After calming down the high-ranking officials of Rivne Oblast, who were as frightened as startled birds, Celia Miller stayed up late last night to organize the purge that would begin the next day, only going to bed after 2 AM.
Starting work early in the morning, she originally planned to head to the UFMS military base but had to change her plans upon hearing that security had stopped the staff sent to retrieve the three girls from the southern villa. Since this matter involved Simon himself, Celia hurriedly rushed over, just in time to meet Eve Bessonovskaya, who had just arrived.
Eve had also heard about the arrest of the governor the previous day and had discussed it with her father and brother over breakfast, though she was unaware of the full details.
The security team at the southern villa in Rivne had orders to ensure the safety of the six girls inside and to prevent anyone else from interfering. When someone suddenly appeared to take a few of the girls away, the two female bodyguards on duty, knowing that their jobs were on the line, refused to let the girls leave, leading to misunderstandings and conflict.
Celia asked the men and women who had come to pick up the girls to step back. She then approached Eve, whose expression was a mix of confusion and caution, and said directly in English, without waiting for Emily to translate, "This is the boss's decision. You can call the U.S. to verify."
Eve nodded and replied in English, "Please wait a moment, Ms. Miller."
Eve turned and entered the villa, where the six girls sat on the living room sofa, looking terrified. She smiled reassuringly at them before moving into the study to make the call.
A few minutes later, Eve returned to the villa's entrance, glanced at the waiting staff, and then turned to Celia, saying, "You can't go in. If you want to take someone, I'll call them out."
Celia sensed something was wrong from Eve's tone but did not argue, instead naming the three girls.
Annika Pavlenko, Marta Boyarskaya, and Yulia Antonenko.
The fathers of these three girls had already been removed by the Westeros system, and their families were now under the watch of UFMS mercenaries. These three were just part of the 29 primary targets in today's purge; smaller targets were not even included.
Annika's father, Yuri Pavlenko, had been assigned as an accounting manager in a subsidiary of Ordek Company. Simon had hoped to cultivate a trusted financial ally, but Yuri had embezzled over $120,000 from the subsidiary in just a few months. Given that the average monthly salary in Ukraine at the time was less than $30, this was a huge sum.
Marta's father, Nikolai Boyarskov, was entrusted with managing a glass factory. However, in less than six months, he had run the factory into chaos, wasting the $500,000 Simon had invested to restart production. He even filled the factory with friends, relatives, and neighbors from the Boyarskov family.
Yulia's father, Viktor Antonenko, was one of the political pawns Simon had placed in power. At the end of last year, he had been elected as a state legislator but had secretly sided with Governor Yuri Miloslav and allied with his family to exploit the Westeros system.
Aside from these three girls, the family behind Yevgenia Kolkoshko had also encountered some minor issues.
Perhaps emboldened by their connection to the powerful Westeros system and with Yevgenia's father, Vladimir Kolkoshko, having been appointed as deputy director of Rivne's lucrative Investment Promotion Bureau, the girl's two brothers had recently become notorious in Rivne, forming a small gang involved in smuggling and other shady activities.
Simon had not removed them because Vladimir Kolkoshko and his sons remained steadfast supporters of the Westeros system.
Vladimir had been diligent in assisting the Westeros system in establishing its presence in Rivne, never taking advantage of his position for personal gain.
Though Vladimir's sons were less than ideal, they were only involved in their own "business" and had never attempted to exploit the Westeros system. They even privately protected the system's interests in Rivne. For example, when a French journalist from Le Monde came to Rivne in November to investigate UFMS, it was Vladimir's sons who discovered him first, giving him a rough treatment that forced him to leave empty-handed.
Simon didn't have any moral scruples and even found this somewhat amusing.
However, he couldn't allow Vladimir's sons to continue down this path. They could have a legitimate future, but instead, they chose the gutter. This wasn't acceptable, especially since it could hinder Vladimir's future political advancements.
Simon had not had Kolkoshko run for state legislator as initially planned because he wanted to place a key ally in a critical government position in Rivne. However, Vladimir would eventually need to aim for a central role in Kyiv. If his sons' criminal activities were used against him by rivals, it would be a significant setback.
Ken Dixon would have a serious talk with Kolkoshko this time, offering two options: either the sons join the military, serving for two years before joining UFMS, or they focus on legitimate business.
In short, they needed to stop their underhanded dealings.
Hearing the names of the three girls, Eve nodded, turned, and entered the villa. Moments later, she emerged with the three girls, who looked as frightened as kittens.
Celia softened her expression as she stepped forward to guide the girls to the car, but suddenly, Yulia Antonenko broke free from Eve's hand, screamed, "I don't want to leave!" and ran back into the villa crying.
Although the six girls were young, they weren't stupid.
From yesterday to today, the news in the city had not been completely hidden from them, so they were aware of the situation.
Compared to Marta and Annika, Yulia was particularly aware of her father's betrayal of the Westeros system. Since the Miloslav family's swift downfall yesterday, Yulia had been worried. She had secretly called home last night, and her anxious father, still holding out hope due to her connection with Simon, reassured her. After all, Viktor Antonenko hadn't been arrested immediately, so he assumed he was safe.
What Antonenko didn't realize was that yesterday's arrests targeted the Miloslav family and their direct allies—outsiders.
Today, the purge was internal.
The other two girls, lacking Yulia's courage to run away, huddled closer to Eve, like frightened chicks seeking protection.
Having a spoiled younger sister herself, Eve was usually quiet and reserved, but she treated the girls like her own siblings. Now, holding the two girls, she hesitated for a moment before asking Celia, "What do you plan to do with them?"
Celia understood what Eve meant and replied, "Just sending them home, Eve. They don't belong here anymore, that's all. Nothing else will happen."
