15. Damian

15

DAMIAN

T he last couple of weeks have been far from easy, and the more time I spend away from home, the more irritable I seem to get.

The Popov family have taken my mother, my father, and even Mikayla away from me, and they’re plotting again. They’ve been trying to undermine us for years, planning, playing dirty. Now, it’s my turn to roll the dice.

And this time, the Volkov will win.

I shouldn’t be back home, but the thought of missing the anniversary of Mikayla’s death wasn’t a pleasant one to me.

I’ve told myself a million times over that I shouldn’t care…it’s not like she was my wife, but it doesn’t matter how many times I repeat it. I did care about Mikayla…loved Mikayla. It was her death that made it clear to me that I wouldn’t fall in love again.

To love is to be weak.

And I’ll never be weak again.

“Микайла, прости меня,” I whisper, my voice barely audible above the howling wind. This was supposed to be my reprieve…my time with Mikayla, even if only for a moment.

But, of course, Annalise is ruining it. She shouldn’t even be here. Stephen is supposed to be watching her.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Annalise?” I snap, my patience worn thin.

“Me?!” She scoffs. “What are you doing here? You didn’t even know my sister. She doesn’t need your flowers.”

She doesn’t know how wrong she is. She doesn’t realize that I knew her sister better than she did.

She doesn’t know that I’m the reason her sister is dead.

I can’t stand to look at Annalise today…it hurts too much with how similar she looks to her sister…her sister who’s six feet under, right behind her.

Mikayla would have wanted me to take care of Annalise, but it’s hard to do that. Annalise is nothing like Mikayla.

In one swift motion, I close the distance between us and roughly grab her arm, gripping it tightly enough to bruise. She flinches at the force of my grip but doesn’t resist, allowing me to drag her away from Mikayla’s grave.

When I look at her, I see something in her eyes. She’s thinking…working something out. But this…what happened to her sister, I’m confident she’ll never find out.

And I won’t be the one telling her either.

The moment we reach the SUV, I notice my guard waiting, his hands shoved in his pockets and a nervous expression plastered on his face. He must have allowed Annalise into the cemetery, against my specific orders.

“Explain,” I growl, tightening my grip on Annalise’s arm as I level my gaze at the guard. He swallows nervously, glancing between me and Annalise.

“Boss, she said she was authorized to be here. She said…” His voice trembles, fear laced through every word.

I don’t care what she said.

“And you believed her?” Without thinking, I pull out my gun and aim it at Stephen, my finger twitching on the trigger.

“Please, Damian, don’t shoot him!” Annalise cries out, genuine concern filling her emerald eyes. “It’s my fault. I lied to him. He didn’t know any better.”

My breathing is ragged, my chest heaving with barely contained fury. The cold metal of the gun feels heavier in my hand than it ever has before. I can sense Annalise’s desperation, her fear for the guard’s life, but I refuse to let it affect me.

“Did you really think she had authorization?” I snarl at the guard, my voice dripping with contempt. “One simple lie and you just let her walk right in? You’re either too dumb to be working underneath me or not loyal enough. Either way, you’re of no use to me.”

“I-I’m sorry, boss,” the guard stammers, terror evident in his wide, pleading eyes. “I thought…I didn’t know.”

He’s a younger guy, but that doesn’t matter to me. If he can’t be loyal, then he knows too much.

“Clearly not,” I spit, resisting the urge to pull the trigger.

“Please, Damian,” Annalise whispers, her voice cracking from the strain of her emotions. I can see the tears welling up in her emerald eyes, but I force myself to look away.

The emotions of a woman have never stopped me from doing what I have to.

“Shut up!” I snap, my resolve hardening. My gaze returns to the trembling guard. “I don’t give second chances. You should have known better.”

“Damian, please,” Annalise pleads again, her words laced with a desperation that I’ve never heard from her before.

In a flash, she wrenches herself from my grasp and moves in front of the guard, her body shielding him from my wrath. Her emerald eyes lock onto mine, challenging me to take her instead.

“Shoot me if you have to, but leave him alone.”

My hand clenches around the cold steel of the gun, my resolve wavering in the face of her unexpected courage. This woman, who I’ve deemed weak and troublesome, now stands before me, willing to sacrifice herself for another. And for what? An act of defiance that would ultimately lead to her own demise?

Why does she do this? What drives her to risk everything for someone she barely knows? It’s inconceivable, and yet, here she stands—a living embodiment of selflessness and bravery. And despite myself, I can’t help but feel a grudging respect for her tenacity.

“Damian,” she says softly, her voice laced with trepidation, “please.”

My grip on the gun loosens ever so slightly, my mind racing with the implications of her actions. I could shoot her. That would make my life a lot easier, but I’d be breaking my promise to Mikayla.

And despite how much I can’t stand Annalise, I don’t want to not ever see her again.

“Move out of the way,” I growl, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

“Promise me you won’t hurt him,” she insists, her gaze unwavering.

“Annalise—” the guard begins to protest, but she silences him with a look.

“Promise me, Damian.”

“I don’t bargain.”

“Then pull the trigger.”

I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to unleash the fury within me. But as I stare into those defiant green eyes, I know that, for once, I’ve lost.

“Get in the car,” I order, my voice low and dangerous. My hand wraps around her upper arm, fingers digging into her flesh as I shove her toward the vehicle. I see her wince, but she remains silent, knowing better than to push me further. As she stumbles forward, I can’t shake the thought that this woman has just shown me a side of herself I never expected.

“Step back, and count yourself lucky,” I hiss at the guard. He swallows hard and nods, understanding the unspoken warning—there will be no third chances.

“Y-yes, sir,” he manages to stutter out. Though I can tell he’s shaken, I refuse to let my gaze falter. It’s important for him to know where he stands in this moment, toeing the line between life and death.

One more mistake, and not even Annalise will be able to save him.

With one last glare, I turn away from the guard and focus on Annalise. Already seated in the car, she avoids looking directly at me, her emerald eyes glistening with unshed tears. It’s evident she’s scared, but there’s a flicker of defiance still burning within her.

As I slide into the driver’s seat, the cold leather beneath me does little to quell the fire raging inside. My hands grip the steering wheel tightly, knuckles turning white with the effort to maintain control over my emotions.

“Damian…” Her voice quivers, like the plucked string of a violin. “I only wanted?—”

“No!” I snap, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I don’t want to hear a single word.”

Her mouth snaps shut, but I can feel her gaze on me, burning through my defenses.

For once, she obeys me, but it’s clear that won’t always be the case.