CHAPTER ONE

Irina's POV

The music downstairs was loud enough to rattle the windows.

I pressed my pillows over my ears and tried to block out the chaos below.

The laugher. The shouting. The occasional crash of breaking glass.

The Volkov Bratva celebrated victories like the world was ending, and tonight they had reason to celebrate. Dimitri had secured the eastern docks, expanded his territory, and crushed his rivals without losing a single man. I should have been happy for him. I was happy for him.

But I was also bone tired. Earlier, I had planned the party with the other house workers. Made sure everything was ready and well prepared to Dmitri's taste.

Four years as his personal maid had taught me to read his moods better than I could read words on a page. I knew how he liked his tea. How he wanted his suits pressed. How he needed silence after violence. And tonight, he had ordered me to stay in the bedroom, away from the party, away from his men.

“Stay in my room,” he had said, his ocean blue eyes serious in a way that made my stomach twist.

“Lock the door. Do not come out until morning.”

I had not not bothered to ask why. You don't question Dimitri Volkov.

So here I am. Curled up in his massive bed that smelled like expensive cologne and his uniqueness.

The sheets were too soft against my skin. Everything in his world was too beautiful, too perfect, and I did not belong in any of it. But I loved him anyway. I had not meant to. You don’t fall in love with your master. That was the kind of foolishness that got girls like me hurt. But Dimitri was gentle with me in ways he was not gentle with anyone else. He said please and thank you. He asked about my day. He looked at me like I was a person instead of property.

And I was property. Sold to the Volkov clan four years ago to settle a debt that was not even mine. This was all I had ever known. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard the rattling of the door handle. My heart jumped into my throat. I had locked it. I was sure I had locked it. But the door opened anyway. And a figure stumbled into the darkness. Tall, with broad shoulders, and that silhouette I would have recognized even when blind.

"Dimitri?" I whispered. He did not answer. He just swayed there like the floor was tilting beneath him. He wore his robe. The black silk, one I had laid out yesterday. His hair fell into his face, looking messy and wild. Relief washed through me as I stared at him. He must have come to check on me.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly. He moved towards the bed. His steps were heavy, and clumsy. It felt wong. Dimitri never moved like that. He was always controlled, and always aware of every inch of his body.

"Dimitri?" I said again. He collapsed onto the bed beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight. He smelled like vodka and smoke and something sharp that made my nose wrinkle. He was terribly drunk. I had never seen Dimitri drunk. He drank, but never like this. Never enough to lose control.

"You should rest," I said gently.

"You drank too much." His hand found my face in the dim light, and cupped my cheek. His thumb brushed across my lips with surprising tenderness. My breath caught in my throat.

"Dimitri," I whispered. He kissed me. I froze. This was wrong. This crossed every careful boundary we had built over four years. But his lips were warm and desperate, and I had dreamed of this moment so many times that my body moved before my mind could stop it. I kissed him back. He pulled me closer, his hands sliding into my hair. The kiss deepened, became urgent, and almost frantic. Like he had been holding back forever and could not hold back anymore.

"I have wanted this," he murmured against my lips, his voice rough and slurred.

"Wanted you."

Those words broke me. I let him pull my nightgown over my head. Let him lay me back against the pillows. Let him kiss my neck, my shoulders, everywhere. His hands claimed me like I was something precious instead of something bought and paid for.

When he pushed inside me, I gasped. There was pain, sharp and bright, but underneath it was something else. Something that felt like finally being chosen. We moved together in the dark. His breathing was harsh in my ear. My fingers dug into his shoulders. The pleasure rose and rose until I thought I might shatter from it. I cried out his name as I rose to my peak.

"Dimitri."

He buried his face in my neck and shuddered against me, his whole body went rigid before collapsing. Afterwards, he pulled me close, his arm was heavy across my waist. I curled into him, my heart raced, like it might come out. This had really happened. Dimitri had finally chosen me. I blushed as I listened to his breathing slow and steady. He had fallen into a deep sleep. My eyes grew heavy. I let myself drift off to sleep, happy for the first time in longer than I could remember.

