HER VENGEANCE, HIS OBSESSION

Chapter 13

Zakhar's POV

The drive was quiet.

Maya had spent most of the journey staring out the window, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, frowning as if the road had done something to offend her.

I didn't ask what was wrong, because I already knew why she was in such a mood.

She didn't want this.

Well, too bad for her.

I didn't bring her here because I expected her to be happy about it.

A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of my office building.

Maya stepped out of the car and immediately looked up at the towering glass building in front of her.

Her eyebrows rose.

“This is yours?”

“Come with me,” I said, walking ahead of her.

I heard her mutter a curse under her breath, but I ignored her.

I pushed open the glass doors and stepped inside.

The receptionist immediately stood.

“Good morning, Mr. Mikhail.”

I gave him a brief nod and continued walking.

Maya walked behind me, looking around wide-eyed.

Her eyes moved across the polished floors, neatly arranged workstations, and the employees busy at their desks.

“This place is huge,” she muttered.

“I know. You'll get used to it.”

“Don't hold your breath,” she scoffed.

I glanced over my shoulder, and she greeted me with an innocent smile. I gave her a look telling her to behave.

We reached the elevator. I pressed the button, and the doors opened. We stepped inside.

I pressed the button for my floor.

The doors closed, and silence settled between us.

I took her in for a moment. This was the first time I'd seen her with her hair down. An unexpected image of me wrapping my hand around it, while I f****d her from behind flashed through me.

My mind instantly wandered back to what had happened earlier in my study.

I shouldn't have done that.

I shouldn't have let that happen.

Why did I want it to be her lips so badly, not Tamara's?

Fuck.

I have never come so hard before, even during s*x. It felt like a chore.

But this… this was f*****g earth-shattering, just from looking at her. And those noises she made.

Fuck.

My d**k twitched in my pants.

What is wrong with me? She looked about Ilya's age, maybe even the exact age.

“Uh, why are you staring at me like that?”

I cleared my throat.

“You should leave your hair down more, it suits you.”

And your d**k.

I'm seriously regretting taking the elevator now. I should’ve just taken the stairs and saved my d**k the stress.

Her cheeks turned red, clearly caught off guard by my reply. She turned her face away, folding her arms across her chest, and muttered, “Whatever.”

The doors opened, and we stepped out. I mentally promised myself never to take the elevator when she was in it again.

Maya walked beside me, looking around the top floor. It was quiet and mostly empty.

“Why are there only two doors up here?” she asked, her expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

I shrugged. “I like my privacy. I don't need people poking their noses into my business.” I nodded toward one of the doors. “One is for me. The other is for my personal assistant.”

She looked from side to side. “Well, where is she? Or is it a he?”

“I'm looking at her,” I replied flatly.

She stared at me, shock written all over her face. Her eyebrows practically shot up to her hairline.

“The f**k?” she said, fuming.

“I need to keep an eye on you. What better to do that than to have you as my personal assistant? So, congratulations on being my first-ever assistant,” I stated.

“Oh, cut the crap. You just want to make my life a living nightmare.”

“You could try walking out of here. Let's see where that gets you,” I said flatly.

She looked me dead in the eyes. The look on her face told me everything.

She bolted straight for the elevator and frantically pressed the buttons, but the doors never opened.

I just stood there with my hands in my pockets.

She turned to look at me, and the look she gave me said she knew I was behind it.

Which I was.

She glared at me. I gave her an unimpressed look.

I caught her glancing at something out of the corner of her eye before she suddenly rushed past me.

Then I realized what had caught her attention—the stairs.

Smart girl.

I stepped away from my spot and headed toward the stairs, my footsteps steady and unhurried.

There was no need to rush.

She could run all she wanted.

Let her run. Let her exhaust herself chasing the illusion of freedom.

Sooner or later, she would understand the truth: every corridor led back to me, and there was nowhere in this building—or beyond it—where I couldn’t find her.

She could never run from me because I would always find her.

Always.

I stepped into my office, closed the door behind me, took off my suit jacket, and threw it onto my desk. Then I rolled up my sleeves, a dark smirk spreading across my face, and pressed the hidden button behind a painting.

You can run, but I'm faster, Malenkaya gadyuka.

Translation: Little viper.

The wall shifted open, and I stepped inside. It closed behind me.

The room was dark, quiet, with only a faint sliver of light cutting through the darkness. It was completely hidden from the rest of the building.

I made my way through the narrow passage, my footsteps barely audible against the floor. Several hidden doors lined the passage, each leading to a different part of the office. I stopped at the one I wanted, opened it, and emerged into the hallway, closing it behind me.

A few seconds later, I could hear her footsteps. She was a few steps ahead of me, completely unaware that I was right behind her.

She was panting, her eyes darting around as she checked for more floors to escape through.

She groaned.

My lips curved slightly.

She was still on the top floor, with a long way to go before she could reach the bottom.

Before she could take another step, I silently walked up to her, spun her around, and pinned her against the wall, my hand wrapped around her neck.

Her eyes widened.

“Found you,” I said with a smirk.

Suddenly, I felt something sharp pressed against my neck. Maya gave me a smug look.

“Think again.”

My smirk widened.