Morning arrived. A pale sliver of winter sunlight filtered through the heavy curtains, resting on Alia's face. Victor's arm was still draped possessively over her waist, his grip firm even in the depths of sleep, as if he refused to let her go even in his dreams. The crimson mark on Alia's neck remained a stark, vivid reminder of the night before.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. Shifting carefully to avoid waking the sleeping giant beside her, Alia reached for the device. As the screen lit up, her heart skipped a beat.
It was an encrypted notification from her private bank. Her eyes widened as she read the figure: $500.23 Billion.
Alia froze. She knew exactly what her net worth was—until last night, it had stood at $400 Billion. Overnight, an astronomical $100.23 Billion had been funneled into her account from a mysterious, untraceable source.
"Where did this come from?" she whispered to herself. "I haven't signed any new contracts."
She glanced sideways at Victor. His sharp features were softened by sleep, his breathing steady. A chilling thought crossed her mind—was this a gift from Victor, a dowry for the "blood bond" he claimed? Or was this a trap set by Dimitri to frame her for money laundering and destroy her reputation before his parents?
With $500 billion to her name, Alia was now one of the most powerful women on the planet, but she had never felt more like a target.Alia stared at the screen, paralyzed. Suddenly, a flash of memory hit her like a bolt of lightning. She pressed a hand to her forehead and whispered to herself, "Oh my God... I completely forgot about that deal yesterday!"
Amidst the madness with Victor and the constant threats from Dimitri, it had completely slipped her mind. Just before the evening chaos, she had digitally signed a top-secret international tech merger. The dividends and the skyrocketing stock value had funneled that extra $100 Billion into her account overnight.
As she sat there trembling, Victor pulled her closer in his sleep—or so she thought. His hot breath brushed against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Without even opening his eyes, he whispered in a deep, gravelly voice:
"You're thinking too much, Alia... Is it the money, or the mark I left on your neck?"
Alia gasped. He was awake. Had he been watching her the whole time? Did he already know about the massive wealth she now commanded?Alia looked up from her phone screen at Victor's smug grin. She was overwhelmed—half-stunned by the $100 billion and half-infuriated by Victor's dominance. Unable to hold back, she shoved his chest and barked:
"WTF, you B*stard! Are you serious, Sexy Viktor? Did you know about this all along?"
Hearing Alia's raw, unfiltered curse and that "Sexy Viktor" remark, Victor let out a dark, rich laugh. In one swift move, he pinned her beneath him, his blue eyes flashing with the triumph of a conqueror. He traced the mark on her neck with his thumb and whispered:
"I told you, Alia... nothing happens in this city without my knowledge. Your $100 billion deal and your body—I've had my eye on both."
Alia fumed, breathlessly shouting, "You are a psycho, Viktor! A total psycho!"
But even she could hear the surrender in her own voice. Victor leaned in, his lips brushing her ear as he murmured, "I know I'm a psycho... but I'm your sexy psycho."
Outside, the heavy thud of Dimitri's footsteps echoed in the hallway. He could burst in at any moment, but inside the room, time had stoppedVictor listened to Alia and smiled mysteriously. He ran a hand through his stark white hair, adjusting it slightly, and spoke in a calm, steady voice:
"If you heard my bank balance, Alia, smoke would come out of your ears. Forget it, I won't say it out loud... instead, why don't you check my phone yourself?"
Victor unlocked his phone and handed it to her. With a mix of curiosity and hesitation, Alia looked at the screen. As she opened the secure folder of the banking app, her heart seemed to stop for a split second.
An unimaginable figure was glowing there—$600.5 Billion!
Alia's own $500 billion fortune suddenly felt small in the face of Victor's massive empire. She looked at him in total shock. It meant Victor wasn't just a gangster or a warrior; he possessed the power to control the global economy from behind the scenes.
Victor pulled her closer, whispering directly into her ear:
"Do you understand now why I don't care about Dimitri or my father's old inheritance? I've built my own empire. And you are the only one worthy of being its Queen."
Alia remained speechless, still clutching the phone. The man she had thought was just a 'psycho' or a 'violent lover' was actually far more powerful and dangerous than she could have ever imagined.The tension in the room shifted from high-finance to something much more unexpected. Victor was leaning back against the headboard, casually scrolling through a site that Alia didn't recognize at first.