When I woke, the room was still mostly dark. But thin gray light crept around the edges of the curtains. Dawn was coming. The arm around my waist was gone. I sat up slowly, my body aching in different places. I looked around for him, expecting to see Dimitri getting ready for the day like he always did.

The bathroom door opened. He stepped out fully dressed in a black shirt, and black pants. His hair was still messy but his movements were steady now, and controlled again.

Then, he looked at me. And my smile died on my lips.

His eyes were green. Not ocean blue. Not the color I knew better than my own face in a mirror. It was forest green.

My heart stopped. It wasn't Dimitri.

I had slept with Alexei.

CHAPTER ONE

Irina's POV

The music downstairs was loud enough to rattle the windows.

I pressed my pillows over my ears and tried to block out the chaos below.

The laugher. The shouting. The occasional crash of breaking glass.

The Volkov Bratva celebrated victories like the world was ending, and tonight they had reason to celebrate. Dimitri had secured the eastern docks, expanded his territory, and crushed his rivals without losing a single man. I should have been happy for him. I was happy for him.

But I was also bone tired. Earlier, I had planned the party with the other house workers. Made sure everything was ready and well prepared to Dmitri's taste.

Four years as his personal maid had taught me to read his moods better than I could read words on a page. I knew how he liked his tea. How he wanted his suits pressed. How he needed silence after violence. And tonight, he had ordered me to stay in the bedroom, away from the party, away from his men.

“Stay in my room,” he had said, his ocean blue eyes serious in a way that made my stomach twist.

“Lock the door. Do not come out until morning.”

I had not not bothered to ask why. You don't question Dimitri Volkov.

So here I am. Curled up in his massive bed that smelled like expensive cologne and his uniqueness.

The sheets were too soft against my skin. Everything in his world was too beautiful, too perfect, and I did not belong in any of it. But I loved him anyway. I had not meant to. You don’t fall in love with your master. That was the kind of foolishness that got girls like me hurt. But Dimitri was gentle with me in ways he was not gentle with anyone else. He said please and thank you. He asked about my day. He looked at me like I was a person instead of property.

And I was property. Sold to the Volkov clan four years ago to settle a debt that was not even mine. This was all I had ever known. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard the rattling of the door handle. My heart jumped into my throat. I had locked it. I was sure I had locked it. But the door opened anyway. And a figure stumbled into the darkness. Tall, with broad shoulders, and that silhouette I would have recognized even when blind.

"Dimitri?" I whispered. He did not answer. He just swayed there like the floor was tilting beneath him. He wore his robe. The black silk, one I had laid out yesterday. His hair fell into his face, looking messy and wild. Relief washed through me as I stared at him. He must have come to check on me.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly. He moved towards the bed. His steps were heavy, and clumsy. It felt wong. Dimitri never moved like that. He was always controlled, and always aware of every inch of his body.

"Dimitri?" I said again. He collapsed onto the bed beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight. He smelled like vodka and smoke and something sharp that made my nose wrinkle. He was terribly drunk. I had never seen Dimitri drunk. He drank, but never like this. Never enough to lose control.

"You should rest," I said gently.

"You drank too much." His hand found my face in the dim light, and cupped my cheek. His thumb brushed across my lips with surprising tenderness. My breath caught in my throat.

"Dimitri," I whispered. He kissed me. I froze. This was wrong. This crossed every careful boundary we had built over four years. But his lips were warm and desperate, and I had dreamed of this moment so many times that my body moved before my mind could stop it. I kissed him back. He pulled me closer, his hands sliding into my hair. The kiss deepened, became urgent, and almost frantic. Like he had been holding back forever and could not hold back anymore.

"I have wanted this," he murmured against my lips, his voice rough and slurred.

"Wanted you."

