MARRIED TO MY EX FATHER IN LAW

CRIMSON ECLIPSE

The Crimson Eclipse is Dmitri Volkov's flagship club in East London.

Red velvet. Dark corners. Music pounding loud enough to cover conversations that need covering. It's where deals get made. Where alliances form. Where enemies meet to plot.

Ethan walks in at midnight, . The humiliation burning deeper than any physical wound.

Ocean chose her. Chose that worthless b***h over his own son.

The betrayal fuels every step Ethan takes through the club.

A bouncer leads him past the main floor, through a private door, up stairs to Dmitri's office. The music fades to a dull thump. Up here, it's quiet. Professional.

Dmitri Volkov sits behind a massive desk, fifty-five years old with steel-gray hair and eyes like a shark. Cold. Calculating. Always looking for weakness to exploit.

"Ethan Moretti." Dmitri's accent is thick, Russian vowels bleeding through English words. "Sit."

It's not an invitation. It's a command.

Ethan sits, trying to project confidence even though his hands are shaking with rage. With humiliation.

"You said you had something for me," Dmitri continues. "Something worth my time."

"I do." Ethan leans forward. "My father. Ocean. You want his territory, right? His operations in South London? The docks?"

Dmitri's expression doesn't change. "Everyone wants Ocean's territory. He controls half of London. But he's too powerful to touch. Too connected."

"Not anymore." Ethan's smile is bitter. "He made himself weak. Did you hear what he did? Who he married?"

"I heard. His son's ex-wife." Your ex-wife. Dmitri picks up a glass of vodka. "Unusual choice."

"It's more than unusual. It's a sign of weakness. Sentiment over strategy. The old families are already talking. Questioning his judgment."

"Talking, yes. But talking doesn't mean action." Dmitri studies Ethan. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"I help you destroy him. From the inside. I give you information. His schedules, his operations, his weak points. Everything you need to take him down."

"And what do you want in return?"

"His position. When he falls, I take over the Moretti family. You get the territory you want. We split London between us."

Dmitri is quiet for a long moment. Sipping his vodka. Thinking.

"You want to destroy your own father."

"He's not my father anymore. Not after what he did." Ethan's voice hardens. "He humiliated me. Took my wife, my property and married her himself. Made me look weak in front of everyone."

"Ex-wife," Dmitri corrects. "You divorced her."

"To get rid of her! Not so he could have her!" Ethan slams his hand on the desk. "He knew what he was doing. Knew it would make me look like a fool. And now he's protecting her like she's something precious when she's just a worthless..."

"Careful." Dmitri's voice cuts like a blade. "This girl. This Lola. She matters to you. That's a weakness."

"She doesn't matter. I just want her to suffer for what she did."

"What did she do?"

"She... she let my father see. The bruises. She embarrassed me..."

"Ah." Understanding crosses Dmitri's face. "You were beating her. Your father found out. Stopped you. And you're angry about that."

Ethan's jaw clenches. "What I did with my wife is my business."

"Was your wife. You divorced her." Dmitri sets down his glass. "Let me be clear about something, Ethan. I don't care about your personal vendetta against this girl. I care about business. About territory. About power. If I'm going to help you destroy Ocean, it's because there's profit in it. Not because you're angry he married your ex-wife."

"I understand. This isn't about her..."

"But it is." Dmitri leans back. "Your rage is about her. About losing control of her. That makes you emotional. Emotional men make mistakes."

"I won't make mistakes. I'll give you everything you need."

"Why should I trust you? You're his son. You could be setting me up."

"If I wanted to set you up, I'd go to my father with this conversation." Ethan pulls out his phone. Shows Dmitri a photo. "This is Ocean's security schedule for his mansion. Guard rotations. Blind spots. Everything. I took it from his office last week."

Dmitri looks at the photo. Something shifts in his expression. Interest.

"That's real?"

"Completely real. I have access to everything. His office, his files, his meetings. I've been his son for twenty-seven years. He trusts me, or he did before all this."

"Before he married Lola."

"Yes."

Dmitri is quiet again. Thinking. Calculating.

"What's your plan?" he finally asks. "Specifically."

"We undermine him. Make him look weak to the other families. Start with small things. Disrupting his shipments. Causing problems with his businesses. Make it look like he's losing control." Ethan's voice gains confidence. "Once the other families see weakness, they'll start questioning whether he should be Capo. Then we make our move. Take him out. I take over the Moretti family, you take the territory, everyone wins."

"Except Ocean."

"Except Ocean," Ethan agrees.

Dmitri pours himself more vodka. Offers one to Ethan, who accepts.

"There's something you should know," Dmitri says. "I'm not the only one interested in this. Vincent Romano's nephew, Marco. He's young, ambitious. Thinks Vincent is too cautious, too traditional. He wants to make a name for himself."

"Marco Romano is with us?"

"Not officially. But he's... interested. In making moves. In taking risks his uncle won't take." Dmitri swirls his vodka. "If we bring him in, we have representation from two of the three major families. That's significant."

Two families against one. Even Ocean can't fight those odds.

"When do we start?" Ethan asks.

"Soon. But first, I need to verify your information. Make sure you're really offering what you say you are." Dmitri pulls out a tablet. "Tell me about Ocean's next major shipment. When, where, what's in it."

Ethan doesn't hesitate. "Rotterdam. Weapons shipment arriving at the docks Thursday night. Container 847B. Ocean will be there personally to oversee it."

Dmitri types something into his tablet. Waits. Then nods. "That matches intelligence my people gathered. You're telling the truth."

"I told you. I have access to everything."

"Good." Dmitri stands, extending his hand. "Then we have a deal. You provide information. I provide resources. Together, we take down Ocean Moretti."

Ethan shakes his hand. The alliance is sealed.

"One more thing," Dmitri says. "The girl. Lola. What happens to her when Ocean falls?"

"I want her back." The words come out venomous. "I want her to see what happens when you betray me. When you let my father interfere."

"You want revenge."

"I want justice."

"Justice." Dmitri's smile is cold. "Interesting word for what you're describing. But fine. When Ocean falls, Lola is yours. Do with her what you want. I don't care about one woman."

The promise settles something dark and satisfied in Ethan's chest.

Soon. Soon his father would pay for the humiliation. For choosing her over him.

And Lola would learn exactly what happened to women who thought they could escape him.

"There's a meeting tomorrow," Dmitri says. "You, me, Marco. We plan the details. How we move forward. Come here, same time."

"I'll be here."

Ethan leaves the office, walks back through the club, out into the London night.

Everything is in motion now. The alliance is formed. The plan is set.

Ocean Moretti's days as Capo are numbered.

And when he falls, Ethan will be there to watch. To smile. To take everything his father has.

Including Lola.

Especially Lola.

Because she needs to understand something fundamental: in this world, you don't escape men like Ethan Moretti.

You don't get saved by his father and live happily ever after.

You suffer.

And she was going to suffer more than she ever thought possible.

Ethan gets in his car, drives back toward his empty house, and smiles.

Revenge is coming.

And it's going to be sweet.