A STOLEN NAME

CHAPTER 43

*NATALIA'S SUITE*

Natalia fell asleep immediately and her body touched the bed thirty minutes ago, but Paval didn't leave the room.

He stood in the herbalist-like space, staring around.

Apart from the burning candles, there are some voodoo dolls on the table, all looking scary.

He took one of them and sighed, giving it a long watch before looking back at sleeping Natalia.

Her stabbed arm is already bandaged. He had treated it himself.

His eyes caught her bed edge, and he slowly went there.

There are several bloody bandages there, and everything was used on her.

He packed them and brought them to the burner in the living room.

He threw them in, and the fire burned them up, illuminating the room more.

He might not know much about this f****d up family, but at least he knows Natalia and Dimitri are like the prince and princess of hell.

Viktor took them in together with Elena after their father's death, but Viktor never wanted them to outshine his own kids at all.

For that reason, Natalia was mandated to stay in her room always, while Dimitri stayed in the basement.

While living in loneliness, the two kids saw what they shouldn't have seen, but whatever they saw till now is a secret between them.

No one knows except those two, and maybe that's why they're both experiencing madness.

Paval sighed out, taking another look at Natalia.

He went closer and covered her properly with the duvet, then he left the room.

A minute later, Natalia's eyes opened slowly, and she slightly smiled, kissing her bandaged arm.

She was never asleep.

*TRAINING GROUND*

Sophia went there immediately and she left Katya's suite.

She didn't even bother to change her wet clothes; she just strapped on her gloves then faced the punching bag.

She has been punching wildly since an hour ago, and she hasn't stopped.

She was sweating like a pig, and her breaths weren't amplified at all. Then her limbs are aching so bad that they might just fall out of her body.

Yet, she kept punching, not ready to stop because she kept getting the echo of Dimitri's voice in her head . . ..

When he told her to "Get Out"

She couldn't get his disappointed expression off her head as she punched like a criminal, and it's killing.

From another angle at the ground, Vera and Lev were staring at her with confused looks on their faces.

"What is wrong with him?" Lev muttered.

"I better stop him before he kills himself," Vera replied, rushing over to her.

She got to Sophia and pulled her away from the bag, but Sophia pushed her back.

"Let go!" She glared and made to continue punching the bag, but Lev blocked her this time.

"I dunno what's going on but get back to your senses. You've been punching the bag for over one hour!" he shouted unintentionally, and Sophia sniffled, looking from one to the other.

"Master is mad at me," she spoke up.

"Again?" they chorused.

Sophia sniffled for the second time . . .

"Who's Adrian?" she asked.

"His name was on the documents at Alaska. He was the best assassin in this clan and also Death's bodyguard. They were so close before he betrayed the clan and escaped. He's wanted by the organization," Vera explained.

"And Master is not a Volkov at all?" she asked again.

"Obviously. He's the son of the former Pakhan, Ivan Kozlov. He and Natalia," Lev explained, and Sophia dipped her fingers in her hair.

"What exactly happened?" Vera asked worriedly.

Sophia didn't reply before rushing down the place, leaving him there.

"He's making me worried," Lev muttered.

"Me too," Vera added.

"Me too," another voice said, and they both turned to see Maksim behind them, crossing his arms and backing the wall of the storeroom.

"Shut the hell up," Lev glared at him.

"You're not wanted anywhere around," Vera added, and they both left.

Maksim sighed, carrying his body away from the wall.

"I'm only waiting for Mila's awakening." He smiled.

Sophia tried contacting Alina, but she didn't see her anywhere in the compound.

She even went to her apartment. Maybe she'd get lucky and see her coming out or going in, but no sign of Alina.

She'd have texted her, but it's dangerous since their calls and messages are being monitored here.

She gave up on Alina and went back to the mountains.

The manor was locked, so she had to wait outside.

She sat on one of the white stones, folding her legs up and expecting him to come out, but even after two hours, Dimitri didn't show.

Even when snowflakes began falling, she didn't move an inch from the stone.

Her clothes were still wet from the tub water, and that played a large part in fueling her cold, but she still didn't change position.

She was already shaking even before 12 midnight.

She stayed there, but Dimitri never came out.

*ROMAN'S SUITE*

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Paval asked after helping Roman disinfect the stab wound on his arm.

"I'm fine, you can leave," Roman replied.

He's sitting on the couch; his arm placed gently on the armrest and his eyes wandering about.

"Are you sure? If you still have plans to kill Leo, then I can bring him to you now," Paval said again.

"That's not my plan right now. Leave, Paval. Just notify me whenever father returns," Roman replied simply.

"Sure" Paval shifted back before finally leaving the suite.

Instantly after he left, Alina came in with tears in her eyes, and Roman's eyes turned disgusting immediately when he saw her.

"I saw you getting hurt, and I couldn't think straight since then. Are you ok?" She asked, standing in front of him.

"I was ok till you showed your face," he replied harshly.

"Do you want me to give you a blowjob? I hear it alleviates pain," she offered.

Before he could reply, his phone dinged.

It's a text from Paval.

• “The Pakhan is back.”

Roman stood immediately, leaving the suite without saying another word to Alina.

Alina looked around, and when she saw Roman had forgotten his phone, she smiled before taking it.

She settled on the couch and got to work.

*HOUSE OF VOLKOVS*

Surprisingly, Roman met Katya and Sin waiting in front of the house when he arrived.

No words were exchanged between them as they all went in, since it seems they're all here for the same thing.

They went to Viktor's office and met him, just settling with Sergey.

"Here are the bona fide kids," Sergey grinned, but nothing is funny at the moment.

"Y'all need to up your abilities. There's a bigger issue. We have to close the deal with the Thunder Tribe this weekend. There must be no mistakes with the mission as Dimitri's team will be going too, and . . .

"Stop it!!!" Roman yelled, shutting Viktor up suddenly.

Sergey shifted in his seat, enjoying the scenario that's about to take place.

"Did you just?" Viktor said unbelievably.

"Yes I did. We are not going on the mission if you keep hiding our mother from us," Roman replied, determined.

"Will you keep acting like a kid? Crying over a mother who gives no f**k about you? You're smarter than this!" Viktor snapped angrily.

"Yes, I'll keep crying! Why have you been trying hard to hide her? Don't we have the damn right to ask?" Roman replied glaringly.

"Roman!!" Viktor yelled.

"Don't call his name!! He asked for mother so provide her!!" Sin yelled back, and Viktor was surely taken aback by the savageness.

"Your mother is dead," he muttered after a sigh.

"That's a lie," Katya said, and Viktor grinned.

"If Roman and Sin are asking for a mother, do you think you have the right to ask too?" he said.

Katya pinched herself immediately, then she walked out fast.

"Kat!" Sin went after her immediately.

"This is only just the start though," Roman muttered and left too.

Viktor sat back, and Sergey smiled in front of him.

"That was quite a show. I've been wondering too, who's the mother of your three kids?" he asked.

"She's dead," Viktor replied sharply, and Sergey scoffed.

"I'm not a fool."

"Then quit wondering," Viktor replied.