Those words broke me. I let him pull my nightgown over my head. Let him lay me back against the pillows. Let him kiss my neck, my shoulders, everywhere. His hands claimed me like I was something precious instead of something bought and paid for.

When he pushed inside me, I gasped. There was pain, sharp and bright, but underneath it was something else. Something that felt like finally being chosen. We moved together in the dark. His breathing was harsh in my ear. My fingers dug into his shoulders. The pleasure rose and rose until I thought I might shatter from it. I cried out his name as I rose to my peak.

"Dimitri."

He buried his face in my neck and shuddered against me, his whole body went rigid before collapsing. Afterwards, he pulled me close, his arm was heavy across my waist. I curled into him, my heart raced, like it might come out. This had really happened. Dimitri had finally chosen me. I blushed as I listened to his breathing slow and steady. He had fallen into a deep sleep. My eyes grew heavy. I let myself drift off to sleep, happy for the first time in longer than I could remember.

When I woke, the room was still mostly dark. But thin gray light crept around the edges of the curtains. Dawn was coming. The arm around my waist was gone. I sat up slowly, my body aching in different places. I looked around for him, expecting to see Dimitri getting ready for the day like he always did.

The bathroom door opened. He stepped out fully dressed in a black shirt, and black pants. His hair was still messy but his movements were steady now, and controlled again.

Then, he looked at me. And my smile died on my lips.

His eyes were green. Not ocean blue. Not the color I knew better than my own face in a mirror. It was forest green.

My heart stopped. It wasn't Dimitri.

I had slept with Alexei.

CHAPTER TWO

Dimitri's POV

I knew something was wrong the moment Irina entered my office.

Four years. I had known this girl for four years. I had watched her grow from a terrified seventeen-year-old, sold to settle a debt, into a woman who moved through my space with quiet grace.

I knew the sound of her footsteps in the hallway. I knew how she held her breath when she was nervous. I knew the exact shade her cheeks turned when she blushed.

And I knew, without question, that something was terribly wrong.

She carried my tea tray with both hands, her knuckles white from gripping it too tightly. Her movements were careful, deliberate, like she was carrying something fragile that might shatter. Like she herself might shatter.

"Your tea, sir," she said quietly.

Her voice was different. Flat. Empty. Like all the light had been drained out of it.

I watched as she set the cup on my desk. The porcelain rattled against the saucer. A small sound, but in the silence of my office, it was deafening.

Her hands were shaking.

Irina's hands never shook.

I leaned back in my chair, studying her. She kept her eyes down, focused on the tea like it was the most important thing in the world. Her hair was pulled back in its usual neat bun, but strands had escaped, falling around her pale face. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her skin had a grayish tinge that made her look ill.

"Irina," I said softly.

She flinched. Actually flinched, like my voice had physically struck her.

"Yes, sir?" she whispered, still not looking at me.

"Look at me."

She hesitated. Her fingers twisted together in front of her. Then, slowly, she raised her eyes to mine.

What I saw there made my chest tighten.

Pain. Raw, overwhelming pain. The kind of pain that came from something broken inside, something that couldn't be fixed with medicine or time.

Her amber eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. She had been crying. Probably for hours. Probably all night.

"What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle. "Did someone hurt you?"

"No, sir." The words came out too quickly.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine."

She was lying.

I knew Irina well enough to know when she was lying. Her left hand would twitch slightly. Her breathing would become shallow. She would look just past me instead of directly at me.

She was doing all three right now.

I stood up from my desk and walked around it slowly. She took a small step back, her body tensing like she wanted to run.

"Irina," I said again, softer this time.

"If someone in this house touched you. If someone said something. If anyone made you feel unsafe, you need to tell me."

"It's not that, sir. I promise. I just..."

Her voice cracked.

"I didn't sleep well."

Another lie.

I reached out slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. My hand gently touched her chin, tilting her face up so she had to look at me.

Tears gathered in her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back.

"Please," she whispered.

