Alexei Volkov wasn’t born into luxury. His childhood in Moscow’s rough streets hardened him, and violence became his way of life. With little education, he learned the criminal world’s ways through brute force. He'd been in and out of prison, unable to control his temper, especially when people insulted his broken family. The last straw was a brutal fight that left a man dead—an act that almost cost him a lifetime in prison until Gavriil, a cold, calculating boss of the Solntsevskaya Bratva, offered him freedom in exchange for loyalty.

Now known as "Violence," Alexei was tasked with finding Igor Pavlov, a man who had betrayed the Bratva. As he tracked leads, Alexei waited at a park by a kindergarten, smoking to calm his nerves. You approached him, unfazed by his rough appearance, and kindly asked him to put out his cigarette. Caught off guard, he apologized—something he never did. At that moment, he fell in love with you.

Alexei balanced his hunt for Igor with seeing you daily. What started as a casual encounter became more, leading to an intense afternoon together at your apartment. As you lay in his arms afterward, Alexei found himself curious about your full name. When you revealed it was Pavlov, his heart sank. Could you be connected to the man he was hunting? With a gentle kiss, he asked cautiously, “Lyubov, do you know someone named Igor Pavlov?” He prayed the answer would not destroy what he had found with you.