The Billionaire’s Master Key

5.

Nina’s POV

I didn’t sleep that night even though the sheets in Roman’s guest room were quite soft. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the message on my phone.

I know who you are, Lena.

I sat up at 3 AM and stared at the city lights through the window. I needed to figure out who sent the messages.

At 5:30, I gave up on sleep. I showered and dressed.

I found Roman in his kitchen drinking black coffee. He looked up when I walked in.

“You didn’t sleep,” he said, his gray eyes moving over my face.

“Neither did you.”

He poured me a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter.

“We leave at 6:45,” he said.

We walked into Volkov Tower at 6:50 AM. The lobby was empty except for the security guard at the front desk.

Roman didn’t speak in the elevator. His jaw was tight and his shoulders were rigid under his jacket.

Dmitri was already waiting in Clara’s office. He sat in a chair with his hands clasped together. His shirt was wrinkled and dark circles hung under his eyes.

He stood when he saw us.

“Roman…”

“Inside,” Roman said.

He walked past Dmitri into his office. I followed and closed the door behind us.

Roman didn’t sit behind his desk. He walked to the window and stood with his back to us, looking out at the city.

“Tell me about Marcus Webb,” Roman said in a deadly quiet voice.

Dmitri's mouth opened and closed.

“I don’t know what…”

“Don’t lie to me.” Roman turned around. His face was cold and empty.

“I know you met him last night at The Blue Orchid. I know about the three hundred thousand you owe Petrov.”

Dmitri went pale. His hands started shaking.

“It’s not what you think,” he whispered.

“Then tell me what it is.”

Dmitri was silent for a long moment. Then his shoulders collapsed and he dropped into a chair. He put his face in his hands.

“I’m in trouble, Roman,” his voice was muffled. “They said they would kill my wife. My kids. They showed me pictures of my daughter in school.”

“So, you decided to sell my company to dig yourself out.”

Dmitri looked up. His eyes were wet.

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“It’s easy for you to say. You have always had everything handed easily to you.”

Roman’s jaw tightened. Something I couldn’t tell flickered in his eyes.

“How much did you give Webb?”

“User data. Some project specs. Nothing that would hurt the company.”

“And Project Aegis?”

Dmitri shook his head hard.

“I didn’t give him anything on that. I swear. I couldn’t. You keep it on The Island. Only you can access it.”

“What about the videos?”

“I don’t know anything about the videos,” Dmitri’s voice sounded desperate now. “I only told Webb I could get him Aegis so he’d give me the money.”

Roman walked to his desk. He pulled open a drawer and took out a folder. He slid it across the desk toward Dmitri.

“Sign it.”

Dmitri opened the folder. His face went from pale to grey.

“This is my resignation.”

“You are done here.”

“Roman. Please. My wife…”

“Your wife will be safe,” Roman’s voice didn’t soften.

“I’ll take care of the Petrov situation. But you will leave this company today and you will enter a rehab facility to get help.”

Dmitri stared at the papers. A tear slid down his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sign the papers, Dmitri.”

Dmitri picked up a pen. His hand shook so hard that the signature came out crooked.

“What do I do now?”

“Go home and pack a bag. Someone will pick you up tonight,” Roman took the folder and closed it.

“Don’t call anyone. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. And if Webb reaches out to you, don’t answer.”

Dmitri nodded. He walked to the door, then stopped with his hand on the handle.

“Roman,” he didn’t turn around. “I know I don’t deserve this. But thank you.”

Roman didn’t answer.

The door closed behind him.

I stood near the window watching Roman.

“You’re really sending him to rehab,” I said.

“He’s family.” Roman turned to me, his gray eyes were hard. “What do you want me to do? Send him to jail?”

“I want to know if Marcus released the videos.”

Roman was quiet for a moment. “He says he didn’t know.”

“And you believe him?”

“I don’t know.”

My mind was racing.

If Webb released the videos, he knew the woman in them was real. Then he might have figured out who she was. That means Webb could have sent the message.

