Page 10 of Cruel Obsession

My jaw locks. “That wasn’t betrayal. That was having a conscience.”

“Conscience?” He spits the word. “Conscience doesn’t pay debts, Arkady. Conscience doesn’t keep the Georgians from swallowing our territory. Conscience doesn’t feed families or protect borders. In our world, conscience is a luxury we cannot afford.”

“Those weregirls, Father. Eighteen years old. You were selling them like—”

“Like inventory. Likebusiness.” He waves a dismissive hand. “Nothing more.”

“They were human beings.”

“They wereprofit!” He leans in again. “And you stole that from me. Sent your men—” His gaze flicks to the closed door, as if Stefan might be listening. “Sent them to stealmyproperty. Hid the girls in your house like some kind of savior.” The disgust drips from every word. “Do you know how long it took me to rebuild that network? How much trust I had to repair?”

“You said you stopped.” I snap the words out.

His smile is all teeth. No warmth. “Yes. Of course I did,syn.”

Ice floods my veins.

He’s still doing it. Still trafficking. Still destroying lives for profit.

Ty mraz’!

“You’re fucking hopeless for a son, Arkady.” He turns toward the door. “Sergei is making calls. The Georgians are circling like vultures. And when they come for you—and theywillcome—don’t expect me to stop them.”

He walks out. Doesn’t slam the door this time. Just closes it with a quiet click that somehow feels worse.

I sit in the silence.

My hands are still locked on the desk. Pulse hammering. The ghost of gunpowder in my nose, Mishka’s blood on my hands, no matter how many times I’ve washed them.

Focus, mudak.

I open the laptop. Pull up the file for Ashwater Heights—the estate I just closed on. Sprawling grounds. Countless bedrooms. Needs a full staff, which is proving harder than expected. I should be thinking about contractors. Security systems. Housekeepers.

But I’m not.

I’m thinking abouther.

The registrar. The way her eyes had gone wide when the fabric split. The way her throat moved as she swallowed hard, tits heaving. That scarf slipping lower every time she breathed, revealing all that soft skin. The way she’d looked at me—flustered, embarrassed, but still standing there doing her job like her world wasn’t falling apart.

I want her up against the wall. Want to see if she breathes that same way when I get my hand between her legs. Want to know what sounds she makes when I—

Blyad!

I snap the laptop shut.

This isn’t going away.

She’s a problem I can’t afford. A distraction that could get me and my men killed. Sergei’s already planning revenge. AndI’m sure my father’s still trafficking girls and lying to my face about it. I should be planning, strategizing, shoring up defenses.

Instead, I’m sitting here hard as stone, thinking about a woman whose name I don’t even know.

My phone buzzes. A text from Stefan:Property manager called. Ashwater needs staff by end of week.

I stare at the message.

Ashwater Heights. Staff.

I force myself to get my head back in the game.