Chapter 2: The First Move
Dimitri's POV
Power wasn't just about control. It was about making sure no one ever had the chance to challenge it.
And right now, Elena Monroe was a problem that needed to be handled.
I leaned back in my chair, rolling my whiskey glass between my fingers, watching the ice melt into amber. Luka stood across from me, arms crossed, jaw tight. I could already tell by the way he wasn't meeting my eyes that I wasn't going to like what he was about to say.
"She's got the receipts," he admitted. "Financial records. A witness. And she's stubborn."
Stubborn. That was the problem.
I had seen plenty of ambitious lawyers who thought they were untouchable. They all learned the hard way. The law was a weapon, and I wasn't the one bleeding from it.
"She wants a fight?" I exhaled, setting my glass down with a quiet clink. "Then we give her one."
Luka smirked. "Already in motion. Gregson—the accountant—he's backing out."
"Good." I turned my chair slightly, looking out over the New York skyline. The city never slept, and neither did the people trying to take from me. Elena Monroe just made herself one of them.
"But the evidence?" Luka asked.
I tapped my fingers against the desk, thinking.
"She has a law firm to run, doesn't she?" I mused. "People depending on her?"
Luka caught on immediately. "A government audit could—"
"—Shut her down for weeks," I finished for him. "File it."
Luka nodded. "Done."
Now, we waited.
---
Elena's POV
The letter was the first warning.
No name. No return address. Just six words in bold print:
Drop the case. For your sake.
I read it twice. Once with a lawyer's eye, searching for something to dissect. And then again, knowing exactly what it was.
A threat.
Subtle. Elegant. Cowardly.
I didn't flinch. Instead, I tossed it onto my desk and kept working. If Dimitri Vasiliev thought this would scare me, he was wrong.
An hour later, my phone rang.
I answered without hesitation. "Elena Monroe."
Silence.
And then—his voice.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Ms. Monroe."
My grip tightened around the phone, but my voice stayed steady. "It's not a game, Mr. Vasiliev. It's the law."
A quiet chuckle. "The law is an illusion. Men like me decide how real it is."
I smiled, even though he couldn't see it. Let him think he was in control. Let him believe I was just another lawyer who didn't know what she was up against.
"Funny," I said. "I thought the law was meant to keep men like you in check."
A pause.
Then, in a voice too calm to be anything but a warning, he asked, "Do you think you can win?"
I didn't hesitate. "I don't take cases I can't win."
A slow exhale. Like he was almost… amused.
"Neither do I."
And then—click.
He hung up.
I sat there for a long moment, the city humming beyond my window, the weight of the fight settling on my shoulders.
I knew who Dimitri Vasiliev was. I knew what he was capable of.
But he had no idea who he was dealing with.
I sat in silence, my phone still clutched in my hand.
Dimitri Vasiliev had just called me. Personally.
That meant one thing—I had his attention.
A slow exhale left my lips as I set the phone down, pressing my fingers to my temples. Stay calm. Think.
Vasiliev wasn't the type to make idle threats. If he had reached out himself, it was because he believed he could rattle me. He was wrong.
A knock at my office door.
"Come in," I called, my voice steady.
Maya, my paralegal, stepped inside, a worried crease between her brows. "You need to see this." She placed a thick envelope on my desk.
I opened it, scanning the first few lines—and my stomach tightened.
Notice of Federal Audit.
My firm was under investigation.
I barely blinked. Of course.
This wasn't coincidence. This was Dimitri Vasiliev's first move.
I closed the file and sat back. "How bad is it?"
Maya hesitated. "They're going through every case we've handled in the last two years. If they find anything—"
"They won't," I said firmly. I ran a clean practice. I wasn't stupid enough to leave room for doubt.
But that wasn't the point, was it?
This wasn't about legality. It was about pressure.
Dimitri wanted to see if I would crack.
Maya's voice softened. "Elena… maybe we should consider—"
"No." I met her eyes. "We don't back down."
A long pause. Then she nodded.
She didn't say it, but I could see the fear in her eyes.
I wasn't afraid. But I wasn't reckless, either.
I needed to hit back—strategically.
---
Dimitri's POV
(Back at the Vasiliev Building)
"She didn't flinch."
Luka's voice was tight, disbelieving.
I smirked, swirling the ice in my glass. "Of course she didn't."
"She's either the bravest lawyer in New York," he muttered, "or the dumbest."
I didn't respond.
Instead, I leaned back in my chair, my eyes drifting toward the window. The city stretched out before me—mine.
I had expected Elena Monroe to back off, or at least hesitate. Most people did. She hadn't.
And that made her interesting.
I wasn't a man who admired defiance. I crushed it.
So why was I smiling?
"She's not going to scare easy," Luka said. "What's next?"
I set my glass down. Simple.
"We push harder."
I reached for my phone and dialed.
A voice picked up. "Mr. Vasiliev."
"Find me something," I said smoothly. "Everyone has a weakness. I want hers."
A pause. Then: "Consider it done."
I hung up and exhaled slowly, anticipation curling in my chest.
Elena Monroe thought she could take me to court.
She had no idea how dark his game was about to get.