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CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN:
Ivan’s POV:
His eyes grew wider than I thought was possible, beads of sweat dripping down his face and onto the navy blue, silky pyjama shirt he had on. “Ivan, please spare me! I beg you!”
Has this fool learnt nothing?
“Choose or I make a choice for you,” I said impatiently, watching him cry.
“Look,” he began, sniffling. “I will do anything, I-I will give you my estates, I will give you more power, I will use my family’s name to give you more stable ground in this country-”
“Harry,” I cut him off in a calm, steady tone, taking in his form with a hint of incredulity. “You honestly don’t think there’s anything you own that I do not possess or there’s anything of yours that would be able to sway me from taking your life for ever laying a finger on Sophia. Please, tell me you’re not so stupid or naive.”
Tears escaped his eyes despite the fury brewing in them, the obvious hatred and anger directed at me but even at that, he knew he was a finished man. A man whose life was at the mercy of my hands. And I loved that acknowledgement.
“You signed your life away the moment you decided to mess with her.”
“For a piece of ass?” He scoffed, suddenly feeling braver than he was just moments ago. “Sophia is just another pussy to fuck! Men like us, we own these women, we can do whatever we want to them, and however!” He spat, his expression had now taken on a look of extreme disgust and disappointment. “They submit to us and men like us should never cross each other over something as insignificant as a quick fuck-”
His words roused something so ugly and dark in me, that my hand swung the pliers back, striking hard across the face, and my hand shook with the force of the impact. The skin closer to his left eye broke, and crimson-coloured liquid lined the torn flesh as the bastard groaned in pain.
“The audacity to mention her name with such filth,” I snarled through the heaving of my chest as I tried to slow my harsh breathing. “I guess taking out your tongue is the best way to start your torture.”
He spat in my face and I flinched a little as the disgusting liquid touched my cheek. “Fuck you!”
I ignored him, knowing the bastard was only scared and probably trying to draw this out. Perhaps, he thought he was giving his father and his people enough time to find him. Too bad he didn’t know who he was dealing with.
I rarely left loose ends or a trail. No one would find him unless I wanted it that way.
“Sid, hold his mouth open.” As Sid moved to obey my order, I drowned out the screams and cries of Harry, getting the pliers ready to rip that tongue of his.
TWO DAYS LATER
After two days of intense torture, manhandling, and assault, Harry’s body gave up. Which was way too fast but I wasn’t surprised. The fucker had lived a life of a prince all his life, the pain would have been too much for him to bear.
I’d made sure he’d drawn his last breath right before my eyes before I moved to take the next step of my plans and to do that very neatly and swiftly.
I’d sworn to protect Sophia and her happiness, I couldn’t let his death be traced back to her.
Sophia’s POV:
A DAY LATER…
Haven’t seen Ivan in three days and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable about that but worse than that… he has no qualms about letting my friends stay as they liked. Trust Daisy and Nick-especially Nick to take that liberty and do however they like, making themselves at home here and did I mention that they were now Ivan’s allies?
“…So you still haven’t told him how you feel?” Daisy asked and suddenly, my appetite for the ice cream I’d been wolfing down became non-existent. “Why?”
With a heavy sigh, I tore my eyes from the show playing on the television, placed the ice cream tub on the little centre table in Ivan’s living room and faced my best friend. “It is not that simple.”
“Not that simple,” Nick repeated my words. “I honestly don’t know what you’re waiting for.”
Ivan doesn’t do feelings. He doesn’t do ‘love.’ I wanted to say but instead, “Can we drop this?”
“Uhmm, nope?” It was Daisy again and I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes even if I tried. “I know it would break you once he returns to his country, I know you’re already in too deep and you’ll never recover from losing him so it is either you talk to him about this or start getting used to the fact that you guys won’t be together.”
Oh dear lord.
“Are we forgetting that I have dangerous men on my case asking for the impossible?” I tried to change the topic.
Nick scoffed. “You act like you’re the one handling it. Ivan already said he’d take care of it, you have to trust him,” he pointed out then sat straighter in the opposite couch. “That man cares for you.”
“He more than ‘cares’ for her, he has feelings for her,,” Daisy added, supporting Nick. And when Daisy and Nick are on the same side, it was an impossible battle to lose. “Soph, I know you’re scared about being vulnerable with your feelings but you can never tell what might have been if you don’t try. Better to try than to beat yourself up about it for years.”
I hate that she’s right.
But, “If he has feelings for me, why hasn’t he said anything?” I questioned, meeting her eyes. “I can’t make a fool out of myself confessing…” I know Ivan, he wouldn’t want all that.
“Soph-”
Before Daisy could continue, her phone rang out and she shot me a concerned look before answering it.
“May?” She addressed her assistant as she placed her phone to her ear. “You have the most impeccable timing.” Sarcasm dripped off her words in waves but whatever May might have said affected her cause it wiped off the bored expression off her face and it was now replaced with wide-eyed shock.
The phone still placed on her ear, she turned to me, whispering. “Turn on the news.”
Without a word, I obeyed.