"Please don't ask me questions I can't answer."

The desperation in her voice made something cold settle in my gut. Whatever had happened, it was bad. Bad enough that she was afraid to tell me.

"You can tell me anything," I said quietly.

"You know that, don't you? No matter what it is. No matter who was involved. I will protect you."

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Before I could ask what she meant, she pulled away from my touch and turned toward the door.

"I should go," she said quickly. "I have work to finish."

"Irina, wait—"

But she was already gone, the door closing softly behind her.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at where she had been. My hands clenched into fists at my sides.

Someone had hurt her. I knew it in my bones. Someone in this house had done something to make her look that broken, that afraid.

And when I found out who, they would pray for death long before I granted it.

The day dragged on with agonizing slowness.

I tried to focus on work. Reports from my captains about territory movements. Numbers from our businesses. Plans for expansion. But my mind kept drifting back to Irina. To the pain in her eyes. To the way she had flinched from my voice.

By mid-afternoon, I couldn't take it anymore.

I found her in the laundry room with three other maids, folding sheets. The room smelled of soap and steam. The other women chattered quietly, but Irina worked in silence, her movements mechanical.

She looked worse than she had this morning.

Her face was even paler, almost gray. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the cool temperature. Her hands trembled as she folded a pillowcase, having to start over twice because she couldn't seem to make the corners match.

"Irina," I called from the doorway.

All four women looked up. The other maids immediately dropped into small bows, their eyes down. But Irina just stared at me with those pain-filled eyes.

"Come here," I said gently.

She set down the pillowcase and walked toward me slowly. Each step looked like it cost her something. Like her body was fighting her.

I gestured for her to follow me into the hallway, away from the curious eyes of the other maids. Once we were alone, I turned to face her.

"You look ill," I said bluntly.

"I'm fine, sir."

"Stop lying to me."

She swayed slightly on her feet. I reached out instinctively to steady her, my hand gripping her elbow. She felt too thin. Too fragile.

"When was the last time you ate?" I demanded.

She blinked slowly, like the question confused her.

"This morning."

"The truth, Irina."

Her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Yesterday. I think. Maybe the day before. I... I don't remember."

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I can't."

Her hand pressed against her stomach, and her face went even paler.

"Everything makes me feel sick. The smell of food. The sight of it. I try but I just..."

She swayed again, more dramatically this time.

"Excuse me," she gasped, and then she was running.

She made it to the bathroom at the end of the hall just in time. I heard the awful sounds of retching, of someone emptying a stomach that had nothing in it.

I waited.

When she emerged several minutes later, she was shaking so badly I thought she might collapse. Her eyes were watery. Her lips were pale. She looked like death.

"That's enough," I said firmly.

"You're done working today."

"No, sir, please." Her voice was desperate. "I have so much to do. The laundry needs finishing and the upstairs rooms need cleaning and—"

"I don't care." I took her arm gently.

"You're sick. You need rest."

"It's just a stomach bug. It will pass."

"Then it will pass while you're resting in a proper bed."

I guided her down the hallway toward my private quarters. She was too weak to protest, leaning against me more with each step.

When we reached my bedroom, I sat her down on the edge of my bed. She looked small sitting there, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her whole body trembling.

"Stay here," I ordered. "Don't move."

I went to my bathroom and found the medicine cabinet. Pain relievers. Something for nausea. A bottle of electrolyte solution. I brought everything back with a glass of water.

"Take these," I said, holding out the pills.

She stared at them like they might be poison.

"I don't need medicine, sir."

"That wasn't a request. Take them."

Her hands shook as she reached for the pills. She swallowed them with a small sip of water, then set the glass down carefully.

"Drink all of it," I said.

"Sir—"

"All of it, Irina."

She picked up the glass again and drank. Small sips at first, then longer gulps, like her body suddenly remembered how thirsty it was. She drained the entire glass, then the electrolyte solution too.

"Good," I said. "Now lie down."

