Page 15 of Venomous Desires

There was a little bird here. With fluttering wings and quivering eyes. Hypocriticalanddesperate. Weakandtransparent.

I had never been one to be fleeted by small creatures. Not only useless, but they’re often hard to tame.

“You scared her.” While smirking, Kyle poured two glasses of Beluga and directed his gaze towards the useless contract. “You’re cruel.”

So I had been told. The qualities I got from my dear father. No complaints. I love the power that control gave me. The feeling of being the one controlling rather than a powerless freak was intoxicating. In control, I felt alive. I set the pace. It was not a mere rush, but a necessity.

Power was a necessity—my armour against the chaos. Without it, I was nothing but a feather in the storm, vulnerable to whatever current blew my way. But with it? I was the storm.

The fear I saw in other’s eyes-it was exhilarating. Thriving.

They would never realise how easily I could dismantle theirlittle worlds and turn their lives upside down with a mere flick of my wrist. Or my gun. Depends.

“You want me to burn this thing or what?” He asked in Russian and handed me the glass. I eyed the contract, sipping on the Beluga. Naïve. Dumb American. The contract was fake; if she had read it carefully, there was no word in this damn contract regarding the job she’d signed for. But it was necessary. A step I must take cautiously if I want her to be useful.

There was barely any patience and time I could give to traitors when I was this close to slaughtering Lucius Morozov. One mistake and everything would collide.

Like a king surrounded by enemies, I had to be vigilant, calculating, and always three steps ahead. In this game, power was my queen, the piece that could turn the tide. Sacrifice the weak, outmanoeuvre the pawns, and protect the core. There was no room for error, no forgiveness for betrayal. To lose focus was to invite defeat. And Judas Romanovski never loses.

“Burn it.”

Kyle nodded at my command. The only person I trusted besides my family.

My eyes wavered to the gold brick on the table, the one she waved in front of my fucking face. She was clever. I’d give her that. If she had tried to steal it, I would have snapped her neck right then and there. That tempting, slender neck was so delicate that one of my hands would be enough to crush it.

But she tried her best until the very end. In her eyes, I saw the reflection of my power, and it was glorious.Addicting. I could still taste it on my tongue. However, I was not some idiot to let the power control me. And I certainly was not allowing mere emotions to reign my control.

Kyle opened the window, letting the smoke that filled the room escape, clearing my vision and thoughts in one breath.

“Schedule a press conference. Judas Romanovski is ready totake over his father’s throne.”

“So soon?”

“Media is the wildfire, Molotov. It spreads whispers faster than the wind.”

The bitter taste of Beluga burned my tongue. Kyle gave me a curt nod, and my eyes wandered to the couch where that little bird was sitting. Something shiny and small caught my eye. What the fuck was that? I leaned forward, my fingers brushing against the small glass bottle. She must have dropped it. Curious, I opened it, and the sweet, intoxicating smell assaulted my nostrils. A fucking lip gloss.

I knew it because Anya was fucking obsessed with one of these. I should probably buy some for her before returning to Italy.

“And have that girl tailed.” I smiled. “Lucius will find her soon.”

What was her name again?

There was only one reason for choosing someone as small, soft, and mentally weak as her. To use her as bait.

I needed bait that was intelligent, but frail enough that she’d be easy to kill. Once I had no more use for her, I didn’t really care what happened to her. While she was too beautiful to simply throw away after using, the fact that she was as important as dirt under my shoe didn’t change anything.

Even if she died, no one would bat an eye. But when I remembered the look in her eyes, I started to feel strange.

“Will you just sit by and watch her be endangered?”

I had been staring out the window but turned towards Kyle and gave him a cold gaze upon hearing his question. His smirk faltered.

I stood up after tapping the ash from the cigarette into the ashtray.

“Aren’t you interested in who will try to approach her first?Well, it doesn’t matter who it is. They won’t be able to kill her. After all, she agreed to become my pawn. So, whether she lives or not, that is something I will decide. Don’t you agree?” Violence shimmered in my eyes. “My bets are on younger one.”

I gazed over the snow-covered lawn, my eyes on the statue. “I’m curious, Kyle, how wouldhereact?” My jaw clenched, and I felt the fire within me burning that had been lit two years ago. And nothing would satiate the flames except his blood. He started this game of betrayal; I’d end it with his blood. He’d pay and bleed, but not now. I’d give him time, and I’d be the one standing over him, watching as the life drained from his eyes.