Empire of Sin (Empire #2) by Rina Kent

“I don’t care. Papa is already punishing me, so if there’s another one I have to take, I will. Yes, I stole from V Corp, but only so I could protect my babushka. She raised me and gave me the affection no one else did, so I wasn’t going to abandon her at her old age.”

Something flickers in his eyes—a brightness, a recognition, or maybe it’s an understanding. Now that I think about it, Vladimir once told me that Adrian had a better relationship with his stepmother than his birth mother when he was young.

So he must know what it feels like to have that sort of a bond with someone not related to you by blood. Instead of taking the aggressive route, I force my body to relax. “Adrian…please don’t do this.”

“Do what?”

“Let a sexual predator get away with his crimes. Even if Matt is of business value, he still committed a crime that he needs to be punished for.”

“It’s not proven yet.”

“It can and will be. All I’m asking is for you to stop interfering and you’ll see justice take its course.”

“You still believe in that empty concept?”

“It’s not empty.”

“Yes, it is. You’re a hopeless dreamer, Anastasia, and I have a piece of advice for you. Crush those vain dreams or they’ll eventually crush you. There’s no room for them in this world.”

“You don’t believe that, or you wouldn’t have married Lia.”

A muscle works in his jaw at the mention of his wife, but I don’t stop. “She is a dreamer, too, right? And you liked that about her, or you wouldn’t have gone against everyone and chosen her.”

“Stop,” he grinds out. “Bringing my wife into the conversation won’t give you any extra points. If anything, it’ll deduct them.”

“Fine. Take it as if I’m begging you and stop meddling, Adrian. Please.”

“Let’s say I agree to that. Do you think your father will let this slide? He doesn’t believe in justice any more than I do.”

“Yes, he does. He killed my stepfather because he killed my mother.”

“That was not justice. It was cold-blooded revenge.” He pauses. “But here’s the thing, if you convince Sergei to cut off Matt, I’ll back off.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I can also forget about the whole mess you made by stealing from V Corp if you do another thing for me.”

My throat is suddenly dry, but I ask anyway, “What type of thing?”

“I don’t have anything in mind right now, but if I need your hacking services in the future, you’ll provide them. No questions asked.”

That can range from a mild operation to something absolutely dangerous, but I don’t care. At least Adrian would be by my side, and he’s one of the best allies I could ever have. He might as well be the deadliest around here and I have to be smart about siding with him.

“Deal.” I offer my hand.

He shakes it with a slight twitch to his lips. “Good luck convincing Sergei.”

“I thought you don’t believe in luck.”

“I don’t, but if there’s such a thing, you’ll need lots of it.”

He’s right, I will.

But instead of only feeling intimidation, a sense of determination washes over me.

I might not be Jane anymore, but I’m not the weak Anastasia who bowed her head and went with the flow either.

This time, I’ll make a change.





Deciding something and actually doing it are completely different.

I spend the whole day pacing and avoiding confrontation with Papa.

So I’m basically hiding in order to come up with a plan. Rai is working, so I can’t even ask her for backup.

Vladimir is a little mad at me for disappearing, not that I blame him. But even if he weren’t, he’s too loyal to Papa to take anyone else’s or my side over his.

While I’m thinking about the best way to broach the subject, a knock sounds on my door, startling me. I’m surprised to find Papa’s senior guard standing there like an impenetrable wall.

“Do you need something?” I ask in Russian since that’s the only language allowed in this house.

“The Pakhan is asking for you.”

The nerves I thought I had under control bulldoze to the surface. I wipe my clammy hands on my floral dress and follow the guard down the hall.

Why is he asking for me when he treated me as if I were invisible over the last three days? He even refused to have meals with me, and I pretended that it didn’t split me open.

Rai told me he’d eventually come around, but I didn’t think he’d do it this fast.

The guard opens the door to Dad’s office and steps aside to let me in.

It’s vast and has tall bookshelves that extend from the floor to the ceiling. I’ve always been apprehensive about this place. It’s only ever been meant for business, and for ruining people’s lives.

My movements are careful as I walk in, my hands sweatier than they were earlier. Before I can wipe them on my dress, however, I’m caught off guard by the man sitting across from Papa.

His dark hair is mussed, as if he couldn’t have cared less about brushing it when he rolled out of bed this morning. Not only that, but the first few buttons of his white shirt are also undone. I don’t remember the last time he’s ever worn a complete suit or a jacket.