The Monaco air, usually a source of calm for Lex, felt heavy and wrong. The business deal was done. The papers were signed. A new global powerhouse was born, and the message was sent. Damian Zhenya would know his empire had a new rival. But Lex's mind was a thousand miles away, on the woman he had left behind. He sat in the sleek office, a rare look of unease on his face.
"What is it?" Ben asked, sensing the shift in his friend's mood. "The deal is a huge win. We've done it."
"Something's not right," Lex said, his voice low. "I have a feeling."
Ben knew that Lex's feelings were never wrong. They were born of years of living on the edge, of trusting his instincts above all else. Lex pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Dimitri," Lex said, his voice a low command. "Check on Anya. I need to know she's okay. Right now."
He hung up and ran a hand through his hair. "I have to get back. The deal is done. There's nothing more for me to do here. We're going home."
Ben looked at him, his expression serious. "Is this about Eva?"
Lex's jaw tightened. "She's a problem. I should have dealt with her a long time ago. Now she's there, and I'm not. It's a risk I shouldn't have taken."
Back in Oakhaven, the sun was setting over the Volkov estate. The golden light that filled the rooms couldn't reach the dark place in Anya's heart. Eva's words had planted a seed of doubt, and it was growing fast. Was she just a distraction for Lex? Was she an easy target for his enemies? She was strong, she knew she was. But the thought of Lex, a man so complex and powerful, having a whole secret life she knew nothing about, scared her. She was a different kind of woman than Eva. She was a girl who had lost everything and found something in Lex. Was that enough?
She was sitting by the window, lost in her thoughts, when there was a gentle knock on the door. It was Dimitri. He was a mountain of a man, his face a constant mask of serious focus, but she had grown to trust him. He was always there, a silent shadow, a reassuring presence.
"Anya, is everything okay?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. "Lex asked me to check on you."
Anya's eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to show weakness, but she couldn't help it. "I'm... I'm just scared, Dimitri. Eva was here. She said a lot of things. She said Lex has a lot of secrets. She said I don't belong here. She said I'm not in his world."
Dimitri's face didn't change, but his eyes softened. "Anya, listen to me. Lex is a complicated man. His world is not a normal one. He has to be careful. He has to have secrets. But those secrets are not to protect him from you. They are to protect you from him."
Anya looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Lex has a lot of enemies," Dimitri said, his voice a quiet murmur. "He's a very powerful man. But he never lets anyone get close. Not to his heart. Not to his family. You're the first person he has ever let into his world. He's not trying to keep you out. He's trying to keep you safe. He's trying to build a wall around you so that his enemies can't get to you. Eva... she's just a jealous woman who's trying to destroy what you and Lex have. Don't let her. Lex trusts you more than anyone. He chose you. He loves you. He's not doing this to hurt you. He's doing this to protect you."
Anya felt a wave of relief. Dimitri's words, simple and honest, were a balm to her wounded heart. He was a man who saw everything, and his words were a truth she could believe in.
"Thank you, Dimitri," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "You've been a good friend."
On the movie set, the atmosphere was a mix of professional calm and underlying tension. Zara was trying to focus on her lines, but her mind was on Isabella. She was in a scene with Mark, and Isabella was watching from the sidelines, a smug expression on her face.
Zara was so nervous that she kept messing up her lines. Mark, a powerful and famous man, was the lead actor. He had no reason to be patient with a newcomer, but he was.
"It's okay, Zara," he said gently, "just take a deep breath. You're great at this. Just relax."
Isabella, seeing this, stomped off. The sight of Mark being kind to Zara, while being cold to her, was too much to bear.
In her dressing room, she slammed the door shut, her two assistants jumping back in fear. She was a woman of immense power, and she was not used to being rejected. She was used to getting what she wanted. And she wanted Mark. And she wanted to get rid of Zara.
"I don't care what he said," Isabella seethed, her voice a low growl. "He's not going to stand in my way. I'm going to ruin that girl's career. And I'm going to make him see that he needs me. That he needs my family's power. That he needs a woman who can understand his world."
She picked up her phone and made a call. This time, she wasn't calling her father. She was calling a business associate, a man who had his hands in the entertainment industry. A man who could make a person disappear from the public eye. A man who could destroy a career with a single phone call.
The private jet was a swift arrow in the sky, slicing through the clouds with a speed that felt like a desperate race against time. Lex was sitting in his chair, his face a mask of cold fury. He had just received the call from Dimitri. He had just learned about Eva's visit. He had just learned about Anya's fear.
He felt a rage so cold and so deep it was almost an art form. He had left her alone, thinking she was safe. He had underestimated Eva's jealousy and Damian's cruelty. He had made a mistake, and now he had to fix it. He was a man who lived by a code. He would protect his own. And Anya was his.
He looked out the window at the dark sky, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. He was coming home. And when he did, he was going to make sure that everyone who had ever tried to hurt Anya would regret the day they were born. This was no longer just a business war. It was personal. It was a war for his woman, for his heart, and he was not going to lose.