“I need to talk to Marcus,” I said.

Roman’s expression shifted. “You want to confront him?”

“No. I want to test him. I want to find out if he released those videos.”

“How?’

“I’ll pretend to be an investor, set up a meeting, talk to him and read his reactions,” I walked to the window and looked out.

“If Webb is behind the videos, he will slip. He will give me something.”

Roman shook his head.

“If he knows you work for me…with me,” he quickly corrected. “It’s dangerous.”

“It’s the only way to rule him out.”

I turned back to face him.

“He won’t hurt me in public. Not if he thinks I’m someone important.”

Roman was quiet. He walked around his desk and stood in front of me. His hand lifted, hesitated in the air between us, then dropped.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’ll have people nearby. If anything goes wrong…”

“Nothing will go wrong.”

“Alright,” he said

****

I set up the meeting through an intermediary that afternoon. I told Webb’s team I was a venture capitalist named Sarah Chen, interested in emerging tech.

He agreed to have lunch at a downtown restaurant at 1 PM.

The restaurant had white tablecloths and waiters in black vests. Soft piano music drifted from hidden speakers.

I arrived early and chose a corner table with a clear view of the door.

At exactly 1 PM, Marcus Webb walked in. He was tall and square-jawed. He wore an expensive suit and an expensive watch.

He scanned the room, spotted me and walked over with a smile already on his face.

“Ms. Chen?”

“Mr. Webb,” I stood and shook his hand. “Thank you for meeting me.”

“Please call me Marcus.”

We sat. A waiter poured water and took our drink orders. Webb ordered a whiskey, neat. I ordered sparkling water.

“Your email said you’re looking to invest in the tech sector,” he said, leaning back.

“Webb Technologies has several projects that might interest you.”

“I have been following your work. You have an impressive portfolio.”

“We do,” he smiled. His eyes never left my eyes.

I smiled back. “Have you heard of Project Aegis?”

His expression didn’t change. “That’s a Volkov project.”

“I know. But I hear you’re about to launch a competing product. Word is yours might hit the market first.”

Marcus laughed. “Ms. Chen. You seem very well-informed.”

“I make it my business to be.”

He leaned forward.

“Tell me,” he said. “Why not invest in Volkov Tech?”

I shrugged. “Roman Volkov is in trouble. The videos. The stocks drop. I don’t invest in sinking ships.”

Marcus nodded slowly. The smile returned with arrogance.

“I’m glad you reached out,” he said.

We talked for another forty minutes. He told me about his company’s growth, his vision for the future and his plans to dominate the tech space.

When I mentioned Roman’s name again, his lips curled slightly. I could tell he dislikes Roman but he knows nothing about the videos.

We stood up to leave. He shook my hand again, holding it a beat too long.

“I’ll have my team send you our prospectus,” he said. “I think we could build something very profitable together.

“I look forward to it.”

I watched him walk out. Then I sat back down and let out a slow breath.

Webb was a shark. He was happy to feed on Roman’s crisis. But he didn’t create it.

Which meant someone else did. Someone who knew about Monaco. Someone who knew Lena. Someone close enough to Roman to know his secrets.

I pulled out my phone.

“It’s not Webb,” I said when Roman answered.

There was silence.

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“He’s a vulture, not a killer. He’s not behind the videos.”

I heard Roman. “Then who?”

“I don’t know yet,” I looked out of the restaurant window at the crowded street.

“Come back to the Tower,” he said. “Let’s talk about what’s next.”

“Alright,” I hung up and walked to my car. I was almost at the parking garage when my phone buzzed. It was a message from the unknown number. If you want to keep your secret, work for me.

I stopped walking. My hand tightened around the phone.

Another message came in. Or I’ll show Roman who he was sleeping with.

The world felt too bright and too loud. I forced myself to breathe.

One thing is clear now. The person behind the videos wasn’t just trying to destroy Roman. They were trying to use me to do it.