhail smirked. “Tick-tock, Officer. Your time’s running out.”

*******

— The Grand Plan

Mikhail stood in his lavish penthouse, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city that Damien ruled like a king. His lips curled into a smirk. That kingdom wouldn’t stand much longer.

Damien had made a fatal mistake—he let his emotions control him. Love. Obsession. Family. Weaknesses.

Mikhail sipped his whiskey, the amber liquid burning down his throat as he spread a map of Damien’s empire across the glass table. Red markers dotted key locations—ports, warehouses, businesses, people.

Each one would crumble. Slowly. Methodically. Until Damien was left with nothing.

Step One: Cut Off His Allies.

Mikhail tapped a finger over names. Damien’s strongest backups. It also includes Valarie Ivanov.A force of her own. But she had one weakness—her heart. She was ruthless officer, but love softened even the deadliest of predators.

Elijah would be the perfect weapon. If he didn’t bend, Mikhail would break him. And if Valarie had to choose , he knew exactly which way she’d lean.

Step Two: Bleed Him Dry.

Mikhail’s men were already making moves, infiltrating Damien’s businesses. Slowly, subtly. While he's busy in his family and finding him .A missing shipment here, a disrupted deal there. Small losses that would add up. The cracks would spread, weakening his empire.

And when Damien finally noticed? It would be too late.

Step Three: Isolate Him.

Once Damien was desperate, isolated, and cornered, Mikhail would strike where it hurt the most—Luca.

Mikhail’s smirk widened.

Luca was the key to Damien’s destruction. He wasn’t just an obsession; he was Damien’s only obsession.

And once Damien had nothing left but that fragile, beautiful boy?

Mikhail would take everything.

******

— Crossroads

Elijah’s POV

Elijah sat in his car outside the station, gripping the small velvet box in his hands. Inside, the ring gleamed under the dim light, a symbol of the future he had imagined with Valarie. A future where she was safe, where they built something together away from the blood and chaos she constantly drowned herself in.

He had it all planned. A quiet dinner, a moment just for them, away from the weight of her brother’s war. But now…

His grip tightened around the box as Mikhail’s words echoed in his mind.

"Keep her out of Damien’s mess, or she dies."

Elijah had heard threats before—he was a senior officer, after all—but this was different. This was Mikhail solkov. A man who didn’t bluff. A man who saw life as a chessboard, and right now, Valarie was a piece in his way.

The worst part? He wasn’t wrong.

Valarie was in too deep. She had always been reckless, but this? Allying with Damien Volkov? A man as dangerous—if not more—than Mikhail himself? It was suicide.

She would never listen. She was too stubborn, too loyal.

But if he made her step away…

Elijah slammed his fist against the steering wheel, torn between his love for Valarie and the undeniable truth—if she kept going down this path, she would die. And this time, he wouldn’t be able to save her.

His fingers curled around the ring box once more.

Did he love her enough to walk away?

Or did he love her enough to stop her?

******