Chapter Five

AVV Airpro, chartered cargo service, based at Chi?in?u International Airport, Moldova...

The feeling of coming home overwhelmed Bogdan as the door of the Guzun’s Bombardier Challenger 600 private jet opened. Although he had been born in Romania, Moldova had been his home and where he had spent most of his life.

Stepping off the jet onto the tarmac, his heart was heavy with a mixture of emotions. The familiar scent of Moldova filled his lungs, a bittersweet reminder of the life he had once known. Memories flooded his mind, each one a poignant reminder of the happiness he”d had a brief taste of and lost. If only he could say he had been happy here. In all honesty, he had never experienced happiness as a grownup. Correction, he had... until he had been thrown in jail to keep him away from Zafira. Upon his return, all hope for finding love and happiness had dissipated. This time was no different.

As his feet touched the ground, a profound sense of emptiness washed over him. This place, once a sanctuary, now felt like a hollow shell, devoid of the warmth and love he had once cherished. Zafira’s rejection had left a gaping wound on his soul, and though he had tried to move on, the pain lingered like a persistent specter, haunting his every step.

Bogdan’s gaze swept across the familiar landscape, his eyes betraying the turmoil that raged within. The vibrant colors that had once captivated him now appeared muted, as if the world itself had lost its luster. Each breath carried the weight of a thousand regrets, and he found himself longing for the peace that had eluded him for so long.

Clenching his fists, Bogdan fought against the tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He had made his choice, and there was no turning back. Russia beckoned—a new chapter in his life, a fresh start with his son and family. Yet the emptiness in his heart refused to abate, a constant reminder of the love he had lost and the dreams that had shattered.

With a heavy sigh, Bogdan forced himself to move forward, each step a testament to his resilience. The air tasted different, foreign on his lips, as if mocking his attempts to find solace in this place he had once called home. But he knew, deep down, that home was no longer a place but a state of mind—one he had yet to attain.

As he made his way toward the Guzun’s private hangar, Bogdan’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly, a silent acknowledgment of the weight he carried.

Get a hold of yourself, Rusu. You were gone just over a year. It wasn’t a lifetime. Besides, this isn’t home anymore.

Moldova was but a fleeting stop on his journey, a reminder of what once was and what could have been. His destiny lay elsewhere, in the embrace of a new life he had yet to fully seize.

You made that choice before you left. Live with it.

“About time you came home.” Vadim’s voice penetrated his stalemate brain as he entered the vast open space of the hangar. “See, Arian, I told you if there was one person who could get through his thick skull and get him back here, it’s our little sis.”

“That you did.” Arian’s voice sounded like it always did—devoid of emotion, but when Bogdan’s eyes clashed with his, the elation to see him again shone brightly in their depths.

“I have just set foot on Moldavian soil, and you’re pissing me off already,” Bogdan’s deep voice rumbled from his throat as he struggled to subdue the happiness at seeing the two boys again. “And you wonder why I stayed away so long.”

“Bullshit, Bogdan. You’re family, and one never forgets that.” Vadim drew him into a strong man hug. “You definitely won’t. You’re our second Dad, you old coot, and you know it.”

“You can stop feeding me honey, pup. I’m already here,” Bogdan grumbled—as always, he was uncomfortable to be the center of attention and to be faffed over. He loved the Guzun kids; he always had. Apart from Arian, he had been there when they were born, but the life he had lived as a Bratva had taught him to keep his emotions locked away. However, for the first time, it was a struggle to control the lock to the chains that kept his heart intact. Opening the gates years ago to Zafira had only brought him heartache. It had been a harsh lesson and one that had cemented the resolve to never be caught in the same trap again. Andrei might be his son, and deep in his heart he believed it was true, but until Bogdan saw proof of that, even he would be kept at a distance.

“You disappearing on us in the first place was uncalled for, Bogdan.” Arian walked toward him. Based on the gasps of surprise echoing through the hangar, Bogdan and everyone else were shocked to witness Arian locking his arms around the big man. For long moments, Arian didn’t say a word. His voice was filled with emotion when he eventually talked.

“I fucking missed you, old timer. Don’t you ever do that to us again. You can go wherever you want for however long you need, but you don’t just cut off all communication. I need to know that you’re safe. Do you hear me, Tat? Bogdan?”

