The fog of the flashback cleared, and Victor's eyes sharpened back to the present. He was no longer that boy in rusted chains; he was now the absolute ruler of an invincible empire. He still held Alia firmly in his arms, the distance between their breaths remaining at zero.
The silence in the room grew heavy, almost suffocating. Victor slowly pulled his lips away from Alia's, but he didn't release his grip. His fingers traced the faint mark on her neck—the very spot where the scent of blood had triggered his memories.
In his deep, intoxicating voice, Victor whispered:
"Do you have any idea, Alia? Every single night in that dark cell, I didn't just dream of your doll. I dreamed of the day I would break those chains and stand before you. Today, I am free... but do you realize? You are now in a prison far more inescapable than that cell. And the name of that prison is Victor Alexeyevich Petrov."
Alia trembled. She could see the same darkness in his eyes that she had witnessed years ago in the dungeon. She realized then that for Victor, love and madness were one and the same.
Suddenly—
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Violent pounding erupted at the door. Dimitri's voice roared from the outside:
"Victor! Open this door right now! I know you're in there! Let Alia go, or I swear I'll break this door down!"
Victor didn't flinch at Dimitri's rage. Instead, he let out a mocking, low chuckle right against Alia's ear.
"Do you hear that? Your 'savior' has arrived. But Dimitri doesn't understand once a prey enters Victor's cage, not even Death himself has the power to take it back."An incredible twist! As soon as Victor opened the door, Dimitri tried to barge in, consumed by rage. But to his absolute shock, Alia stepped forward herself. Dimitri thought he was rescuing her, but Alia's eyes were now blazing with the power of the 'Beloved' title Victor had given her.
Without a second's hesitation, Alia delivered a stinging slap across Dimitri's face. The room went deathly silent. Dimitri stood frozen, clutching his cheek in disbelief.
Alia roared with authority:
"Don't cross your limits, Dimitri! Don't forget who you're talking to. I am no longer that little girl. I am the 'Godmother', the Mafia Queen of this empire! You may have issues with Victor, but don't you dare barge into my room like this. If you do this again, the consequences will be dire!"
The ground slipped from beneath Dimitri's feet. He had tried to protect Alia since childhood; he had loved her. But seeing this coldness and her blind loyalty to Victor broke his heart into a million pieces.
Dimitri's eyes welled up. With a look of pure heartbreak he whispered:
"I only wanted to save you, Alia... but I didn't realize that you've become a part of this darkness yourself. Have I really become a stranger to you today?"
Standing behind her, Victor watched the entire scene with a dark, triumphant smirk. He knew now Alia was truly his.Dimitri's voice broke. After facing such cold rejection and a slap from Alia, he had no strength left to fight. He realized that the Alia he had loved and wanted to protect was gone. In her place stood a cold, ruthless 'Mafia Queen.'
With his head bowed and eyes glistening with tears, Dimitri spoke in a hollow voice:
"Fine, Alia... I understand. I came looking for love or even a little mercy, but all I found was hatred. I'm leaving... I'm sorry. Forgive me for bothering you."
He didn't stay a second longer. Heartbroken and humiliated, he walked down the long corridor, his every step echoing like the cry of a defeated soldier.
Victor stood leaning against the doorframe, savoring every moment of the scene. Once Dimitri vanished from sight, he pulled Alia back into his arms. Pressing his lips close to her ear, he whispered:
"Perfect! Today you proved you are truly worthy of being my Queen. Only those who show no mercy can rule this darkness. The wound you gave Dimitri today will be the reason for his tears for the rest of his life."
Alia stood still. Her hand was still trembling slightly from the slap, but her face showed no regret. She knew that to stay by Victor's side, she had to become as cold as stone.A shocking truth was revealed! As Dimitri walked away with a broken heart, a stray tear glistened in Alia's eye. It wasn't a tear of fear, but of an old, burnt-out flame. Victor noticed it instantly. He had always known about Alia's secret past a chapter that ended long ago but left behind scars.