"I can't sleep in your bed, sir. That's not appropriate."

"I'm making it appropriate. Lie down."

She obeyed reluctantly, curling onto her side like a child. I pulled the blanket over her, tucking it around her shoulders. She closed her eyes, her breathing already starting to slow.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked, her voice thick with exhaustion.

"In my study. I have work to do anyway."

"I'm sorry." Tears leaked from under her closed eyelids.

"I'm sorry for being so much trouble."

"You're not trouble." I brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "Rest now. Sleep as long as you need."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." The words were barely audible.

"For being kind to me."

Something in my chest ached. "I will always be kind to you, Irina. Always."

She didn't respond. She had already fallen asleep, her face finally peaceful.

I stood there for a long time, watching her breathe. Watching the tension slowly leave her body. Wondering what had hurt her so badly that she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't function.

And wondering if I really wanted to know the answer.

Because something told me that when I found out, it would destroy me.

I was in my study going over territory reports when Alexei stumbled in.

My twin brother looked like hell. His eyes were bloodshot and ringed with dark circles. His hair stuck up at odd angles. He moved like every step hurt, like his head might explode if he stepped too hard.

"You look like death," I said without looking up from my papers.

"I feel like death." He collapsed into the chair across from my desk with a groan.

"I drank too much."

"Clearly."

"Way too much." He rubbed his face with both hands.

"I don't remember half the night."

I finally looked up at him. My twin. My other half. We were identical in almost every way. Same face, same build, same dark hair. The only difference was our eyes. Mine were ocean blue. His were forest green.

Our mother used to say she could always tell us apart because my eyes were calm like deep water, while his were wild like the forest.

She was right.

"Did I do anything stupid?" Alexei asked.

"You mean besides drinking yourself unconscious?"

"Yeah, besides that."

He leaned back in the chair, his eyes closed.

"I have these weird fragments of memory. Being in a dark room. A bed that wasn't mine. Something soft..."

He trailed off, frowning.

My hands tightened on the papers I was holding.

"Do you remember whose room you were in?" I asked carefully.

"No." He opened his eyes, looking confused.

"It's all blurry. I remember stumbling around looking for my room. I remember falling into bed. Then nothing until I woke up around dawn feeling like shit."

"Where did you wake up?"

"My room. I think. I don't know." He groaned again.

"This is why I usually don't drink that much. I hate not remembering things."

I studied my brother carefully. He looked genuinely confused. Genuinely uncertain about what had happened.

But something cold was forming in my gut. A suspicion. A terrible, growing suspicion.

"Alexei," I said slowly.

"When you stumbled around last night, you were wearing your robe?"

"What? No. I borrowed yours. Remember? Mine was at the cleaners and I wanted something to wear after I showered before the party."

The cold in my gut turned to ice.

My robe.

He had been wearing my robe.

"Why?" Alexei asked, sitting up straighter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, my voice carefully neutral. "Just curious."

But it wasn't nothing.

Because if Alexei had been wandering around drunk, in the dark, wearing my robe, in a room that wasn't his...

And if Irina had been in my room that night, where I had told her to stay...

No.

No, it couldn't be.

The universe couldn't be that cruel.

"Dimitri?" Alexei was looking at me with concern now.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just tired."

"You sure? Because you're white as a sheet."

"I said I'm fine." My voice came out sharper than I intended.

Alexei held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Don't bite my head off."

He stood up slowly, wincing.

"I'm going back to bed. Maybe sleep off the rest of this hangover."

"Good idea."

He paused at the door.

"Hey, Dima?"

"What?"

"Thanks for not killing me for being an idiot last night."

"The night's still young," I said darkly.

He laughed, thinking I was joking, and left.

But I wasn't joking.

Because if what I was thinking was true…

If Alexei had stumbled into my room, in the dark, wearing my robe...

If Irina had been there, thinking he was me...

I would kill him.

Brother or not, I would kill him with my bare hands.