Chapter 359: The General Rule of Contingencies

[FROLO]

Humiliation burned through Aleksandr as he walked out of the Romanov compound, limping like that was his natural state. He still had the roses in his hand even as he staggered out, his heart shattered for the hundredth time.

He had wanted to dump the roses, but the mercs Sergei had come with wouldn’t let him. In fact, they made sure he carried the bouquet with him into his car like it was nothing that only Alek had to deal with himself.

And fuck if Aleksandr didn’t despise the day already.

He had come to try and leverage emotions against Katya Romanov. He had come to try and weasel in, like that was the one chance he had. But the Romanov omega had proven to be better than Aleksandr had expected.

Defiant.

Unshaken.

And more than anything, holding onto the Romanov omega title like he knew the very extent of that title.

Maybe Katya did.

Maybe he did not.

But the underworld understood it so well.

Because the Romanov omega was the one reason the Romanovs had stepped back from the underworld and embraced a normal, simple life as a steel empire that had absolutely no ties to the underworld.

In fact, it was a reality that many people from the early years associated with the chaos that only Sergei could ever have caused for his son Yaroslav.

"Someone set up cameras in Katya’s penthouse. Figure it out before I get there, and get me all the footage," Alek said into the phone as he drove away, shame burning through his skin like he couldn’t believe he had been bested by Katya of all people.

Seeing Katya stand up for himself was new. Very new.

Katya Romanov despised confrontation. It was the only reason he was easily bullied and the only reason the Romanovs hadn’t exactly been able to do much about the bullying.

Because Katya was always thinking people would change for the better. That life was worth living and all the shit that didn’t sound like a fucking Christmas card.

But today...

Katya Romanov had laid hands on Alek, and judging by the face he made afterward, Alek knew Katya hated what he had done.

"I’m alright, my little rose," Alek whispered like he was not about to let go of the idea yet. Maybe he was fucked in the head for trying to keep it all going, but what the fuck was he supposed to do when things were not going as he planned?

He hadn’t even hung up the call with Kenzo as he drove away, pissed and not pleased with the way Katya had changed, yet glad that Katya was standing up for him.

Alek couldn’t decide really, so he settled on one aspect of the day.

Katya Romanov.

Beautiful, fierce, sassy Katya Romanov.

He would get that omega back. Come hell or high water.

Surely it wasn’t going to be hard, right?

Meanwhile, at the Hercules headquarters, Andre, Svet, and Yaroslav stared at the footage of Alek being kicked by Katya an unhealthy number of times.

It was like they couldn’t believe it was even a possibility, yet at the same time, the way Katya had changed while with Sergei and while with Alek was something they couldn’t deny.

"I think we can postpone killing the barbarian by three days," Svet said as the footage played again.

Today was the weekend, and while they never had missions depending on days, it had been a little too quiet.

Everyone else save for Sergei was here training, surveilling, or having the time of their lives playing games and watching television. It almost looked like they were a normal household.

"He won’t hurt him. I know my father; he’s way better than me," Yaroslav said quietly, and Andre glared at the beta like he couldn’t believe they were here with Yaroslav and they had tried shit with Yaroslav.

It was crazy how much control they had, or maybe it was because Rastenkin had sworn to make everyone do four hundred pull-ups if he ever heard either of them fight each other.

And as much as four hundred pull-ups was no task for them, there was something threatening about the way Rastenkin had warned them.

"Your family is filled with crazy people," Andre sighed dramatically before turning back to the surveillance screen like he couldn’t believe this still.

The audio from the feed had come too, and honestly it was unnerving how Katya had let himself be free the moment Sergei had arrived, yet at the same time it was the kind of thing that had Yaroslav smiling heartily.

Two of the people he loved with his life were together and making each other happy. What more could Yaroslav Moskowsky ask for, right?

"Aren’t you weirded out?" Svet asked, plopping onto the seat.

Rastenkin and Anya were in the corner talking and catching up.

But Svetlana knew they were attentive to every little thing that happened in their hideout. It wasn’t even hard to tell because those two were always trying to make sense of something. Anything.

"Katya’s happiness isn’t something to be worried about. Besides, he handled himself well. If you ask me, that was a win. Unexpected, but a win nonetheless," Yaroslav said as he walked out, the memory of both Katya and Sergei something that he would never get tired of.

Maybe at the end of the day, he had to learn to breathe the right way because things like that didn’t just change. Watching the love of his life with his father on footage that was not supposed to be used like this was not easy for him.

But he’d known that things would change the moment he stepped back.

This was just that, after all.

"I don’t know whether to feel bad for him or be worried about the way he’s gotten so good at bracing for what will come because his father fell for his ex," Svet said flatly, earning quiet sighs from everyone.

Maybe it was what karma looked like.

But a happy Katya surely wasn’t karma, right?

"Katya Romanov just learned he has been under surveillance for a while. Get on that, both of you," Rastenkin said, and Andre and Svet looked at each other before they went to their stations.

They had learned a while earlier about the surveillance, and while they’d wanted to tell Katya about it, there was no way to say it without making Katya feel like there was more being hidden from him.

Besides, Sergei needed to be the one who explained this to him.

Because Katya...

Didn’t like being watched without his consent.

Funny how the Hercules team had come together for the sake of Katya Romanov. Now they had to make sure they were ready for when Katya knew who really was doing the surveillance.

Because that...

That would be the turning point for their operation; whether ahead or backward was yet to be seen.

And so, the rest of the day went by for the Hercules camp as normally as possible while Aleksandr and the bratva had found something to hold onto.

Something that could give them more leverage, right?

Well, that was all fun until the bratva got a very unexpected visitor at their gates.

"Pietro..." A curly-haired man in hospital clothes stumbled into the bratva HQ before he fell unconscious.

And Aleksandr...

The senator froze.