Chapter 1 The Cage made of diamond

Anya Petrova sat by the window in her small, sunlight-filled apartment, the familiar comfort of the city's murmur below a soothing rhythm against the quiet beat of her grief. Her world, though currently muted by the recent, sudden loss of her father, was built on predictable foundations: university lectures, vintage art books, and the reliable affection of her mother, Evelyn. Anya's emotional guard was naturally high, a quiet shield she wore against the world’s unpredictable edges, particularly against the overwhelming wave of sorrow that threatened to capsize her.

"Oh, Anya, darling, stop frowning at that textbook," Evelyn chirped, sweeping into the room. Evelyn was a woman defined by her lightness—a delicate, blonde flutter of silk and optimism, utterly unsuited for the dark weight of reality. She carried a single, perfect white orchid, its scent sharp and sweet, a beautiful distraction. "Come here, I have news. Wonderful, unbelievable news."

Anya closed her worn copy of a Renaissance text, the cool paper momentarily grounding her. She could tell by the desperate sparkle in her mother’s wide, blue eyes that this news was going to require more than just a polite reaction; it required an act of staggering emotional acceptance. She noted the faint, nervous tremor in her mother's hands as she fussed with the orchid. Why is she so manic? This is forced joy.

"What is it, Maman?" Anya asked, forcing a gentle smile to keep her voice level and non-judgmental.

Evelyn set the flower down, her hands flying up to frame her face in an expression of pure, breathless joy. "I’m engaged, my dearest girl! Truly, madly, blissfully engaged!"

Anya felt the air thicken, the quiet rhythm of her life stuttering to a violent halt. "Engaged? To whom, Maman? When did you even start seeing someone seriously?" she pressed, her internal alarm system ringing fiercely.

"Oh, it was all quite sudden, a whirlwind!" Evelyn sank onto the velvet chaise lounge, clutching a hand to her chest. "It’s Nikolai. Nikolai Volkov."

The name dropped into the sunlit room like a stone into a still pond, fracturing the light. Anya knew that name. Everyone did. Nikolai Volkov was synonymous with cold, powerful wealth—a figure who appeared on financial news channels and in hushed society whispers, known for his steel-trap mind and absolute ruthlessness in business. His face, when it rarely appeared in the media, was always a study in unapproachable, severe coldness. His eyes seemed to calculate the value of everything they touched.

"Nikolai Volkov," Anya repeated slowly, the name tasting like cold metal on her tongue. Her stomach clenched tight, a physical manifestation of her fear. This is wrong. This is fundamentally terribly wrong. He is a predator, not a husband.

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful?" Evelyn beamed, seemingly oblivious to the seismic shift she had just initiated. "He's just so… stable. So commanding. He will take care of everything, Anya. He said he would take care of us."

"Take care of us, how, Maman?" Anya rose, her voice dangerously steady, her characteristic trait of controlled defiance hardening her stance. "You’ve known him for two months. What do you know about him beyond the headlines? Does he make you laugh? Does he share your interests?" She focused on the practical and emotional gaps, trying to find a footing.

Evelyn’s smile faltered, replaced by a defensive pout, a fleeting imperfection of insecurity showing through the glamour. "He offers protection, Anya, which is more than your father's 'stability' ever did! He offers a life where we don't have to worry about anything ever again. We're moving immediately, darling. To his estate. You'll see, it's a dream."

Anya felt a wave of icy clarity wash over her fear. Her father’s passing had left their finances exposed, something she and Evelyn had struggled to manage. Nikolai wasn't offering romance; he was offering a transaction cloaked in silk. She could practically smell the desperation beneath her mother's expensive perfume.

"Maman, this is too fast," Anya pleaded, kneeling beside the chaise, trying to inject some desperately needed reality into her mother's fantasy. "A life of protection from a man who is only ever described as a cold strategist... it sounds like a very gilded cage." The sentence had a brittle, rhyme-like echo in the room, emphasizing its sharp truth.

Evelyn pulled her hand away, her fragility morphing into surprising, wounded stubbornness. "You are just being cynical, Anya! You don't want anything to change! This is happiness, and I deserve happiness."

Anya looked at her mother’s desperate eyes, the blue slightly too bright. She knew the truth: Evelyn wasn't in love; she was desperate for rescue. The silence between them was heavy with this unspoken disagreement.

"When is this happening?" Anya asked, the fight draining out of her as the immense weight of the situation settled.

"Tomorrow, darling. The estate is ready for us," Evelyn said, standing up, the decision already made and sealed. She fluttered to the mirror, adjusting her collar, her attention already focused on the glittering, terrifying future.

Anya walked back to the window. The familiar city view suddenly felt alien, distant. She pressed her fingertips against the cool glass, trying to anchor herself in the present before the wave hit.

Nikolai Volkov. This is a cold transaction. It can only mean danger. I am exchanging one quiet, sheltered life for one of absolute, monitored control.

A sharp, unpleasant thought pierced her consciousness: If Nikolai was the new patriarch, that meant she would have to deal with his son. She had seen one fleeting, intense image of the heir apparent, Dimitri, or "Dima," Volkov, in a financial magazine—a man who looked less like a son and more like a younger, sharper weapon forged in the same ice. His features were too angular, his gaze too penetrating, promising intelligence matched only by ruthlessness.

Her mother’s voice, now light and airy again, pulled her back. "Dimitri will be there, too, of course. Nikolai's son. He's very striking. You two are so close in age, you'll be fast friends, I'm sure."

Anya shuddered, a full-body recoil from the notion of being "friends" with the scion of a dynasty she already viewed as a threat. The thought of Dima’s intense, calculating presence made her skin prickle with foreboding.

"Maman, I don't think that's likely," Anya murmured, focusing on the scent of the orchid—sweet, but sickeningly so.

"Nonsense!" Evelyn said, retrieving the white orchid and examining its perfect structure. "Just think of it, Anya. A new life. Everything will be perfect."

Anya watched her mother's reflection. She knew everything was about to be irrevocably altered and broken. She felt a profound sense of foreboding, realizing her safe life was over, about to be traded for a life of aggressive, dangerous opulence. She finally spoke, her voice just a strained whisper: "This is wrong, Maman. This is a mistake." Evelyn ignored her, smiling instead at her reflection, already in love with the fantasy. Anya turned from the window, looking at the door, realizing that in less than twelve hours, she would be walking into a trap set by a man she only knew as a public figure of terrifying power, leaving her old world behind forever.