Chapter 211: It didn’t work

"Well, you can tell me the plan when you’re ready," Sienna said. "I won’t ask." Viktor raised an eyebrow. "Because I know you. You’ll just tell me to leave it to you."

Marcus lowered his head, hiding a small smile. Sienna was right. Viktor did not argue. She picked up the napkin and gently wiped her mouth.

"I feel alive now." She pushed her chair back. "I’ll go back to the room and leave you guys to your conversation." She looked at Viktor.

"But after you’re done, you’re taking me to see Aria." Viktor smiled. "Deal." Sienna nodded and started walking toward the stairs. Viktor watched her leave. He couldn’t help smiling.

Even after everything they had been through, she was still Sienna stubborn, curious, and completely unaware of the truth standing right in front of her.

Once she disappeared upstairs, Marcus finally spoke.

"Boss..." Viktor’s smile faded. "I couldn’t tell her." Marcus and Manuel remained quiet. "I tried," Viktor said, running a hand over his face. "I really tried to tell her, just like you said." Marcus nodded slowly.

Viktor looked toward the staircase. "How do I tell her?" Neither Marcus nor Manuel had an answer. For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

"Hopefully, we can buy some time," Marcus finally said. "At least until we find out who has been working against her from the shadows." Viktor nodded.

"That is what I want." His phone suddenly rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the screen. His expression changed.

"Carina." Marcus immediately looked up. Viktor answered the call. "Just the person I wanted to hear from." There was a brief silence.

"What did you tell Sienna?"

"I didn’t tell her anything," Carina replied. "Why would I?" Viktor’s jaw tightened. "Because she’s smart, Carina." He glanced toward the stairs again.

"She already knows you work for Don Konstantin." Carina sighed.

"Does she?"

"Absolutely, and she’s asking questions." Viktor’s voice became harder. "I can’t keep this from her much longer."

"I understand," Carina said quietly. There was another pause. "I thought we could buy some time with Aliya still here. I thought the Don would be distracted long enough for us to figure out what to do."

"And?"

"It didn’t work." Viktor straightened. "What happened?"

"The Don knows the truth." Viktor went completely still. "What truth?" Carina hesitated.

"He knows Aliya is not his real daughter." Marcus exchanged a glance with Manuel. Viktor’s grip tightened around the phone.

Something in Carina’s voice made him pause. "And the Don asked me to give you a message."

Viktor said nothing. "He says you have three hundred and sixty-five days."

"For what?"

"To find his daughter." Viktor’s face hardened. Carina continued. "And if you don’t..." She paused. "He’s coming for you." Viktor’s eyes narrowed.

"And your wife?" Carina’s voice dropped. "He specifically mentioned your little wife."

"How did he find out Aliya wasn’t Katalia?" Viktor asked. "I don’t know," Carina replied. "But they couldn’t have been stupid enough to think they could hide it from him forever." Viktor remained silent.

"I told you," Carina continued. "The Don wasn’t simply looking for a daughter. He was looking for a key."

Carina paused. "And whatever happens to Aliya now is worse than anything you can imagine." Viktor’s expression hardened. "What did he do to her?"

"She is in the showroom."

"The what?"

"The showroom." Viktor frowned. "What is a showroom?" Carina’s voice became quieter. "A room for display." Viktor didn’t understand.

"At first, I thought it was just another part of his business," Carina explained. "But it’s one of the Don’s most profitable operations. People are brought there, controlled, and displayed to his clients. Those who end up there rarely get their freedom back."

Viktor’s jaw tightened. "And Aliya?"

"She is there now." A silence followed. "And Elena and Don Capri?"

"They are receiving their own punishment." Viktor stared at the floor. "What exactly is the showroom?"

"You don’t want to know."

"I asked you a question." Carina sighed. "It’s one of the places the Don uses when he wants people to understand what happens when they betray him." Viktor’s expression darkened.

"Send me a picture." Carina hesitated. "Viktor..."

"Send it." A few seconds later, his phone vibrated. He opened the image. For several seconds, he didn’t move.

The picture showed a large, cold room arranged almost like an expensive exhibition hall. Bright lights hung from the ceiling. There were glass partitions, locked doors, cameras positioned in every corner, and several people standing silently behind the barriers.

There was nothing glamorous about it.

It was clinical, organized, and deeply disturbing. Viktor’s stomach tightened. He turned the phone face down.

"This is what you would be in charge of if the Don ever found out the truth," Carina said quietly.

Viktor looked at the phone again. "This is what he would expect you to inherit." Viktor’s eyes hardened. "I don’t want any part of his world."

"And Sienna will never become part of it." Carina was silent.

"That is why you need to understand what you’re dealing with," she finally said. "If the Don discovers who she really is, he won’t see your wife." Viktor’s voice dropped.

"He’ll see Katalia."

"And I’ll make sure he never gets her." Carina exhaled slowly. "I hope you can." The call ended. Viktor remained in the dining room for a long time, staring at the phone. Upstairs, Sienna was still unaware of what had just happened.

And she certainly had no idea that Viktor was carrying a secret capable of changing everything between them. For now, he only had one year. Three hundred and sixty-five days. But Viktor knew one thing with absolute certainty.

He wasn’t going to wait that long.

One Month Later

A month passed. On the surface, life at the Kessler mansion had returned to normal. But Viktor knew better. Nothing was normal anymore. Not after Carina’s revelation. Not after the missing blood samples.

And certainly not after learning that Don Konstantin was searching for Sienna. Every day, Viktor quietly ordered Marcus to continue the investigation. Every day, another lead disappeared.

And every night, Viktor returned home and found Sienna waiting for him as if the world around them had not changed. She still smiled when she saw him. She still insisted on visiting Aria. And she still had no idea that Viktor was counting every day that passed.