MAFIA FAKE BRIDE

The Midnight Heist

​The hours that followed were a blur of encrypted passwords, flickering screens, and the rhythmic sound of Viktor’s fingers tapping against his desk. We worked in a silence that wasn't awkward, but focused a shared mission that made the bond between us feel like something more than just a signed contract.

​"There," I whispered at 3:30 AM, hitting the final 'enter' key. "The Marcello millions are gone. They’ve been routed through six different countries and settled into the 'Blackwood Trust.' On paper, Silas Moretti is the only one with the key."

​I leaned back, my eyes burning from the screen light. The exhaustion was setting in, but it was a triumphant kind of tired. For the first time in twenty-one years, I wasn't the pawn being moved across the board. I was the hand moving the pieces.

​Viktor stood up and walked around the desk. He didn't say a word as he reached down and took my hands, pulling me up. I found myself pressed against the hard, warm planes of his chest. He was so much larger than me, his presence overwhelming, but for the first time, I didn't feel small. I felt protected.

​"You’re a natural, Rena," he murmured, his breath warm against my forehead. "But don't think for a second that Silas will take this lying down. He’s a possessive man. He didn't want you when he had you, but he will burn the city to the ground before he lets me keep you. He’ll come for you. Not because he loves you, but because his ego can’t handle the weight of his own failure."

​"Let him come," I whispered, my heart racing. Being this close to Viktor felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. I knew the fall would be dangerous, but the view was intoxicating. "I’m not the girl he left shivering on the stairs. I have a King now."

​Viktor’s hand moved to the small of my back, his touch searing through the blue silk of my gown. "I know you aren't. But even a Queen needs sleep. Come. The morning will bring the storm."

​He led me to the Sovereign Suite, the massive room I had been assigned. But as I turned to enter, he didn't let go of my hand. His grip tightened, and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through my arm.

​"Rena," he said, his voice dropping to a low, primal growl. "The contract we signed... the world believes we are fated mates. In the Bratva, a King does not sleep in a separate bed from his Queen. It’s a sign of weakness, a crack in the armor that our enemies will exploit. If Silas’s spies see us in separate wings, they will know our union is a sham."

​My breath hitched. "Are you saying... we share the room?"

​"For tonight, and every night until the war is won," he said, his amber eyes darkening with a hunger that made my knees weak. "Nothing happens that you do not want. I am a monster, Rena, but I am not a savage. But for the sake of the crown, we sleep as one."

​I nodded, unable to find my voice. I followed him into the room, where a massive bed covered in black silk waited. As I lay down on one side, I felt the mattress shift as Viktor climbed in on the other. He didn't touch me, but the sheer power of his presence, the heat of his body only inches away, was enough to keep my heart pounding for hours.

​I was safe in the lion’s den. And for the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of the beast beside me.