Late that night, Irina's phone buzzed relentlessly. A flurry of messages from home, her father, her mother, even Dmitri. They didn't know everything, but the fear in their words was clear.
Be careful. We don't want to lose you. Irina's chest tightened. Her obsession with Liam had dragged her far from the safety of Moscow's cold shadows. Now, even her family's protective instincts threatened to pull her back. Dmitri's last message was blunt: If you're in trouble, I'm coming. Don't make me.
The thought of Dmitri showing up in LA was both comforting and terrifying. She knew his temper, his Overprotectiveness. But here, Irina was on her own. No one knew Samantha Ludona. No one could protect her like he would. She pocketed the phone and glanced around Liam's estate, the gilded cage she had willingly entered. Every step felt riskier and heavier.
The next morning, Liam barged into the main office, with tight his jaw, Sylvia stood behind her polished desk, cold as ever with her sharp eyes that's ever ready to cut down any opposition. "The interview was canceled," Liam said. "Jacob had no right." Sylvia's lips curled into a sneer. "I handle the public image here, Liam. You're the star, neither are you the boss, so you'll do what I say."
Liam's hands balled into a fist. "You think I don't know what you're doing? Playing puppet master won't work anymore."
The room fell silent, Sylvia stepped closer, with her eyes glittering with icy menace. "It's like you have suddenly forgotten your place here. I made you who you are."
Irina stood by the door, watching a war she'd only glimpsed before unfold in full. Then, as if time snapped, Sylvia's hand shot out and struck Liam across the cheek with a sharp smack. The sound echoed in the room like a gunshot.
Irina gasped with wide eyes . Liam's face burned red, shock and fury mingling in his gaze as he stared at his mother. Sylvia's expression was unreadable, equal parts triumph and cold. The moment was raw and brutal. Irina felt like she'd stepped into a private nightmare not meant for her eyes.
Liam's voice was low but shaking. "You don't get to touch me." Sylvia's icy smile didn't waver. "I get to do whatever I want. You forget who saved your career when everyone else turned away." The tension was a taut wire.
Irina realized that behind Liam's charm and fame was a fractured bond she hadn't dared imagine.
As Sylvia turned her back, Irina's mind raced. What scars lay beneath Liam's polished exterior? What skeletons did his mother guard so fiercely? And how deep did the darkness between them run? For the first time, Irina felt the full weight of the dangerous game she was playing, one where every secret was a weapon, and every truth could shatter lives.