Nikolai woke up in a sterile hospital room, harsh fluorescent lights stabbing into his skull. His brain was still scrambled, running on autopilot.
“Get my wife to the hospital. I need her here.”
His assistant’s body went rigid, face white as death. He whispered, “Sir… she’s gone. She left.”
Reality crashed into Nikolai’s consciousness like a freight train. Everything from the past few days came flooding back, and rage started building in his chest again.
Veloura had actually fucking left him.
He ignored the doctors trying to stop him and discharged himself immediately. Had his people tear down the penthouse and renovate it completely, erasing every trace of Anneliese’s presence.
He sent team after team searching for Veloura. Professional ones. The kind of people who could find anyone, anywhere.
They all came back empty–handed.
She’d vanished like she’d never existed.
Days blurred together. He sat in his office every day, unable to focus on anything. Multi–billion dollar deals fell through because he couldn’t be bothered to show up. In just over a month, he’d cost the company hundreds of billions.
He didn’t give a shit.
That’s when it hit him: it wasn’t that Veloura couldn’t survive without him. He couldn’t survive without her. Desperately. Completely.
He stared out the floor–to–ceiling windows at the blue sky and white clouds, seeing her face in every formation. The emptiness in his chest kept growing until he felt like he was suffocating.
That’s when Grandfather Virellic stormed into his office carrying financial reports, finding Nikolai staring blankly out the window.
WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS PAST MONTH?” The old man threw the reports at him, eyes blazing with fury. “You’ve been acting ike a goddamn zombie! This company is hemorrhaging money!”
It’s just a few hundred billion. We’ll make it back.” Nikolai’s voice was completely flat.
You bastard! You’re going to destroy this company over some worthless woman?” Grandfather raised his hand to strike him, but when Nikolai looked ip, the ice in his eyes made the old man freeze.
Grandfather, she’s my wife.” Nikolai’s tone was calm, almost gentle, but something about it made the old man’s blood run cold.
You’re divorced. In her eyes, you’re a liar who betrayed your marriage vows. You’re a stranger who stood by and watched while she was tortured nd begged for help.” Grandfather stepped back, each word hitting Nikolai like a physical blow.
She’ll never forgive you. She’ll never come back. Instead of playing the reformed lover, focus on business. The Virellic family has never produced a nan who stayed faithful to one woman. Find another toy and get over yourself.”
Grandfather left it at that. Seeing Nikolai’s expression grow darker, he turned and walked out.
The office fell silent. Nikolai sat there for maybe ten minutes, letting the words sink in. Then something inside him snapped completely.
He grabbed his coat and drove straight to the government building that housed the registry office. Didn’t slow down, didn’t brake–just smashed his car through the glass entrance, embedding itself in the wall, leaving the lobby in ruins.
Vikolai climbed out of the wreckage, blood trickling from cuts on his face, and charged toward the offices like a man possessed. Security tried to stop um–he knocked them down with single punches.
le found the records office, grabbed the terrified clerk who’d processed Veloura’s identity change, and slammed her against the wall. His dark eyes
17:16
Go Play Your Duet with Your Mistress: My Life’s Melody is Going Solo on My Own
10.39
Chapter 15
were filled with murderous intent,
“My wife’s new name. Her new documents. Where she went. You have thirty seconds.”
“L… I can’t tell you that. That information is classified-”
His hands wrapped around her throat. Not enough to kill her. Yet,
“Twenty seconds.”
The woman had never seen anything like the rage burning in his face. He looked like something from hell, radiating cold death.
“Fifteen.”
“I’ll tell you! Please don’t kill me!” The clerk broke down crying, hands shaking as she opened the file.
Because that’s what Grandfather didn’t understand. Nikolai wasn’t giving up. He wasn’t moving on.
He was going to find Veloura, and he was going to bring her home.
Even if he had to burn down the entire fucking world to do it.
17:16
