In the midst of the tension and intensity, Alia's emotional dam finally broke. She could no longer hold it in. A loud, piercing cry escaped her lips within the confines of the washroom. Her sob carried the weight of last night's humiliation, her self-loathing for this forbidden bond, and a deep, raw agony.
The sound of Alia's crying echoed beyond the washroom walls and into the corridor. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Anashia's maid was passing by. She froze as the sound reached her ears. What she glimpsed and heard through the cracks chilled her to the bone. Without wasting a second, she sprinted toward Viktor's study.
Viktor was standing by the window, a drink in hand, staring into the darkness. The maid burst into the room, gasping for breath, her voice trembling with fear.
Maid: "Master! Something terrible is happening! Alia Mem-sahib... she is in Master Anashia's room! There are loud cries coming from the washroom. They are both in there..."
Viktor's hand froze mid-air. His gaze instantly turned as cold as ice. He didn't utter a word; he simply slammed the glass down on the table. His jaw tightened even though he was the one who gave the order, the thought of Alia's cries and her presence in Anashia's room awakened the sleeping demon within him.
Viktor began walking down the corridor toward Anashia's room with slow, deliberate steps. Each footfall sounded like a drumbeat of approaching doom.
Inside the washroom, Alia was still sobbing against Anashia's chest, while Anashia stared at the door with his crimson eyes as if he knew exactly that Viktor would arrive at this very moment. Just as Viktor reached the door of Anashia's room, his hand clenched into a fist in rage, his phone suddenly rang loudly in his pocket. In the silent corridor, that phone call sounded like a sharp warning.
Viktor paused for a second. His eyes were still filled with murderous intent, but as he looked at the screen, his brow furrowed. It was an urgent call perhaps from someone he couldn't afford to ignore.
Just before opening the door, he answered the call. His voice was bone-chilling.
Viktor: (In an incredibly low voice) "This is not the right time to talk. Why did you call?"
As he listened to the voice on the other end, the expression on Viktor's face shifted. His demonic rage turned into a mix of surprise and caution.
Inside the washroom, both Anashia and Alia froze in the bathtub. They had sensed Viktor's presence outside, but the sudden sound of the phone and Viktor's voice made the atmosphere even more mysterious. Alia stopped crying and gripped Anashia's chest in fear.
Anashia listened intently toward the door, his crimson eyes fixed. He realized that this phone call might change the entire course of the night's game.
Viktor pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the door. He didn't enter; instead, he turned around and began walking back down the corridor with heavy strides. Before leaving, he growled just once
Viktor: "Anashia! You've got the night. But remember, I will settle the score myself tomorrow morning."
Viktor hurried out toward his car. That mysterious phone call had pulled the Dark Lord away from his own inner sanctum and toward a new danger. The bright morning light spilled across the marble floor of the balcony. After the storm of last night, the morning was strangely quiet. Alia and Anashia were sitting side by side, having coffee. Alia wore a silk gown, her face still carrying the traces of exhaustion and last night's tears. Anashia had changed out of his white shirt, but his crimson-eyed gaze remained just as sharp.
At that moment, the sound of Viktor's heavy boots echoed in the corridor. Viktor entered the room—still in last night's black suit, his tie loosened. His face was like stone and the dark circles under his eyes suggested he had been busy with something complex all night.
Viktor stopped as he saw Alia and Anashia having coffee together on the balcony. A demonic look of disgust flickered across his lips. He looked directly at Alia and began to insult her in a toxic tone—
Viktor: (With a mocking smirk) "Wow! What a beautiful sight. I thought after last night you'd be too ashamed to show your face, but I see you've adapted quite quickly. Is your dream of being a Godmother satisfied? Or are you looking for a new title in my friend's bed now?"
Alia gripped her coffee cup tightly but remained silent. Viktor took a step forward and gripped her chin forcefully.
Viktor: "Did you really think that just because you 'love' me, I would forgive you? You are just property, Alia—one I've loaned to Anashia for 10 days. A woman who can change her essence and sit in someone else's lap in a single night doesn't deserve to speak of love. You were cheap, and today you proved just how much of a leftover you are."
Alia shivered with humiliation, tears welling up in her eyes again. Anashia took a sip of his coffee and smirked at Viktor.
Anashia: "Calm down, Viktor. You were the one who told me to discipline her. I'm just following your orders. Though, I must admit, your taste is excellent."
Viktor shoved Alia away roughly.
Viktor: "Remember, Alia, the hell that awaits you after these 10 days is beyond your imagination. For now, enjoy being my friend's scrap."
