VIKTOR
Dimitri's presence in Tokyo turned the villa into something else entirely.
It wasn't just the increased security, the armed guards stationed at every corner, the cameras tracking every shadow, the constant hum of radios crackling with coded updates. It was the energy. The tension that coiled through the hallways like a live wire, making everyone move faster, speak quieter, breathe shallower.
Even Katya, who usually ruled this place with cold efficiency, seemed sharper. More alert. Like she was bracing for impact.
Dimitri had called a meeting.
Not a business meeting. Not a strategy session. A gathering. That's what Katya called it when she informed me that morning, her expression unreadable. "Dimitri wants to remind everyone who's in charge. And he wants Kairen front and center."