But how could nothing else happen?
Leaving this place likely meant these girls were going from being princesses back to being Cinderellas.
However...
After hesitating, Eve reluctantly let go of the two girls' hands. Celia didn't push her, instead stepping forward to gently guide the dazed girls, reassuring them, "Don't worry, we're just taking you home."
After handing the girls over to Emily, Celia looked back at Eve, clearly indicating she wanted her to bring Yulia out as well.
Eve glanced at the two girls being led to the car, then silently nodded and went back inside.
The remaining three girls were still in the living room, looking increasingly anxious. Eve softly reassured them before heading upstairs to Yulia's room. She could hear the girl sobbing inside. After trying to coax her for a long time with no success, Eve's heart softened. After much internal struggle, she dialed the A-girl.
Eve believed that whatever happened, the girls should be considered innocent.
However, after hearing Eve's account, the A-girl's tone immediately turned cold, scolding her for being unable to handle such a minor task and bluntly suggesting that if she felt others were innocent, she should sacrifice herself instead. She was told to pack her things and go home immediately.
Eve had experienced the A-girl's ruthlessness before in Toronto.
When she tried to ask Simon for help, she was scolded again, reminded of the time difference in Los Angeles, and told that if she couldn't handle this small matter, she should just leave.
The A-girl hung up without giving her a chance to respond.
Eve didn't dare call back. Although she sympathized with the three girls being driven away, she also realized that her own life had only recently started to stabilize. Thinking of her parents and siblings, she knew she couldn't sacrifice herself for others.
Yulia insisted on locking herself in her room, and eventually, Eve had to break in with the help of another female bodyguard.
The girl was dragged out, crying and struggling, and taken away.
Returning to the villa, Eve felt guilty, like an accomplice, but life went on.
The six girls had a busy schedule of classes, including culture, art, and dance. Today was no different, and Eve stayed with them all day. The girls, usually bored and uninterested in these lessons, were surprisingly quiet and focused today, with none of the usual giggles and distractions.
Finally, the day ended.
Eve decided not to return home for the night, planning to stay at the villa. Even though she knew the remaining three girls were safe, she felt better keeping an eye on them.
But things didn't go as planned.
Around 7 PM, while
having dinner with the three remaining girls, Eve received a call and had to leave the southern villa in a hurry.
Her sister had been detained by the police.
Driving to a nightclub in the northern part of the city, Eve found the area surrounded by police cars. Under the sparse streetlights, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, along with some waiting to pick up others. As she pulled up in her rare Mercedes, the crowd parted to let her through.
Emily was already waiting for her.
Despite the many questions swirling in her mind from the day's events, Eve's only concern now was retrieving her sister. Seeing Emily, she quickly asked for information.
"Is her name Lyudmila?" Emily confirmed, and when Eve nodded repeatedly, Emily turned and led her into the nightclub, saying, "Come with me."
Entering the club, they were greeted by warmth mixed with the stench of smoke and other odors.
Eve wrinkled her nose.
Her sister had mentioned going to a classmate's birthday party earlier that day, but why would they choose such a place? Eve thought she would have to warn her parents to keep a closer eye on the girl in the future.
Although Eve didn't pay much attention to such things, she knew nightclubs were among the most chaotic places in the city.
Inside the brightly lit club, people were everywhere. Some were crouching on the floor, while uniformed police officers checked the crowd, occasionally breaking up disputes that were quickly subdued.
Eve tried not to look at the crowd, following Emily to an office instead.
Celia was there, along with a few others who were counting money and documents around the desk.
After greeting Celia briefly, Eve turned to her sister, who had been sitting on the office couch. Upon seeing Eve, Lyudmila jumped up and ran over, whimpering in fear.
Celia smiled as she watched the sisters reunite.
Before Eve arrived, the little girl hadn't been nearly as frightened and had even been trying to befriend Celia out of curiosity.
After comforting her sister and checking her over to ensure she was okay, Eve held Lyudmila's hand tightly and asked Celia, "Can we leave now?"
Celia nodded, "Things are almost wrapped up here. Let Emily go with you. She can stay at the southern villa tonight. You two know each other well, and if you have any questions, you can ask her directly."
Celia was aware of Eve's other role but didn't know how favored she was.
Being cautious by nature, Celia felt it was better to clarify things, even though she had noticed Eve's somewhat naive and overly gentle personality—perhaps even a bit foolish. However, it was hard to predict what might happen in the future.
After all, men tended to prefer girls who were a bit naive.
Eve nodded, saying nothing more, and left with her sister, who was trying to avoid her gaze. Emily, after confirming with Celia, followed them out.
The three left the nightclub and got into the car. As they drove, Emily, sitting in the front passenger seat, asked, "Do you know who owns that nightclub?"
Eve, focusing on the road ahead, shook her head.
"Yuri Pavlenko, Annika's father. The boss gave him an important financial position, but instead of doing his job, he embezzled a large sum of money from the company to start his own business. That nightclub was one of them," Emily revealed. She then added, "You might feel sorry for the three girls taken away this morning, but did you know that in the last few months, dozens of girls were forced into certain activities at that nightclub?"
Eve froze and instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.
Emily didn't specify, but Eve wasn't naive enough to miss the implication of what those dozens of girls had been forced to do. In this city, or even the entire country, many people had to let go of too many principles just to survive.
Lyudmila, who had been eavesdropping on Eve and Emily's conversation, shrank back when her sister looked at her through the mirror, her face full of innocence. "Sister, I didn't know anything."
Emily explained, "Mila was just there to have fun, but I suggest you keep her away from places like that in the future. It's too chaotic; you never know what might happen."
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