Viktor strode out of the room. The peaceful morning on the balcony was once again covered by the dark clouds of humiliation. Alia set her cup down, her hands trembling. In this game of love and hate, she was now a living corpse. After hearing Viktor's toxic words, the pain and tears Alia had held back suddenly erupted like a volcano. As Viktor turned to walk away, Alia lunged forward and, before he could react, delivered a resounding slap across his face with all her might.
The sound of the slap echoed through the balcony. Anashia froze, coffee cup in hand. Viktor's head snapped to the side, and the red marks of Alia's fingers began to bloom on his fair skin.
Panting, Alia looked into Viktor's eyes and insulted him with utter contempt—
Alia: "That's enough, Viktor! Who do you think you are? A Dark Lord? No, you're a spineless coward! You're so afraid of losing your grip on your wife that you hand her over to your friend? That isn't the act of a Dark Lord; it's the act of a weakling!"
Viktor slowly turned his face back. His eyes were burning with a murderous rage, as if he could incinerate her on the spot. But Alia didn't stop.
Alia: "You call me 'leftover'? There is nothing cheaper or lower in this world than a husband who sends his wife to another man's bed. If I am a leftover, then you are the trash that belongs in a dumpster. Shame on you, Viktor. By trying to share my body with your friend, you've sacrificed your own manhood."
Seeing the situation, Anashia set his cup down and stood up, the smirk gone from his face. He realized Alia had gone beyond control.
Alia: "Viktor, I might be following your orders for these 10 days, but remember by giving me the reason to slap you, you've proven you're not worthy of my love. This slap is for your fake ego, which is now crushed in the dust."
Viktor's jaw tightened, and he raised his hand to grab Alia's throat, but she didn't flinch. She stared back at him with a challenging gaze. The atmosphere was so volatile that a bloody confrontation seemed inevitable at any moment. Alia's slap awakened a dormant volcano inside Viktor. He touched his cheek once and slowly moved toward her. A terrifying stillness radiated from him, like the silence before a storm. He gripped Alia's chin so tightly that her face contorted in pain.
Viktor leaned in, his hot breath grazing her ear as he whispered with utter cruelty—
Viktor: (In a voice as cold as stone) "Your courage has grown quite a bit, hasn't it? Let these 10 days pass, Alia... just 10 days. When this time ends, I will take you so deep into darkness and desire that you will forget your own existence."
He brought his face closer to her lips and smirked.
Viktor: "That day, you won't cry in hatred, but you will cry like a maniac out of intoxication and agony. And in the midst of those tears, you won't ask for freedom you will want me more. I will break you in such a way that every bone in your body will chant my name. Let's see where your pride remains then."
Viktor released her abruptly, leaving finger marks on her chin. He then gave Anashia a strange, knowing look.
Viktor: "Anashia, keep her in your custody for now. When I return after 10 days, I want to see her like a living corpse, with nothing but thirst for me inside her."
Viktor strode out of the balcony without another word. Each footstep echoed like a harbinger of doom in Alia's ears. Alia leaned against the wall, trembling, because she knew Viktor fulfilled his promises with demonic precision.
Anashia stepped closer, touching the marks on her chin with a mysterious smile.
Anashia: "You heard him, didn't you? The game is about to get much more terrifying. Get ready, Alia you have yet to see the true form of the Dark Lord."Viktor's demonic threat and Anashia's crooked smile only fueled the fire inside Alia. She didn't stay there to endure the humiliation for another second. As Viktor turned to leave, Alia spun around with lightning speed and lunged at him again.
She delivered another resounding slap on Viktor's other cheek. This one was even harder than the first, as if all her years of suppressed hatred and love were concentrated in her palm. Viktor froze, his eyes locking in a murderous gaze. Even the guards in the corridor were stunned by the sound.
Without saying a word or waiting for a reaction, Alia stormed off into another room. As soon as she entered, she slammed the door shut with all her might.
Viktor stood still in the corridor. His fair cheeks were now a deep crimson. He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his lip with his finger and let out a gruesome laugh. Anashia watched everything from the balcony; he realized that Alia's rebellion was only exciting Viktor further.
Viktor: (Muttering to himself) "This stubbornness... this fire is exactly what I wanted, Alia. The more you fight, the greater the pleasure in crushing you."
Meanwhile, inside her room, Alia collapsed against the door. Her hands were still trembling. She knew that second slap had created an unforgivable wound in Viktor's ego. Even though she was now in Anashia's custody for 10 days, she began to weave a terrifying plan for revenge in her mind.
The room was dark, and outside, the echoes of Viktor's violent vow lingered. Alia realized that the darkest 10 days of her life had officially begun.