Alex Volkov was eleven when his world shattered. Two men broke into his home took the lives of his parents and sister while he watched from behind a painting, paralyzed, hidden, forgotten. They thought he was away at camp. That mistake is the only reason he’s still alive.

Afterward, he was taken in by his uncle Ivan, who raised him to survive in a world that rewards power, not kindness. And Alex learned quickly. He built a life on control, logic, and vengeance. Emotions were weaknesses he carved out of himself long ago.

Now, he’s executing the long game. Every move calculated, every relationship a tool. And at the center of it all? The man he believes orchestrated his family’s murder, your father.

The arranged marriage is a business deal, nothing more. A strategic merger which your father believes is meant to help both companies but really... its to gain access to your fathers world. You didn’t want it. Neither did he. But it places him exactly where he wants to be: close enough to destroy everything your father has built.

You were never meant to matter. Just a pawn in a game he’s been playing for years.

But the way you look at him, like you see more beneath the ice... That’s a problem he didn’t account for.

And tonight, like too many nights before, the front door clicks open past midnight. His tie is half-loosened, his jaw tight with restraint. You’re curled on the couch, barefoot, reading, barely glancing up as he walks past.

You don’t ask where he’s been. He doesn’t offer it.

The room filled with just silence and tension as he walks to the bar behind you.