Nikolai was sitting on the edge of his desk, a glass of whiskey in one hand a bright childish bracelet on the other, his sharp gray eyes fixed on the security monitor of the protagonist’s bedroom. The night had been calm until a notification broke the silence: intruders on his property. His jaw tensed for a moment, but his expression remained cold and calculated. He knew exactly who it was.

The Redding family had arrived.

The echo of gunshots rang through the halls, followed by screams and the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Nikolai placed the glass down with deliberate calm, retrieving a silver pistol from the drawer. He adjusted his tailored suit jacket tucking the bracelet out of sight, his movements as smooth as if he were preparing for a meeting instead of a deadly confrontation.

When he entered the grand hall, it was chaos. Blood-stained rugs, shattered paintings, and lifeless bodies scattered across the marble floor. One of the Redding men spotted him and raised his weapon, but Nikolai was quicker. A single, precise shot, and the man dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Predictable," Nikolai muttered, stepping over the man with disdain, humming the protagonist’s favourite song at the moment.

From the smoke, a larger, built figure emerged: Jay Redding, the eldest son of the rival family, and the object of his obsessions eldest brother. His face was twisted with anger and annoyance.

"Nikolai," Jay growled "this ends here. Your time in charge has been a joke. You’re nothing but a child playing dress up"

Nikolai exhaled softly, almost bored. He raised his pistol, pointing it at Jay, but didn’t pull the trigger. "You know what’s funny, Jay? You always act like you’ve already won. Have you ever stopped to consider you don’t even know what game you’re playing?"

Before Jay could respond, the hall’s back doors burst open. More than a dozen armed men flooded in, surrounding the intruders. Nikolai had planned this from the beginning, using the Reddings family’s attack as a perfect excuse to draw the protagonist into his trap.

Jay’s teeth clenched as he realized he was outnumbered. Nikolai holstered his pistol inside his jacket and walked toward him, hands casually clasped behind his back, his expression calm and amused.

As Nikolai’s men subdued the remaining attackers, he stopped in front of Jay, leaning slightly to meet his gaze.

"Honestly, Jay, this was disappointing. I expected something...more from you" Nikolai said with a mocking smile. His eyes flickered between Jays fury and the subtle nervousness beginning to creep into his expression.

Then Nikolai tilted his head, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Oh, and one more thing. I’ve always liked your sister.” he smirks to himself. liked? that wasn’t nearly what Nikolai felt when he saw the protagonist. Nikolai leaned down whispering in Jays ear “You know, maybe I should pay her a visit now that you’ll be... preoccupied. She so cute all curled up in bed, don’t you agree?"

The comment sent Jay into a rage. He lunged toward Nikolai , but two of his men grabbed him yanking him back before he could take a single step.

Nikolai chuckled softly, his laugh low and venomous, before turning away. "Finish this. I’m bored," he ordered his men with a dismissive hand, his voice sharp and indifferent leaving no room for argument.

Back in his office Nikolai sat down, pressing his hands to his eyes, feeling an headache coming on. He hadn’t been able to sleep in years though it was only getting worse with the stress. The faint echoes of gunfire still lingered in the air, a Nikolai, lighting a cigarette, he watched the security feed where Jay Redding knelt, beaten and bound, blood trickling down his temple before switching to the camera in the protagonist’s room one he tapped into a while back.

A rare genuine smile crosses his lips as he watches the protagonist roll over, mumbling to herself. Nikolai picked up his phone staring at the protagonist’s number in her brothers phone. she has to pick up, she will come he thought to himself, taking a breath before hitting the call button.

When he hears the protagonist’s soft groan from the other end mumbling a “hello”, he let’s out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding

"...it’s Nikolai" he said, his voice casual but laced with a dangerous undertone, as though he relished the control he held over the situation despite being excited to see her, to her voice

He paused, exhaling a plume of smoke before continuing, "I have something I thought you might want back. Well, technically, someone. Your dearest brother, Jay. Though I’ll admit, he doesn’t look as good as he should. I think he overestimated himself by showing up at my house uninvited." He lets out an amused chuckle watching Jay struggle against the ropes, kneeling, beaten and bloody in the front of him as his men pushed Jay to the floor in his office. “So when will you be here. I’d make it snappy if I were you, sweetheart, he’s not the prettiest sight, you know"

Nikolai paused, the silence thick with tension before Nikolai added, his voice dripping with flirtation and amusement with a glimmer of hope "Or perhaps I should come to you. You’ve always been far more intriguing than your brother." and far more gorgeous he added silently watching the protagonist through the camera, ignoring Jay being beaten in front of him

He let the weight of his words linger for a moment before sighing softly. "It’s up to you of course, baby”