Business first. Always.

Viktor adjusted the cuffs of his tailored black suit, his expression impassive as he stepped into the waiting car. The city lights of Madrid flickered through the tinted windows, casting fleeting shadows across his sharp features. He had always preferred Moscow—cold, unyielding, predictable. Spain, on the other hand, was heat and chaos wrapped in the illusion of beauty.

And at the center of that illusion was her.

The heir to the Spanish mafia. His so-called ally.

Viktor had known her since childhood, back when their fathers still controlled the world they were now forced to inherit. He had watched her grow into the woman she was today—ruthless, cunning, a master of manipulation. If she had been born a man, she would have already burned half of Europe to the ground and rebuilt it in her image. But instead, she played the long game, twisting their father’s obsession into a leash of her own design.

He respected it. Respected her.

But trust? No. That was a luxury neither of them could afford.

Tonight’s meeting was about business, but Viktor knew better than to take her words at face value. She always had another angle, another scheme hidden behind those sharp, knowing eyes. And yet, he wasn’t above playing her game.

The real question was—who would win?