Chapter 1 Welcome to the House of Ivanov

FILI DISTRICT, MOSCOW IN RUSSIA–7 PM*

"I shouldn't be here."

That was the only thought bouncing back and forth in Tessa's mind as she came out of the bus, stepping on snow right in front of the ruthless Ivanov clan.

It's a silent January night, but the silence is damn foreboding in this part of the city, and snowflakes are making a whimsical show as they pour from the dark sky.

She adjusted the duffel bag sling on her shoulder, swallowing hard as she checked herself out.

She's wearing black jean pants and a button-down shirt, and there's no bulge of breasts on her chest. Her hair is short and trimmed, and she's wearing male boots too.

Anyone will think she's a boy right now, and that's her main goal.

She's gonna live as a boy in here, in this devilish clan.

Her name is Tessa Moretti, but the moment she steps into the gate, she'll be Micah Alvarez.

She took another look at the gate and gulped again.

The gate is imposing, 12-foot high, crafted from clad iron and adorned with the clan's insignia.

The statue of a large viper snake swallowing a rat stood in front of the gate, looking sinister.

She's not sure of what to expect inside, but the fact that it's already giving her chills without entering is scary.

Any normal human being will go back, but she's far from normal.

She has witnessed so much gore and horror in her life that she's ready for whatever is coming.

She took six firm steps to the smaller gate, and she brought out her phone which had the QR code she received yesterday.

She scanned it on the gate screen, and the small gate opened almost immediately.

She stepped in, meeting herself in the middle of several guys who were obviously here to become a part of the clan like her.

They're all huge and tattooed, but some have small builds like her too.

That didn't change the fact that she looks the most fragile of all of them, and she hates it.

Some of the guys gave her strange looks, and she knew what they were thinking immediately.

Probably wondering what a feminine boy is doing in a mafia compound.

'Well... well... I'm a girl'

She didn't say that out loud though.

She continued looking around since none of the guys were ready to start a conversation with her.

"Form a straight line!" an order came from a wired loud megaphone.

Though no one saw who made the order, they all complied and started struggling to get in line.

During the rush, one of the guys pushed Tessa, and she wasn't warned before she fell on the ground.

She sprang up and pulled the guy back, her eyes flashing anger.

"You pushed me, dumbass!" she glared, and the rude-looking guy scoffed, brushing her off.

"So what? Little man" he said.

The rest of the guys began laughing in mockery.

Tessa's short temper took over immediately, and she sent her right fist to his face, punching him hard.

Her knuckle ring left a cut on the bastard's face, and the laughter from others stopped as his eyes widened.

He obviously wasn't expecting it.

"You little...

He was about to come closer when another order came from the megaphone.

"Move!"

The others started moving, maintaining the straight line.

"I hope we both get accepted, I'll kill you," the guy told Tessa with a malicious snarl before going to join the line.

"Sick fucker" Tessa replied with a piercing glare from her blue eyes as she joined the line too.

She's the last in line, so she just moved with their flow as the line moved.

The clan is vast, and the compound is like a heated volcano.

Orange-coloured lights cast a mystical glow on the walls, weaving the shadows of the thugs and mobsters across the property.

Hefty guards are patrolling the perimeter too, their figures threatening.

Tessa could already see mobsters strolling everywhere, all looking wild and different from the guys she encountered in the outside world.

Almost every guy is huge with bulging muscles and tattoos... Even the girls are tattooed and tall.

Yeah...there are girls in the clan too, but they stopped initiating girls two years ago for unknown reasons, and that's why she had to disguise herself as a boy.

There are several buildings, suites, annexes, and residential wings in the compound, spreading to the end where there's a forest.

The other newbies who are in line with her are busy chatting about what life in here would look like, and some are already eyeing the girls.

Tessa just clamped her mouth shut, expecting they get to their destination as she walked on the snowy ground.

The weather is so cold, and she's starting to freeze, so she hugged herself, sniffling.

A Chevrolet suddenly drove past their line like a thunderclap, leaving scorching tyre tracks on the snow.

The car screeched to a halt in a park not far from them, and the back door opened.

A guy stepped out of it.

No... a robot will fit him better cos he looks inhumane and so fuçking statuesque. His face is a mask of stone, eyes empty of emotion.

Tessa felt his halo even from her spot.

Ranging from his arctic eyes, dark sprawled hair, buff tattooed body which is definitely friendly with the gym, straight legs, stiff shoulders, and unfeeling essence.

He's as cold as winter, and there's a small scar on his chin, but that only adds to his handsomeness.

He's devilishly attractive, not that she cares.

There's a cross necklace dangling from his neck, and his face is eerily calm.

He looks almost...dead.

Two girls came down from the car too, and is it possible to like girls like you at first sight? Cos Tessa liked them immediately.

They're wearing the same thing completely.

Leather trousers, leather crop tops showing off their belly buttons, leather hats, and black shoes.

They look like twin warriors, but it's obvious they're not twins, maybe besties.

Their faces and hands are stained with blood, and Tessa knew immediately that they were just coming from a mission.

