Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed when I reached the entrance of the building.
Then I stopped.
Ruslan and Natalia were standing near the front door.
For a moment I just stared at them, confused. Natalia looked worried, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Ruslan stood beside her, unusually quiet.
"What are you guys doing out here?" I asked, forcing a smile onto my face.
Honestly, after a day like this, smiling felt like the hardest thing in the world. But Ruslan didn't deserve to see my problems written all over my face.
My eyes dropped to him.
Seeing him made something inside me soften. The tension in my chest eased just a little.
I reached out, planning to ruffle his hair like I always did.
But before my hand could touch him, he spoke.
"Are… you going to leave?"
His voice was small. Fragile.
My hand froze midair.
"…What?"
For a second my brain completely stopped working.
How the hell did he know?
Slowly, I looked up at Natalia.
She sighed, clearly unsure how to explain.
"When you weren't here," she said carefully, "some men came to your apartment."
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
"They took all of your things."
All of them.
Of course they did.
That son of a bitch.
Alek didn't even wait for my answer. He had already decided everything for me.
For a moment anger burned through my chest so strongly I thought I might explode. But Ruslan was standing right in front of me, looking like his entire world was falling apart.
So I swallowed my anger.
I slowly knelt down until I was at the same height as him.
"Hey," I said softly. "Look at me."
He didn't move.
"Come on," I tried again, gentler this time. "Look at me."
After a few seconds he finally lifted his head.
His eyes were filled with tears.
And something inside my chest twisted painfully.
"You see," I began carefully, "I got—"
"Told you she was mine."
The voice cut through the moment like a knife.
Cold. Calm. Annoyingly familiar.
I closed my eyes for a second.
Of course.
I slowly stood up and turned around.
Alek was leaning casually against a black car parked near the curb, looking completely relaxed, like he hadn't just destroyed my entire day. His arms were crossed and that irritating smirk was sitting comfortably on his face.
"What are you doing here?" I asked flatly.
He tilted his head slightly.
"What does it look like?" he replied. "I'm here to pick you up, Miss Bodyguard."
Unbelievable.
"This was my apartment," I snapped. "You can't just move my stuff without even telling—"
Something tugged gently on my sleeve.
I looked down.
Ruslan.
Right.
I forced myself to calm down again.
"I… got a job," I said, choosing my words carefully. "And I have to do it to finish college."
His face crumpled.
"So you're leaving…"
Damn it.
Before I could respond, Alek spoke again from behind me.
"If the emotional goodbye is finished, we should leave. I have other things to do."
And that was the moment Ruslan snapped.
"Shut up, you asshole! Let her speak!"
The air froze.
Even the street seemed quieter.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
Did he really just—
Alek straightened slowly, pushing himself away from the car.
"What did you just call me, you little piece of—"
"That's why Alina called you that this morning," Ruslan interrupted stubbornly.
Oh my God.
This kid was going to get us both killed.
I immediately turned to Natalia.
"Can you take him inside?"
She understood the urgency in my voice and nodded quickly. She grabbed Ruslan's arm and started pulling him toward the building entrance.
But he wasn't ready to surrender.
"I want to stay!" he protested, trying to pull away. "I have to protect her! Mom, let go!"
Eventually Natalia managed to drag him inside, despite his loud protests.
The door shut behind them.
Silence fell over the street.
And suddenly I felt it.
Alek's gaze.
Heavy. Sharp. Burning into the back of my head.
Slowly, I turned around to face him.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
"Asshole, huh?" he repeated casually.
I crossed my arms and muttered under my breath,
"…A big one."
He started walking toward me.
"You've got some nerve saying that to my face, Grapes."
I scoffed. "I'm just stating a fact about you."
He stopped in front of me. Not too close—but still close enough that I could clearly see the cold look in his eyes.
"It's entertaining," he said calmly. "But you see, I don't have time for this."
I stared straight into his eyes. "What do you mean you don't have time for it? You're the asshole who ordered your men to take my stuff without my permission. And you're the same asshole who told a kid that 'she is mine' when he has no ide—"
Suddenly, the words died in my throat.
Not because I was scared.
Because I couldn't breathe.
His hand was around my neck.
It happened so fast that I hadn't even seen him move.
The grip wasn't tight enough to kill me, but it was more than enough to make breathing difficult.
My lungs struggled for air.
"You see, Miss Alina…" he said quietly.
He leaned closer, his voice low and cold, sending a chill down my spine.
"You are mine."
My fingers instinctively grabbed his wrist, trying to loosen the pressure.
"And what I meant by that," he continued calmly, "is that you are mine to use."
My chest burned as I struggled to breathe.
"If I tell you to sit, you sit. If I tell you to shoot someone, you shoot. And if I tell you to shoot yourself…" his voice lowered even more, "…you will."
His eyes locked onto mine.
"Because your life belongs to me now."
This crazy piece of—
Before I could even react, he suddenly let go.
