Chapter 1 Winning as usual

Chapter 1

Yana’s POV

The floor under my feet vibrated hard from the loud sounds of banging and cheers from the excited crowd.

I took a deep breath, steadying my hands in front of me as I watched my opponent. 

She sized me up too, looking for an opening, but I saw one first, and I took it as she rushed at me again. I took one step back and drove my fist right under her jaw, taking her out in one blow as she crashed to the side and collapsed sideways from the hit, out cold.

My lungs felt tight as they fought for air and my knuckles were in pain screaming to be free from my gloves, but the immediate roar from the arena whipped the pain right to the back of my mind. This adrenaline rush was what I lived for.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The final bell rang out over the loud cries and chants of the thousands of screaming fans.

The referee rushed back to me, grabbing my wrist and holding my hand up high for all to see as the championship belt rested on my shoulders. A large smile slipped onto my lips as I stared into the bright lights filled with all of my fans and my pictures raised high as they chanted.

Sweat dripped down my entire body, with my already soaked braids scattered and plastered to the side of my face as I took in the crowd. This was a big part of my life.

"Good job, Yana," my coach said firmly with a pat on my shoulder, and I sent a smile his way as we stood still, so the ringside photographers could get in some pictures, but I didn't stay for the in-ring interview. 

My coach cleared the way, pushing the microphones, journalists, and screaming fans alongside the guards as I walked out of the ring.

—-------

I remained seated quietly as the doctor did a once-over, checking my pulse as usual while I chugged the entire bottle of water down.

"You're good Volk." he confirmed before packing his things.

Ten minutes later, the warm water from the shower danced down my body. Wrapping a towel around myself, suddenly the locker room door burst open.

"My baby!"

My mother happily rushed in with a huge smile plastered on her face, holding up her phone as she gasped out, "The website is practically crashing with orders, Yana! Before you could even land that final blow, orders for our brand-new gear collection hit the roof! And right now, we’ve completely sold out the first batch!" She leaned down, planting a soft kiss on my wet head, her kind black eyes filled with pure adoration for me. "Hurry and get dressed, darling. Your father and brother are waiting outside," she hurried me.

I threw on a simple jacket amidst my mother's non-stop chatter that I loved so much, before following her as we both stepped out into the hallway. 

My eyes landed on my father, who stood leaning on his walking cane, and I captured the exact moment his face lit up with a smile as it landed on me, and I fell into his wide open arms without hesitation.

"That's my little girl," he whispered, pulling me into a warm, tight hug. "You made another win as usual."

I smiled at his words, but as I pulled back to speak, my eyes shifted to the wall behind him to land on Ivan, my brother. 

He was standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, and his jaw so tight I could have sworn I saw the muscles twitch as his black, bottomless eyes held mine too. I caught a look of anger in his eyes before he averted his gaze.

I softened my voice and stepped toward him. "Hey... how did your match go? I haven't got to hear who won the male segment yet."

Ivan’s lips got even thinner than before as he sent a glare my way, the purple swelling around his eyes becoming more prominent. "What now?’’ He spat out, taking a step towards me, ‘’Do you need more people to cheer for you? Don't tell me you don't like having our parents focus only on you... You’d almost think I didn't just fight in the exact same tournament as you," he laughed coldly, taking me aback at the venom in his words.

"Ivan, don't be a brat," my mother chimed in, waving a hand hard at him. "You lost out in tier two. Your sister made it all the way to the top and won as usual. It’s only natural we focus on..."

Thump!

Ivan ripped the sweat towel from around his neck and slammed it hard onto the floor as he made sure to send a glare at every single one of us. 

The pure anger in his eyes made my breath pause as I tried to find a way to defuse the situation, but before I could, he turned around and walked away fast down the hallway.

"Mom... don't be so harsh on him like that," I said quietly, feeling a sharp pain in my heart for him. "He worked hard for this tournament too. You shouldn't have said it like that."

"Oh, please, Yana. He needs to grow up and stop being mad he doesn't make wins like you," my mother said, brushing him off and fixing her glasses for the third time. "Now let's all hurry up, we have a party to get to! I have the makeup artist and hairdresser ready to glam you up... and oh! I picked out a dress for you too that you would love..."

