Chapter 4 A Deal with the Devil

Anastasiya sat in the vast library, eyes flicking across titles she couldn't focus on. Every breath she took reminded her of the truth:

She was the daughter of a murdered Russian kingpin...

Now a slave in the home of the billionaire nephew of her family's executioner.

A man she hated.

A man she... couldn't stop thinking about.

What the hell was wrong with her?

She traced a finger along the spine of a book.

"Enemies or not," she muttered, "he won't break me."

Behind her, Damien entered silently. He always did that-like a shadow. Always watching.

"You said something?" he asked, a glass of whiskey in hand.

"I said," she turned, "if you want to kill me, do it already."

He chuckled darkly, sipping. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have woken up this morning, princess."

"Stop calling me that," she snapped.

He smirked. "But that's what you are, right? Orlov's only daughter. The Bratva's lost royalty."

Her face tightened.

"Don't pretend like you're not just like them," she hissed. "Mafia. Blood. Power. All of you are the same."

Damien stepped closer, lowering the glass.

"Wrong," he said coldly. "I don't want power. I want answers. And you-you're the only one who can help me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I help you?"

"Because," he whispered, "someone inside this house wants you dead. And if I hadn't moved you here, you'd already be in a body bag."

Her blood ran cold.

---

Meanwhile – Hidden Surveillance Room, Underground Level

Mateo watched the camera feed on six monitors.

He zoomed in on Damien and Anastasiya in the library, expression grim.

"She's more dangerous than she looks," he muttered.

A voice behind him agreed.

"She's the fuse," the woman in black leather said, "and when she explodes, every Castellano secret goes up in flames."

---

Back in the Library

Damien placed a file on the desk. "Read it."

Anastasiya hesitated... then opened it.

What she saw made her stomach drop.

Photos. Emails. A contract.

A document proving her father had been betrayed... by his own brother.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Her name was on the contract.

As a pawn.

A trade.

Between the Bratva and the Castellanos.

She had been sold before she turned fifteen.

"I didn't know," Damien said softly. "But now I do."

Anastasiya's hands shook. Her entire childhood, everything she survived, had been a lie.

"You're all monsters," she whispered.

He stepped closer. "Then become one."

She looked up.

"What?"

"Stop pretending to be weak," Damien growled. "They think you're just a broken girl. Prove them wrong. Use me."

A pause.

"What's the catch?"

He leaned in, his breath brushing her cheek. "You play by my rules."

She hated how her pulse quickened.

This man-this enemy-was offering her the one thing she never had.

Power.

---

Later That Night – Damien's Bedroom

He laid in bed, eyes open, thinking.

His cousin had warned him.

"You fall for her, you die."

But Damien wasn't worried about death.

He was worried about the way she looked at him now.

Like she might burn the world... and take him with her.

---

Elsewhere – Brooklyn Safehouse

The woman in red placed her glass down and spoke to the faceless man in the shadows.

"It's time. The girl has remembered. Now we move to Phase Two."

He nodded. "And Damien?"

"Kill him... but not yet. Let the girl do it for us."

She smiled cruelly.

---

Back at the Mansion – Final Scene

Anastasiya stood on the rooftop balcony. Wind whipping her hair. She stared at the skyline.

Damien joined her quietly.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She didn't turn. "To burn my past?"

"No," he said. "To own it."

She finally looked at him.

"I want revenge, Damien. Every single person who sold me. Who betrayed my family. I want them to choke on their own power."

He reached out and handed her a black card.

It had only one symbol on it.

A crow with blood dripping from its beak.

The symbol of the underground mafia tribunal.

"The next meeting is in Italy," he said. "If we walk in together... they'll think you're mine."

She smirked.

"Let them think that."

But deep down, neither of them knew...

Who would betray who first?