In reality, Dimitri wasn't just Victor's brother; years ago, he was Alia's ex-boyfriend. Their relationship had blossomed in the shadows while Victor was locked away. But when Victor returned from the darkness, he had reclaimed Alia, tearing her away from Dimitri. Victor had known everything from the start, and that was the core of his burning hatred for his brother.
Seeing that faint tear, Victor pulled Alia closer, his voice laced with icy possessiveness:
"Is that tear for Dimitri, Alia? Or is it the pain of driving the final nail into the coffin of that old romance? Remember, he was your past, but I am your present and your eternity. I know exactly who he was to you, and that is precisely why I didn't kill him I want him to suffer every single day."
Alia wiped her eyes and stood tall. She knew her history with Dimitri was irrelevant now; she had buried those feelings long ago. But seeing Dimitri's broken expression had triggered a momentary lapse.
Victor brushed away the moisture from her cheek and whispered:
"From now on, these eyes shall only hold intoxication for me, not grief for another. Dimitri is nothing to you he is just a failed shadow in my empire."Alia spoke with a sudden, chilling gravity. Looking straight into Victor's eyes, she dissected the roots of his heritage. Pulling away slightly from his grip, she laid out the weight of the Petrov name.
Alia said:
"Vicky, I know exactly who you all are. Dmitry Alexeyevich Petrov he is your brother, but his blood lacks your fire. Nikolai Alexeyevich Petrov your eldest brother, blinded by greed. And then there's you... Viktor Alexeyevich Demidov Stepanovich Petrov. You aren't just a Petrov; your name carries the ancient lineage of the Demidovs and the Stepanoviches."
Victor looked at her, genuinely impressed. Very few knew the hidden branches of his full name. Alia pointed to the royal signet ring on his finger and continued:
"Your family's crest is The Black Gryphon. Half lion, half eagle. A creature that guards a vast treasure—your honor and your bloodline. But that Gryphon's wings are soaked in blood today."
Victor let out a dark, appreciative laugh. Tilting her chin up, he whispered, "You've done your homework, Alia. We are born of the blood that rules, not the blood that forgives. Just as the Gryphon never surrenders its territory, I will never surrender you."Victor's eyes glinted with a mysterious, dark intensity. He stepped closer to Alia, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly tone that commanded absolute silence. He smiled, but there was no warmth in it only the weight of centuries-old secrets.
Victor whispered:
"You know of the Gryphon, Alia... but the true darkness of my bloodline is buried much deeper. There are two other symbols in the secret history of the Petrovs that the world has forgotten The Owl and The Dragon."
The Blood-Soaked Legend of the Owl and the Dragon:
Victor began to explain the hidden layers of his name:
1. The Owl (The Shadow of Demidov):
"The part of my name, 'Demidov', carries the mark of the Owl. To the world, an owl represents wisdom, but to us, it is the predator that sees through the absolute void. When everyone else is asleep, when they think they are safe in their beds, the Owl descends silently from the sky. This side of our lineage represents intelligence and conspiracy. Those who betray us never even hear the wings they only feel the talons sinking into their throats. Dimitri tried to be the Owl, but he only inherited the fear of the dark, not the power over it."
2. The Dragon (The Fire of Stepanovich):
"And the 'Stepanovich' blood? That is the fire that roars in my veins. The Dragon is pure, unadulterated destruction. When a Dragon claims something as his own, he will burn the entire world to ashes before he lets another soul touch it. The Gryphon guards, the Owl watches, but the Dragon... the Dragon punishes."
Victor brushed a stray hair from Alia's face, his voice barely a breath against her skin:
"While I was chained in that cell, I was burning from the inside like that Dragon. And the day you gave me your doll, the Dragon finally went still. Because it had found its most precious treasure. And that treasure... is you.". Symbol Lineage Role & Nature
Black Gryphon Petrov (Main) The Guardian: Strength and Nobility.
Silent Owl Demidov The Seer: Espionage and Shadow-work.
Ancient Dragon Stepanovich The Conqueror: Destruction and Absolute Power.Alia finally realized that Victor wasn't just a mafia boss he was the fusion of three terrifying legacies. He possessed the sharp, calculating mind of the Owl and the volatile, possessive heart of the Dragon.