“Fuck, Arian!” Bogdan’s body solidified. It was the one thing he had always envied Viktor from the day of his return and stood witness to the woman he loved holding her son... a son he had wanted to be his. For Arian to honor him by calling him father showed just how strong that bond had been from that first day he had taken his little baby hand in greeting.

“He’s right. You’ve been much more than an advisor to us, and even though you’ve always been a best friend, you also became a father to us. If not for your guidance over the years since Dad passed away, we would never have been able to thrive in the family business as we did.” Vadim gestured toward Vanya who approached them with Andrei’s hand protectively around her waist. “Besides, even Andrei admitted that you’re the only one who can keep our little sis in line.”

“Destul, Vadim,” Vanya said with a sweet smile.

From the look on her brother’s face, Bogdan could see he was struggling to come to terms with the change in her. Gone was the spitting cobra who would curse and lash out at the smallest provocation. Pregnancy had softened the hard shell of the Bratva princess. His heart warmed as she hugged his arm against her.

“Besides, our little boy needs his grandfather by his side.” She looked at Andrei, who nodded after a questioning look at Bogdan. He was caught by surprise since he had believed everyone would already know about the new development. Vanya continued, thereby confirming they had kept the news a secret until this very moment. “His real grandfather.” She all but shimmied on the spot. “Meet Bogdan Rusu, the true and confirmed blood father of Andrei Balan, now Rusu, and the grandfather of our children.” Her eyes glowed with excitement and an emotion that swelled his heart to bursting... pride. “And now truly also my tat?.”

“So, Janos Smirnoff was lying all along just to hurt our mother. Blyad’! Such an asshole,” Vadim said.

“Remember, I did my own investigation after he tried to convince me Viktor was my father,” Andrei interjected. “It turns out they did four DNA comparison tests. Only one showed a match to mine. Unfortunately, at the time, the samples were tagged with numbers, and no one could supply names.” He shrugged. “I followed my gut and had DNA tests done using a hairbrush of Bogdan’s after Janos was killed. The results were conclusive. Bogdan is the man who gave me life.”

“So, you didn’t only lie to me about Viktor... you betrayed me that night as well, for a second time?”

The blood in Bogdan’s body chilled at the clipped words floating toward him from behind. It took all the strength he could muster to turn and face the woman who still seemed to have the ability to crush his soul.

Zafira struggled to keep the anger from exploding inside her as Andrei’s words kept milling around her mind, mocking her with the reminder that Bogdan’s supposed love had been nothing but a game all those years ago.

“Bogdan is the man who gave me life.”

Her father had been right. Bogdan Rusu had been nothing but an opportunist, leeching on the power and wealth of the Guzuns. She had been a fool to keep him by her side as her protector all these years, hoping that one day he would man up and take her away from Viktor... from a man she had come to love and hate with equal fervor.

He had manned up, alright... but only to swing his dick around and fathered a man she had accepted into her life as one of her own.

How fucked up is that? I took Andrei into my heart as if he was my own son. I love that boy as much as I do my own children. And now...

With difficulty, she suppressed the desire to claw at her throat as it felt like she was being suffocated. Betrayal was a hard pill to swallow. This time, it turned sideways in her throat.

“Excuse me?”

Bogdan was suddenly in front of her without her noticing him moving. For such a big man, he had an amazing ability to move as fast as lightning. It took all her willpower to keep her feet cemented to the spot. She refused to cower in the face of his growing anger and resentment.

“I betrayed you? Please explain how exactly I did anything of the kind that night, Ms. Guzun?”

It didn’t slip Zafira’s mind that he deliberately denounced her status as Comare of the family by using her name—something he had never done before. The tear in her heart slowly stretched wider.

“I was a single man, unattached, if it’s even necessary for me to remind you of that fact. I had no reason to keep my dick zipped up... not that night or any other night, for that matter.” He leaned closer and sneered into her face. “You made that choice, Zafira Guzun. You and you alone.”

“Me? Blyad’, Bogdan Rusu! You were the one who disappeared. I refused to get married, even on the day of the wedding. I opposed my father until...” She swallowed the words back, suddenly unwilling to blurt out in front of her children, who adored this man, just how corrupt he had been. Her chin tilted back as she looked at him with regal dismissiveness. “And he was right. You never pitched up at the wedding.” Her lips curled derisively. “In fact, you didn’t show your face until a year later... Do I need to remind you of that?”