My legs gave out instantly.
I fell to the ground, coughing violently while trying to drag air back into my lungs.
My throat burned.
After a few seconds, I looked up at him while still breathing heavily.
"Fuck you…" I rasped. "It's not like… I'm going to follow your every fucking order."
For a moment he just stared at me.
Then he started laughing.
Actually laughing.
This bastard nearly strangled me and now he was laughing like this was some kind of joke.
"David wasn't wrong about you at all," he said, shaking his head slightly. "This is going to be fun."
Fun?
My ass.
I pushed myself to my feet and turned away from him, walking toward Ruslan's apartment door.
Behind me, his voice followed.
"Be quick," he called casually. "Or I'll just tie you up and throw you in the car."
I ignored him.
As I reached the door and raised my hand to press the bell, it suddenly opened.
Ruslan ran straight out and wrapped his arms tightly around my legs.
"You can't leave," he said desperately. "You're not safe with him."
My chest tightened again.
I sighed quietly and knelt down, hugging him gently.
I tried to make my voice as calm and reassuring as possible.
"Don't worry," I said softly. "I'll be fine."
He didn't respond, just held onto me tighter.
"I'll come see you often," I continued. "It's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll come back to visit you again."
Only if I stay alive.
After a few moments, I slowly pulled away.
I stood up and gave Natalia a hug too.
"Take care of him," I said quietly.
She nodded, though the worry in her eyes didn't fade.
Then I turned and walked back toward the car.
Alek was already sitting in the back seat, looking completely relaxed like nothing had happened.
I hadn't even noticed the driver standing there until he opened the door for me.
For a second I hesitated.
Then I got inside.
The door shut behind me.
And just like that—
There was no turning back anymore.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The engine started and the car slowly pulled away from the building. Through the window I watched Ruslan and Natalia getting smaller and smaller until they disappeared around the corner.
My chest felt tight.
I didn't know when I would see them again.
I forced myself to look away from the window and leaned back in the seat.
Beside me, Alek looked completely relaxed.
Like this was just another normal evening for him.
Like he hadn't just destroyed my life twenty minutes ago.
Silence filled the car.
The driver focused on the road while the city lights passed by outside the window.
Then Alek spoke.
"You cry easily?"
I turned my head sharply. "What?"
He tilted his head slightly, studying my face.
"You looked emotional back there," he said casually.
I scoffed and crossed my arms. "That's called being human. You should try it sometime."
A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"Interesting."
I rolled my eyes and looked out the window again.
God, this man was insufferable.
After a moment he spoke again.
"That kid likes you."
"Of course he does," I replied without looking at him. "Unlike some people, I don't go around strangling others for fun."
A quiet chuckle left him.
"You have a death wish."
I turned to him again. "If I had a death wish, I would've said worse."
His eyes narrowed slightly, amused rather than angry.
"Careful, Grapes," he said calmly. "You're still on probation."
I frowned. "Probation?"
"Yes."
He leaned back in his seat.
"You haven't officially accepted the job yet."
I stared at him in disbelief. "You literally moved my stuff and kidnapped me."
He shrugged lightly. "Encouragement."
I clenched my jaw.
"You're unbelievable."
For a moment, he simply watched me.
Then he said something that made me pause.
"You didn't even ask where we're going."
That was true.
I hadn't.
Maybe because I already knew the answer wouldn't make me feel better.
"Fine," I muttered. "Where are we going?"
"To my house."
I blinked.
"Your house?"
"Yes."
I frowned. "You're a mafia boss. Don't you have, I don't know… fifty houses?"
"Forty-three," he corrected calmly.
I stared at him.
"…You actually counted?"
"Of course."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"Unbelievable."
A moment of silence passed before I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"Why me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked out the window as the city lights reflected faintly in his eyes.
Then he spoke.
"Because you're interesting."
I frowned. "That's the dumbest reason I've ever heard."
He smiled slightly.
"You pointed a gun at me."
"So?"
"Most people don't."
"That's because most people are smart."
He chuckled quietly.
"And yet here you are."
I sighed and leaned my head back against the seat.
"This is a nightmare."
"Relax," he said casually like he was not just trying to kill me a second ago
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
I turned my head toward him again.
"Let me make one thing clear," I said firmly. "I'm not your dog. I'm not your servant. And I'm definitely not yours."
For a moment, the car became very quiet.
Then Alek slowly turned his head toward me.
His expression had changed.
The teasing amusement was gone.
Only something darker remained.
He leaned slightly closer.
"Keep telling yourself that," he said quietly.
Then he leaned back again like nothing had happened.
Outside the window, the bright lights of the city slowly faded.
Tall iron gates appeared ahead of the car.
The driver slowed down as the gates opened automatically.
Beyond them stood a massive mansion surrounded by dark trees and security lights.
The car rolled inside.
I stared at the place in silence.
"Well," Alek said calmly beside me.
"Welcome home, Miss Bodyguard."