Chapter 9

Vivienne's POV

When I woke, daylight had already crept through the windows.

I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to remember where I was. Last night, Alexei had moved all my belongings into this room. Dmitri's bedroom was right next door.

This entire floor contained only three spaces: his bedroom, mine, and his study.

This wasn't living quarters.

This was the Boss's private domain.

And I had been placed here, like an object locked away in a vault.

Two knocks sounded at the door before it swung open.

"Vivienne, Boss is waiting for you in the dining room."

It was Nadia.

The dining room was downstairs.

When I walked in, the room fell noticeably silent. Several Bratva members glanced up, their eyes lingering for half a second before dropping back down. No one spoke, but I knew exactly what they were looking at.

Overnight, everyone had learned the truth.

A woman had moved into the room next to the Boss.

And that woman was me.

Dmitri sat at the far end of the long table, his black shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the fresh bandage on his shoulder visible beneath the fabric. He didn't look up, merely uttered a single word.

"Sit."

I didn't sit. Instead, I stood by the table and asked, "How is Autumn right now?"

Only then did he raise his eyes to meet mine.

"Alive."

My expression turned cold. "That's not what I asked."

He set down his knife and fork. "Fever. Soft tissue damage."

My fingers curled slowly into fists. "I want to see her."

He studied me for two seconds.

"Eat breakfast first."

I laughed bitterly. "Are you deciding when I eat now too?"

He showed no anger, merely glanced at the coffee cup beside my hand.

"Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach."

I froze mid-motion.

"Your stomach is sensitive."

The entire dining room went quiet.

I had never told him about my stomach issues. But in the next instant, I remembered the file in his safe.

My voice turned ice-cold. "Exactly how much did you dig up on me?"

He didn't answer, only pushed a small plate of warm food toward me.

"Eat."

That single word, spoken so calmly, made the fire in my stomach burn even hotter.

In Dmitri's world, even care could take the shape of a command.

And what I hated most was this kind of protection that arranged every breath I took.

After breakfast, he actually stood up.

"Let's go."

I followed him through the corridor, Nadia trailing behind. The clinic occupied another wing of the compound, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant.

Autumn lay in the hospital bed, her face so pale it was almost translucent, her lips dry and cracked. Bruises still marked her wrists from being dragged, and the finger marks on her neck hadn't completely faded.

I stood in the doorway, my breathing gradually tightening.

Since the night of the birthday gala, she had stayed by my side through everything. Running, hiding, boarding the ship, starving in the cargo hold, being dragged away, then brought back by the Bratva. She hadn't left me behind once.

When I reached the bedside, she drowsily opened her eyes.

Recognizing me, her tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.

"Vivienne."

I took her hand. "I'm here."

She tried to push herself up, and I immediately pressed her back down.

"Don't move."

She smiled weakly, her voice hoarse and rough. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Those words, light as a breath, pierced straight into my chest. I looked down at the bruises on her wrists, at her cracked lips.

The words lodged in my throat, burning hot. I'm sorry. I dragged you into this. If the Ashford family hadn't fallen...

But I couldn't say any of it.

Some words, once spoken, would only tear the wound open again.

I only said quietly, "It won't happen again."

Autumn smiled palely.

"That's not for you to decide."

I looked up.

Her voice was soft, yet cruelly lucid.

"We're on someone else's territory now."

I fell silent, only gripping her hand tighter.

Yes. We had survived.

But survival didn't equal freedom.

We had merely fallen from Moretti's pursuit into Dmitri's domain.

The doctor stood nearby recording her condition. Dmitri had remained by the door the entire time, never approaching the bed, only looking toward the doctor.

"Her condition."

"Fever, soft tissue damage. She needs rest." The doctor answered quietly, "She's not fit to be moved right now."

Autumn instinctively glanced at me, as if afraid of being left behind.

Dmitri saw it.

"She'll stay."

Autumn froze. I looked up at him too.

He continued to the doctor, "A private room. Use the best medicine."

"Yes, Boss."

Autumn pressed her lips together and said softly, "I can take care of Vivienne."

Dmitri looked at her, his voice cold but not humiliating.

"Right now, you can't take care of anyone."

Autumn's face paled slightly. I was about to speak when he continued.

"When you can get out of bed, you can return to her side."

He wasn't trying to separate Autumn from me.

He was tacitly allowing her to stay.

But my unease didn't dissipate.

Because I was increasingly aware that he would protect the people I cared about.

On the condition that they were all in his hands.

After leaving the clinic, I didn't say a word the entire way. Nadia went to arrange Autumn's room.

Dmitri led me back through the dining room.

This time, the stares were even more obvious.

Some people lowered their heads to make way for me. Some fell silent when they saw me. Some glanced at Dmitri, then quickly looked away.

I stopped walking and looked at him. "You did this on purpose."

He stopped. "What?"

"Let everyone know that I'm your woman."

His gaze darkened slightly.

"I never said that."

I stared at him. "But you let them think it."

He looked back at me without denying it.

"This way, no one will touch you."

That afternoon, I didn't return to my room.

I walked toward the main entrance. I wasn't foolish enough to try escaping now. I only wanted to know whether this cage had a door.

The two guards at the entrance straightened immediately when they saw me.

"Miss Ashford."

I kept walking toward the exit.

One of them stepped forward half a pace, blocking my path, his tone still respectful.

"Boss said without his permission, you cannot leave headquarters."

I stopped and looked at him.

"What if I insist on going out?"

The guard didn't move, didn't touch his weapon, only lowered his head.

"Then we would have to stop you."

I laughed coldly and turned back toward the main hall.

Dmitri had just returned from outside.

He still wore his black gloves, his shoulders wrapped in a chill from the cold air.

I walked straight toward him, meeting his eyes.

"You're imprisoning me."

He looked at me, his gray eyes cold without a single ripple.

"This is protection. The people outside want to kill you."

"That's still my business."

No one around us dared make a sound.

"I didn't stay here to become your prisoner."

"You're still alive right now because you're here."

He stepped closer to me, his voice dropping lower.

"Vivienne. Until I deal with Moretti," he said, "you're not going anywhere."

I clenched my fingers, nails digging into my palm.

"Including leaving here?"

He looked at me, paused for a moment, his voice even lower and heavier.

"Including leaving me."