Ch 43: The Only Witness
One by one, the men were dismissed. Kazimir nodded to the older lieutenants, and they rose, their voices fading into the corridor. Valentina lingered at the door, her dark eyes sweeping the room, then slipped out without a word. Timothy left with Arlo, still dabbing at his coffee-stained shirt.
Now only four people sat around the long oak table: Kazimir at the head, Elena beside him, Nikolai on their right, and Leo on their left.
The candle on the table had burned low, its flame casting long shadows across the scarred wood. The maps and ledgers had been pushed aside, leaving a clear space between them.
Kazimir turned to Elena. His grey eyes searched her face. "You remembered something."
Elena nodded. After the earlier conversation, the memory had surfaced—unwelcome, but impossible to ignore. ‘Yes, I remember now,' she mouthed. 'A man in a grey suit. The one who brought me to the Volkov mansion.’
Nikolai leaned forward. "The one who escorted you from your father's house?"
Elena nodded again. 'But ever since he dropped me off, I haven't seen him in this mansion.’
"Can you can identify him?" Nikolai asked.
The memory was hazy, blurred by fear and exhaustion. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself drift back to that night: The cold grip on her arm. The rough fabric of the car seat. And the voice—low, measured, with an accent she couldn't mistake.
'Yes,' she mouthed, opening her eyes. 'If I hear his voice again, I would recognize it.'
Nikolai exchanged a glance with Kazimir. Leo tapped his finger on the table—a small, rhythmic sound that drew everyone's attention.
"Then we have an opportunity," Leo said.
Kazimir raised a brow. "What are you suggesting?"
"Valentina's birthday is in two weeks," Leo said. "Dante likes to present himself as a devoted father. He'll certainly hold a large banquet."
Elena's pulse quickened. ‘You want me to attend the party?’
"Yes." Leo turned to her. "We don't have enough information to identify the insider. But if we can identify who is working with Dante on the Zurich scheme, we'll be able to narrow our focus and trace the money."
"No," Kazimir said, his expression unreadable.
"Kazimir—"
"I said no." His voice was still low but firm. "We'll find another way."
"There is no other way," Leo said. "She is the only witness. Without her, we have nothing."
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"Then we have nothing."
"She is stronger now."
"It doesn't matter how strong she is." Kazimir's hand reached for Elena’s beneath the table and held it. "I told her I would protect her."
Nikolai shifted uncomfortably, looking away, suddenly very interested in a spot on the wall.
But Leo showed no such hesitation. "This is about identifying a threat before it destroys the foundation of what you just built. He could be standing next to you at the next negotiation, and you wouldn't even know it. The banquet is the only opportunity."
"Then find another way." Kazimir's voice was hard. "I will not risk her."
"There is no one else."
Kazimir's jaw tightened. His grip on Elena's hand had become painful, but she didn't pull away.
She looked down at their intertwined fingers and thought about the past three months, the terror of those first weeks, the painful process of learning to become stronger. Wasn't this the moment she was waiting for? To help Kazimir?
Elena squeezed his hand gently, drawing his attention. ‘Can we speak alone?’
Kazimir nodded.
Nikolai rose immediately. Leo lingered for a moment, then walked out, closing the door.
Kazimir turned to face her fully. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I will not force you to do this," he said quietly. "If you say no, it is no. Leo will find another way."
‘Will he?’ she mouthed.
His jaw tightened. He did not answer.
She knelt beside his chair, looking up at him. She shrank herself intentionally—the smallness she knew would slip past his defenses.
'Dante is moving against you. Every day we wait, he gets closer.’
"I don’t care about Dante. I care about you."
‘I know you want to protect me,’ she mouthed. ‘But I am not the same woman you married. Not anymore.’
His eyes searched her face. "I know. But that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt again."
‘And I don't want to see you lose because you were afraid for me.’
Kazimir's hand tightened around hers. "Leo doesn't care about your safety. He cares about results. If something went wrong—if Dante recognized you yesterday, if someone grew suspicious—Leo would calculate the cost and move on. I would not."
‘I know.’
"Then why are you arguing for his plan?"
‘Because he is right. If I don't do this, we may never find that man.’
He was silent for a long moment. Then he pulled her into his lap. His thumb brushed her cheekbone.
"Promise me," he said finally. "If you feel unsafe—if something feels wrong—you leave. Immediately. Don't wait for me. Understand?"
She nodded. ‘I promise.’
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Elena left the room a few minutes later while Kazimir worked out the details with Nikolai and Leo. She turned the corner toward her bedroom when she spotted a shadow on the floor. She stopped and looked up.
Valentina was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She looked like she had been waiting.
"You look dreadful," Valentina said. "Has no one taught you that sleep is not optional?"
Elena blinked. The words were unexpected, but not unkind.
Valentina pushed off the wall and stepped closer. "You survived the meeting, I see. Kazimir's inner circle can be overwhelming, especially for someone softhearted."
Elena said nothing; she couldn't think of a reason why Valentina waited for her. The silence stretched between them.
"You're still not someone she would've chosen," Valentina said at last. "But you're no longer a disgrace." Her dark eyes held Elena's and smirked. "You’re no longer a useless houseplant. Just don't hesitate. Hesitation is what kills you in this world.”
Elena stood there alone in the cold corridor, watching Valentina walk away and disappear around the far corner.
'How odd,' she mouthed to the empty corridor.
Last edited by Feiya Phia 5/18/26