Bogdan’s eyes narrowed ominously as he leaned back to stare at her. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“I fucking don’t believe this. All these years, I thought you knew... that Viktor would’ve... he never told you, did he?”

“Told me what? Stop talking in riddles, Bogdan, and spit out what you’re blabbering about.”

“I was in prison, Zafira. It happened when we arrived back in Moldova, a couple of days after the bachelor party. I was on my way back home from meeting you. I was accosted, knocked out, and I woke up in a hellhole prison in Moscow.”

“I don’t... but why? How is it possible?” Zafira struggled to keep her composure. “There was no report of this. Why were you even taken into custody?”

“Wake up, Zafira. You’ve been in this fucking business long enough to know how it works. I wasn’t taken into custody. They were paid to make me disappear. I was thrown in that shithole with no court case, no charges. All to make me suffer for daring to fall in love... and I fucking did. I had to fight every day of my life for food and water. To stay alive. It took me a year, but I finally managed to get out of there.”

“Why didn’t you contact Viktor? He would’ve helped you.”

Bogdan’s dark gaze pierced all the way into her soul. She was left feeling vulnerable and raw at the hatred she saw flickering there.

“Viktor? Why would he, Ms. Guzun? When he, his father... and your father were the ones who put me there?”

“My father? Oh my God. It’s not enough that you blacken Viktor’s name, now you have to attack my father?” Her eyes turned glacial. “While you were the one who latched onto the Guzuns and me for one reason only... money! Tell me, Bogdan, wasn’t the ten million U.S. dollars my father paid you to walk away enough? Did you come back and demand more? Maybe from Viktor?”

“Ah... so that’s how they turned you against me.” He shook his head as sadness filled his eyes. “All these years, I lived in hope, but now I know for sure. You never loved me, Zafira, because if you did, you would never have believed I would have accepted any amount of money to walk away from you.”

“But I saw the cleared check! My mother saw it.”

“Make up your mind. Ms. Guzun. Did you see it with your own eyes, or did your mother tell you she saw it.” Bogdan refused to back down.

“She wouldn’t have lied to me. Besides, you didn’t have two pennies to rub together at the time. Not that it bothered me since I had more than enough of my own, but—”

“Comare, I suggest you think very carefully,” Andrei interjected. “It seems you know even less of who and what Bogdan Rusu really is and was from before you married Viktor Guzun.”

Zafira glanced briefly at her son-in-law. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Bogdan said with a tone of finality she had heard so often over the years. He was done discussing the matter, and no one would change his mind. “If your mother-in-law really wanted information about me, she had more than enough time to use the myriad of resources at her disposal to find it.” His eyes glimmered ominously. “That she never did speaks volumes. I now finally accept it, Zafira. It’s over. In fact, I doubt we ever truly began.”

The words hurt more than if he had slapped her across the face. She might have chased him away, but she had lived in hope every single day that he would return. Walk through her door and take his place as her protector, silently and firmly keeping her safe and cared for without saying a word—like he had done so many times over the years. She had always felt his love when he was close, no matter what had happened between them.

Now, for the first time... there was nothing.

“You are such a fool, Comare,” Andrei said.

“I don’t want to hear it, Andrei,” she said in a cold voice.

“You’re going to anyway,” he said unperturbed. “Do yourself a favor, Comare, and use one of those resources Bogdan mentioned, and you will realize just what a fool you have been all these years.” His lips thinned. “And just how many lies you were fed about my father... a man who had given up his entire fortune and a life of untold luxury to be trampled on like a cockroach by your father and husband.”

“What are you talking about, Andrei?” Arian asked with a warning frown. It didn’t matter that they loved Andrei like a brother and Bogdan like a father. They were still very loyal to the memory of Viktor Guzun.

“My father, Bogdan Rusu, was the sole heir of the Grand Duke Matvey Mikhailovich Romanov—had been since he was twenty-one years old. He is the only surviving Grand Duke Romanov. His castle has been serviced and staffed all these years while he continued to be nothing other than your mother’s fucking lackey!”

“Mom!” Vanya’s scream was the last Zafira heard as pure exhaustion and anemia lost the battle she had been fighting for the past year. The claws of darkness wrapped around her and squeezed, harder and harder until she couldn’t breathe.

She didn’t realize the strong arms that caught her before she fell were those of Bogdan, who had noticed her losing consciousness and rushed back toward her.

Bogdan... her trusted bodyguard... her protector... and the man her heart just couldn’t let go.