Chapter 18 - NO MERCY
Vladimir lay bleeding on the dirty kitchen floor, gasping for air as Victor stood triumphantly over him.
Lena walked slowly into the room, her high heels clicking ominously against the blood-stained tiles.
"Kill me," Vladimir rasped, spitting on Victor's expensive leather shoes.
"Make it quick, you Italian bastard."
Victor slowly raised his revolver and pointed it directly at the old man's head.
"Wait," Lena said, her voice echoing clearly in the quiet, empty kitchen.
Victor paused, glancing over his shoulder in surprise as Lena stepped past him.
She looked down at the man who had ordered a hit on her innocent little brother.
"Death is far too easy for a man who preys on children," Lena said coldly.
She turned to Victor, her eyes shining with a dark, calculating brilliance.
"If you kill him now, he becomes a martyr for the Russian underworld."
"But if you let him live, he has to return to his people with nothing."
"We will take all of his legitimate businesses, seize his shipping ports, and force him to publicly surrender."
Victor lowered his gun slightly, completely captivated by the ruthless strategic mind of his fiancée.
She was right; a living, utterly humiliated Vladimir would secure their absolute dominance over the city forever.
Vladimir looked up at Lena, his eyes wide with a newfound, terrifying realization.
He had expected the violent wrath of a mafia boss, but he was facing the calculated cruelty of a queen.
"You are a monster," Vladimir whispered weakly, his spirit finally breaking.
"No," Lena replied smoothly, kneeling down so she was right in his face.
"I am just a maid who learned how to clean up the garbage."
She stood up and linked her arm comfortably through Victor's, stepping over the bleeding man.
"Dmitri will patch you up and draft the surrender papers," Victor told Vladimir as they walked away.
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"If you ever step foot in my city again, I will let my wife finish the job."
They walked out of the kitchen together, leaving the remnants of the Petrov family burning in the ashes.