Alia leaned in, squinting at the screen. "What are you watching, Victor?"
Victor didn't even flinch. He gave that signature half-smirk and replied nonchalantly, ""Japanese mature animation" "
Alia blinked, looking confused. She had heard of almost everything in the high-society world, but this was new. "What is '"Japanese mature animation" ?" she asked, genuinely puzzled.
Victor chuckled, a deep, vibrating sound in his chest. He turned the screen slightly toward her, showing the vibrant, stylized Japanese animation—but it wasn't the kind of cartoon you'd see on Saturday morning. It was intense, explicit, and very... imaginative.
"It's art, Alia," Victor said with a wicked glint in his eyes. "Japanese adult animation. It's for people who find reality a bit too... limited. Since you called me a 'psycho' earlier, I thought I'd live up to the name and show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
Alia's face turned bright red as she realized what she was looking at. The contrast was insane—one of the richest, most dangerous men in the world was sitting in a silk-sheeted bed, casually explaining adult anime to her after a night of raw passion.
"You really are a freak," she whispered, though she couldn't take her eyes off the screen.
Victor leaned closer, his voice dropping to that dangerous Russian register. "Maybe. But now that you know what it is... do you want to see why it's so popular?"Alia felt a surge of stubborn curiosity despite her initial blush. In one swift motion, she snatched the phone from Victor's hand. Victor didn't resist; instead, he watched her with that signature smirk of his.
Looking closely at the screen, Alia's expression turned serious. She looked Victor straight in the eye and said:
"Sorry, but this isn't just a cartoon... it looks like genuine art! Are you really a fan of this?"
Alia was genuinely surprised by how intricate and detailed the drawings were. She realized Victor's tastes were always beyond the ordinary—whether it was wealth or imagination.
Victor gently brushed a lock of hair away from her face and murmured:
"Art brings out a person's hidden desires, Alia. People like Dimitri or my father, who only chase money, will never understand this depth. But I see that same madness in you."
Instead of giving the phone back, Alia started scrolling through it herself. Her embarrassment had faded, replaced by a new kind of thrill. She realized that every moment with Victor was introducing her to a strange, new world.Alia's calm and bold response caught Victor off guard. He expected her to scream or throw the phone away in embarrassment, but her gaze remained steady and analytical.
Looking closely at the screen, Alia said in a serious tone:
"This is just normal art, Victor. I don't see anything wrong with it. The detailing in the drawing, the color palette—it's all quite artistic. Why were you calling this 'psycho' level stuff?"
Victor burst into a rich, deep laugh, impressed by her maturity. He pulled her closer, his blue eyes shimmering with admiration.
"Bravo, Alia! This is exactly why you are different from the rest. Most people only see the nudity, but you saw the 'art' behind it. Dimitri would have probably been scandalized, but you took it in your stride."
Alia handed the phone back with a small, knowing smirk. She felt a growing mental connection with Victor. It wasn't just about the money or the power anymore; his eccentric way of thinking was becoming addictive.
Victor pressed a soft kiss onto the bite mark on her neck and whispered:
"Then let's start the morning with our 'art' and our 'wealth.' Dimitri is waiting outside... shall we go and give him a shock he'll never forget?"Alia nodded at Victor's words, but a new thought flickered in her eyes. She said:
"I'm not seeing anything bad. I just see an artist expressing their inner thoughts. A girl drawing art... that's it."
Victor was impressed by Alia's profound perspective. He looked at her and said, "So you can go that deep into art, Alia? Well, then let's see how you like this art!"
With that, Victor handed his phone back to Alia. However, this time he was cunning. He played a slightly different kind of animation from the original ""Japanese mature animation"" one that depicted women's forms more artistically, expressing much through clothing, yet still possessing a similar depth. He quickly hid the truly explicit scenes.
Alia gazed intently at the screen. It depicted a powerful and independent woman, controlling her surroundings with her beauty and strength. Alia remained silent for a moment, then a flash of wonder appeared in her eyes.
"This is even more interesting! It's like it's telling the story of a powerful woman... as if she herself is the art."
Victor flashed a triumphant smile. He knew Alia would say that. Victor realized that Alia not only understood financial figures but also respected the depth of beauty and inner strength.