Chapter 384: Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy

[FROLO]

Basement three of the Moskowsky Group building hadn’t seen life for a long time. Even the guards who had once been stationed there were gone.

If anything, it was like everything had been done with the basement. Save for the fact that right in that basement was the doctor Sergei had kidnapped from prison five months ago.

The doctor who had caused Katya’s emotional distress and who Sergei deemed to have betrayed Katya the most.

She was still there, with enough tuna melts to feed the city. She had clean water and care packages being delivered to her at the end of every month. It was almost diabolical how she was a prisoner who had access to TV and all that shit.

But Doctor Belyaeva knew better than to be calm about her current situation.

Even now she believed prison was a far better place than whatever the fuck she was at right now. Because the fact that Sergei was not paying her any attention was also a reminder that the man was preparing her either for the worst or was coming after her last.

Belyaeva had been granted access to television and everything that connected her to social life. Hell, she even had a phone that worked. She could basically call anyone to come and get her out of there.

She could let the city know that Sergei Moskowsky had kidnapped her and trapped her in the damn basement.

She was free and not free at the same time.

Yet even with all that freedom, even with the fact that she had everything to free herself from the clutches of the barbarian who was out there, Doctor Belyaeva didn’t bother.

Not even once was she tempted to try to reach out to anyone.

Because Doctor Tatiana Belyaeva knew the truth about Sergei Moskowsky.

The alpha was waiting for her to move. Waiting for her to try to run because Sergei would have the time of his life with her.

For Sergei, the therapist had done the greatest of crimes ever known. She had listened to Katya cry about his miscarriages and still convinced Katya that Katya was the problem. Still made Katya believe that, for his marriage to survive, he had to try harder.

The news was right there.

Belyaeva had seen what had happened to Doctor Hamid, the surgeon. What had happened to Professor Sorokin, and worse, what had happened to the person who had hired her, Milan Popova.

She had seen the way things had unfolded, and as if that wasn’t enough, she had seen the way that the city was moving given the breakup between Alek and Katya.

It didn’t even help that Yaroslav had reconciled with his father and was now getting into fights openly.

There was just too much to see and think twice about that Doctor Belyaeva knew she wouldn’t ever be able to breathe if she ever tried to make a run for it. Her life would be over before she even had a chance to atone.

And now, day one hundred and sixty-five since she had been brought to this basement, she was waiting again.

Watching the sun from the reflections above.

Hoping for her punishment to be over even when she knew that it was far from over, and that she was still condemned to a life in a cold basement for a few more months.

Maybe years. She didn’t know.

And she wasn’t ever ready to find out just yet.

Meanwhile, seventy-three floors above, Sergei Moskowsky stared at his screen as if it had offended him. Like he was trying to think of magical abilities that would portal him into the phone or even to Romanov Steel.

He had had his mate show him what was under the damn suit, and Sergei was not thinking clearly.

He knew if he headed to Romanov Steel, Mr. Romanov would demand to know what he was doing there, and gods be damned, Sergei had no proper explanation for the old man.

So, Sergei watched helplessly as Katya walked out of the washroom, now buttoned up and proper like he had been earlier. Then Katya went to the executive floor of Romanov Steel Holdings.

Into his office.

The one his father had hoped he would come and occupy one day.

He kept using the office like that was insane, and Sergei watched like he was not even sure what to expect anymore. Because Katya had switched to video calls again. It was all video calls.

He saw Katya’s office and was given a pretty good tour too. He could swear he even saw Mr. Romanov peep in, and Sergei had instinctively pulled back from the screen, hoping that the man didn’t see him.

"Did you like the tour?" Katya asked chirpily on the other end, having now settled on what was his desk in there.

He’d set the phone a little ahead so Sergei could see him well. And the alpha was staring still. Lost in his thoughts, or maybe in the way that Katya Romanov looked so perfectly this evening.

You would think that they had not woken up in the same bed or even spent the night together, given the way Sergei was staring at Katya dreamily. Like this was really the first time he was seeing such a beautiful omega.

"Alpha..." Katya began, and Sergei could only form just one sentence that he’d been using the whole time.

"You’re so beautiful, Solnyshka. I’m the luckiest man alive."

Katya smiled again, but this time he came closer to the screen.

"Alpha... I have a question... suggestion? I’m not even sure anymore," Katya began, his playfulness still there, but Sergei could see a change in tone. Something was up with his omega, and the alpha straightened up, his dreamy stare changing, just his posture.

"What is it, Solnyshka?" Sergei asked softly.

"Well, I’ve been doing some research in the past two years and I..." Katya trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Do you need funding? I’ll pay for whatever you need. What’s mine is always yours. You know that, Solnyshka, don’t you?" Sergei offered.

Katya laughed lightly at the man’s offer.

Of course, Sergei could offer that to him.

Of course, he would try to fix Katya’s problems like they were his own. And Katya appreciated it, truly.

But maybe this was one that Sergei wouldn’t be able to fix.

"I know," Katya said, and for a moment Sergei just smiled at him.

But Katya didn’t smile this time.

Sergei stared at him for a moment.

I know... Katya had said.

It wasn’t a confirmation of his belief in Sergei.

It was inclined toward something else.

"Solnyshka?" Sergei asked, trying to gauge what it was about.

What it was that Katya knew.

Was it about the contract? Because there wasn’t another contract. Or maybe it was because of the new agreement that Mr. Romanov had offered him? But even that had been discussed by Sergei because he didn’t want to cage Katya.

So, what did Katya know?

That Sergei was a monster? Well, Sergei hadn’t exactly hidden shit from him, right?

"I know," Katya added, and that got Sergei’s attention.

Because he could swear he saw the change in Katya’s eyes. The playful glint was gone, and in its place was something else.

Rather, someone else.

Not the Katya Romanov he had woken up with earlier today, and that was more unnerving.

Perhaps the Romanov heir?

Sergei wasn’t sure.

"Solnysh—"

"I know you’ve been surveilling me for the past eleven years."

Then a low-battery notification flashed on Sergei and Katya’s screens.

Sergei’s phone died.