A Forced Contract Marriage with the Devil novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

ALESSANDRO’S POV

There were only two things in the world that I was afraid of.

Any threat to the safety of the ones I love and addiction.

This was why I had been avoiding temptation back at home. I stayed away for a week because of

him.

Nikolai.

A constant thorn in my side. Stubborn to the core, defiant even when he had nothing to gain from it. It was almost impressive, the way he refused to bow, even when his entire life depended on it.

But I had learned long ago not to let my temper get the best of me. Let him rebel. Let him act out. I would not give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

Which was why I ignored him this all week when he refused to get up and train as my butler.

I had given him clear instructions. He was to wake at dawn, prepare himself, and meet one of my men in the courtyard. Instead, he remained in bed, unmoving, as if I didn’t exist.

As if he didn’t fear me.

If Nikolai thought I would drag him out of bed like some unruly child, he was mistaken. I had bigger

concerns than him.

Business came first always to me.

Three of Putin’s men were on their knees in front of me, their hands tied behind their backs. Barrels of guns pointed at their heads

I barely spared a glance at the men kneeling before me, their wrists bound, their faces swollen and bloodied. Their fear reeked, thick and suffocating, but I had no patience for theatrics tonight.

Vladimir circled them like a predator, his voice calm but edged with menace. “Boss, we caught them

near the docks. One of them was carrying a bomb.”

A test. A provocation.

I sighed, rolling back my sleeves. “And?”

“They weren’t smart enough to detonate it.” Vladimir nudged the device with his boot. “But the message is clear. Putin wants to see how much we’re willing to tolerate.”

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Chapter 21

I let out a slow breath, my irritation sharp and simmering. If there was one thing I despised, It was people who mistook my patience for weakness.

One of the men, the one with a busted lip and too much arrogance for someone at my mercy, spal blood onto the floor. “Kill us if you want,” he rasped. “But this isn’t over.”

I tilted my head, considering him. Then, without hesitation, I pulled out my gun and fired a single

shot.

His body slumped forward, dead before he could see the horror in his companions‘ eyes.

I turned to the next man, my tone clipped. “You. Tell me what I want to know, and maybe I’ll be

generous.

The man trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “P–Putin wanted to send a warning. He said you’ve been growing too comfortable.”

Comfortable?

A dark chuckle left my lips.

Putin was a fool if he thought I was ever at ease.

1 exhaled and slid my gun back into its holster. “Vladimir, make sure the remaining that one gets returned to their boss piece by piece.”

“Throw the last one in a different cell” I ordered. “And make him talk”

Vladimir smirked, nodding as he gestured for the guards to drag the last man away. The poor bastard thrashed weakly, his muffled protests swallowed by the thick, oppressive silence of the warehouse.

“I— I’ll t–tell y–you” he croaked out.

I raised a hand and the guards stopped, dragging him towards the cell.

“What does he have on us?” I asked.

“I don’t k–know m—much“, He stammered.

Vladimir put a pocket knife into an open flesh wound in his back and twisted it.

The man let out a pained yelp, his body jerking as the blade pressed deeper into his wound. The sickening sound of metal on flesh echoed through the dimly lit warehouse, but I remained unmoved, my gaze fixed on the trembling figure before me.

“Tell us everything,” I ordered, my voice low and dangerous.

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Chapter 21

The man’s breath came in rapid, shallow gasps, his face pale with fear as the blade dug deeper. “It’s a… mole, there’s a mole in your family…. in your house” he breathed heavily. “Someone closer to y- you, someone who has access directly to you”

Vladimir’s expression darkened as he pressed the blade in further, eliciting another scream from the man. “You’ll have more to tell if you want to survive,

The man’s eyes were wide, bloodshot from both pain and fear. His voice trembled as he continued, “I’m not lying” he swallowed. “There’s someone in your family who notified Putin of your every

move.”

“Who is it?”

“I d–don’t k–know, I d–don’t fucking know, I swear. The mole talked about a key… A key he was going to hand over to Putin. I have no idea what that key does, or what is it for. Your men brought us here before we could know anything about it…”

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