They bowed to the guy before leaving, and when the guy made to leave too, his eyes met Tessa's.

Any normal person would look away from those eyes, but once again, Tessa is far from normal.

She kept up with the stare, and she clearly saw a smirk lift the corner of his lips, but before she could figure out what it meant, his hand flew forward, and he threw a blade towards her.

Her eyes widened, and he moved backwards quickly, but not quickly enough cos the blade gave her a slight cut on the right cheek before flying to the wall, getting stuck there.

She gasped, touching her cheek as a small blood trickled out, staining her fingers.

She looked back in his direction, but he was already gone.

She wiped the blood with her shirt and gritted her teeth.

Is it possible to hate someone to death at first sight? It's happening to her right now.

Who does he think he is?

"Stop!" the voice came from the megaphone again, and they all came to a stop in front of a small building.

"I think we have to wait for more instructions here," one of the guys said, and the line scattered as some sat on the ground to rest.

The guy from before came back immediately...the one punched by Tessa.

He grabbed her by the collar, making her duffel bag slip from her shoulder to the pavement with a thud.

"You're dead! Bastard!" he seethed venomously.

"Same to you!" Tessa grabbed his collar too.

The others gathered around, ready to watch the impending fight.

HOUSE OF IVANOVS*

It's the biggest building in the clan, and every damn rule comes from here.

Every meeting about the Bratva or the family happens here too, and right now, one of those meetings is starting in three minutes.

Inside the house, Yulia and Sergei are already seated, waiting for the children's arrival. It's a family meeting this time.

Yulia wore a lace-trimmed dress which echoed Russian heritage, and her hands were gloved to the elbows.

Her short hair is permed, and her stoic face commands attention.

Sergei is beside her, his tailored tux matching his fit body. He looks older but still fit.

His face is a map of hardening experience, his jaw set in line.

They're both in their fifties.

Three minutes later, Mira came in, the first child.

She's always the first to arrive.

There's a knife with her which she's checking out with a sadistic smile__She has a frenzied obsession with knives actually.

She settled in front of the parents, no words spoken as she rested back.

Almost immediately, Dante came in... the second child.

"Why the fûck is Enzo not here yet? He came back from the mission already" he said with a glare as he settled beside Mira.

"Are you disappointed that he's not here to pick a fight with?" Mira replied without looking at him.

"Shut up, Mira" Dante replied, and Mira's knife found its way to the middle of his legs.

"The fûck!" he grabbed her hand, but Mira kept it there tightly, pressing the knife down.

"Know your damn place, else... I'll cut it and make it into skewers" she smiled threateningly at him.

The parents just looked on, not adding a word.

Bianca came in next, the last child.

She's wearing a bikini, wet from the pool water, and she's holding an arrow and a bow.

"I was practicing at the pool when I remembered the meeting. No one should talk about my appearance" she said, taking her seat too.

"Pretty sure someone with a worse appearance is on his way" Dante replied gruffly, and as if to confirm his words, Sin came in... the fourth child.

He's totally naked!

NAKED!

His huge standing dîck danced wildly in front of him as he strode with a grin, his right arm covered completely with dark tattoos.

"Was on top of a bîtch when I remembered the meeting. It was too late to wear anything" he chuckled, sitting beside Bianca.

No one replied.

It's not his first time walking around naked as if he's crazy in the head.

They waited five more minutes, but Enzo never came.

"As usual, he'll keep us waiting for one hour? Enzo is mad" Sin said, and Dante sprang up, bolting out of the house.

CLAN FOREST*

In the forest at the end of the clan compound, there's a low mountain, and on the mountain, there's a black manor.

The manor is Enzo's home, he loves his privacy that way.

Dante climbed up the mountain in a fit of rage, anger radiating off him till he got to the manor.

He was about to break the door down with his gun when he remembered it's not penetrable, so he switched to kicking.

He kicked it hard, and the walls shook with the violence.

"Enzo!!!" he yelled, but only the echo of his own voice came back, so he kicked again, more aggressively this time.

He continued the kicks till he got tired of it, so he went back down the mountain.

He came back minutes later with a keg of gasoline and matches.

He wet the door and windows with the gasoline and was about to light the matches on it...

"That'll be fun to watch" Enzo's chilly voice finally spoke, and he turned swiftly to see him standing beside a huge stone, not far from the manor.

He has been watching him since the beginning, enjoying Dante's madness.

Dante dropped the unlit matches and walked fast to him.

He threw him a punch, and Enzo could have clearly avoided it, but he chose not to.

He smiled devilishly immediately the punch met his face, but then he returned it sharply.

The force of his punch sent Dante to the ground with a bruise, and he smirked.

It's a known fact to every living and nonliving thing in the clan that Enzo is stronger than any fuçking body, but Dante is not ready for that conversation.

The fact that he's older than Enzo makes him always want to boss, but Enzo is not to be bossed.

Before Dante could stand, Enzo was already going down the mountain.

Dante stood, grinding his teeth as his anger got refined.

He wants to kill Enzo right now.

He always wants to.