Two hours later, my victory gala was in full swing at the lobby of Volk Sports and Entertainment, our family’s company. 

The ballroom was packed with high-ranking guests, sports investors, and board members. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, lighting up the tables that were filled with expensive varieties of food and champagne.

I stood beside my father near the main stage, wearing a fitting green dress that squeezed my shoulders tight, the deep cleavage cut making me feel like a clown, and the high heels that were already pinching my toes to a stupor were not helping my case. 

I could feel every muscle in my body aching in soreness from all the blows that landed during my match, but I still had to stretch my glammed-up face to look presentable for every photographer who walked past.

"Dad, I'm going to go talk to Max," I hurriedly said. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and sped through the crowd, my heart beating as he held my gaze as I neared the drink station where my boyfriend, Max, was standing in a sharp blue suit, waiting for me to draw closer with a smile on his lips. I felt the butterflies stumble drunkenly in my belly at the handsome sight of him.

"And here comes my highlight for the evening," Max whispered, landing a kiss on my lips as his hands slipped around my waist and pulled me in a bit too tightly and turning me just enough so the nearby photographers got a clear shot of us together. "You look incredible, Yana. Everyone around just keeps gushing about your knockout blow in the third round."

"I just want to take these shoes off, Max," I gasped, feeling giddy as I leaned against his shoulder for a second. "And my cheeks hurt from smiling, and my head is killing me..." I ended with a groan.

"I know, baby, I know," Max said softly, his hand gently patting my back. He felt so stiff with me and I watched how his eyes were already drifting back over my shoulder, scanning the VIP tables before flying to his watch to glance at the time. He was practically standing right next to me, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else. 

‘’Max…’’ I whispered, nudging him a little to get his attention again.

He laughed softly as he handed me a glass of sparkling water. "Just hold on for a little longer, baby. Your dad wants to give a big speech in twenty minutes. Once the speech is over, I'll take you back to my place to unwind."

"Deal," I said, taking a sip of the cold water and feeling warmth spread in my chest from the promise in his words, a real smile finally settling on my lips. But as he immediately turned away from me to look down at his phone again, I felt my chest tighten again.

Just then my eyes fell on my brother. He had swapped into a charcoal black suit, and he was holding a drink, but was staring blankly at the floor. He looked totally isolated despite being in a room full of hundreds of people.

My heart ached for him again. I hated seeing the wall growing between us. Ever since we were kids, we had trained in the same gym and did every single thing together. But as my record and wins kept growing, Ivan’s career seemed to have hit a wall no matter how hard he trained. 

I moved to walk toward him but stopped. I knew exactly how he would react to me, so I thought better of it, not wanting to create another scene here.

"I'm going to step away for a minute," I told Max, setting my glass down on a high table. Between the pain from my heels, the tight gown, the cold shoulder from Max, and the loud clatter from the guests around me, I wasn't sure I could stand another second in this lobby.

"Alright, don't be too long," Max said with a warm smile, immediately turning away from me to glance back at his phone.

I excused myself from the crowded ballroom and slipped down the quiet carpeted hallway toward the VIP restrooms. 

The noise of the music and the clinking glasses faded away, but just then it was replaced by a set of firm, heavy footsteps matching mine, and I could feel the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. I sharply turned around, but no one was there, only the smell of an expensive cigar in the air.

"I badly need to take a nap..." I murmured as I took three slow, deep breaths before slipping into the women's restroom. 

I stared at my reflection in the mirror before letting out a tired breath, trying to shake off that uneasy feeling that was slowly settling over me.

I fixed my green dress and smoothed down my hair before turning around and pushing the door of the restroom open to head back to the party.

I stepped out into the well-lit hallway but froze instantly in my steps.

Leaning against the wall directly opposite the bathroom door was a towering man in the darkest shade of tailored black suit I had ever come across. He had his long legs crossed at the ankles and a cigarette lazily resting between his fingers. He carried a cold and dangerous aura that made the quiet hallway suddenly feel unsafe.

Slowly, he raised his head. His dark blue, sharp eyes locked onto mine.

My face immediately turned sour as my eyes narrowed into slits and my fists clenched at my sides.

"You again."