BEAUTY IN THE BEAST

Web Of Deceit

Ch 132: Web of Deceit

Ace

The silence in the room is oppressive, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning. I sit in my office, staring at the single photograph of Katherine that I had found in Lev's cubicle. My mind races with the implications of Lev's betrayal. He had been one of my most trusted hackers, and now he was exposed as a traitor. Worse, he had a connection to Katherine.

I lean back in my chair, my thoughts swirling. Katherine, the woman I had been obsessed with for years, was once again at the centre of a tangled web of deceit. She had run from me, but I had always intended to bring her back. Now, I realized the depth of her suffering, not just from Lev, but from me. I had manipulated her, controlled her life, and now she was paying the price.

"Viktor," I call out, my voice steady and cold. Within moments, my second-in-command enters the room.

"Yes, Ace?"

"I need you to put every resource we have into finding Lev. He's been playing us from the start, and I want to know why. Dig into his background, his connections, everything. And I need to know where my father is hiding."

Viktor nodded, his expression grim. "I'll get right on it."

Hours later, Viktor returns with a grim expression. "We haven't been able to track your father. He's covered his tracks well." its then that my cell rings.

"Adrian." I greet.

"I have your father's location; it was under the guise of a shell name and the logistics for it were under serious wraps." He answers gruffly. A text pings on my phone before Adrian continues.

"I've sent you the location, you need anything, call me." he says before the line goes dead.

My eyes meet Viktor's whose mirror some of my hope.

"Get the men ready."

The mansion was imposing, a relic of old wealth and power. After weeks of relentless searching, I finally have my father cornered here. Viktor and I watch the estate with a grim sense of determination.

We storm into the mansion, subduing the guards, and finding my father in his study, seated behind his massive desk. His surprise quickly turns to defiance as I step into the room, Viktor flanking me.

"Ace," he says coldly, "I didn't expect you to find me here."

I stared him down, my patience worn thin. "You think I wouldn't? You've betrayed me, and you've hurt Katherine. I need to know why. I need to know where Andrei is." I snarl.

My father's face twists in anger. "Your wife's mother destroyed my life. I was in love with her, and she took everything from me. Katherine is a reminder of that betrayal." He spits.

I slam my fist on the desk, shaking with fury. "You didn't love her. You were obsessed. And don't you dare compare that to how I feel about Katherine. I'm not obsessed; I love her. There's a difference!"

My father's eyes narrowed, a twisted satisfaction in his gaze. "Love? You think love makes you strong? It makes you weak. You're letting her control you, making you soft. I didn't raise you to be like this. You were meant to be the Pakhan of the Bratva, strong and unyielding."

I feel a surge of frustration and cold anger, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "I am who I am because of my choices, not because of your outdated ideals. Where is Andrei?"

He leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips. "I won't tell you where they are. I did what I had to do to remind you of your purpose."

I took a deep breath, trying to stay focused despite the anger boiling inside me. "If you won't give me the information, I'll find another way."

After leaving the mansion, Viktor and I returned to my office. My father's refusal to cooperate has only intensified my resolve. I need to find Andrei, and I need to do it fast.

Viktor enters my office, "You just left him?" he questions looking at me confused, a smile pulls on my lips.

"Only with a plan." I murmur looking in his eyes.

Viktor and I pour over every lead we have. My father mentioned his obsession with Katherine's mother and how it had driven him to his actions. I have to dig deeper into Lev's past, his connections, anything that might reveal where he had gone.

As we worked late into the night, the plan starts working its magic. My father had been involved in the organization for decades, and Andrei is a key player within it. If I could track Andrei's last known activities, I might find a lead.

"Viktor," I said, my voice weary but determined. "Check any recent transactions or communications Lev might have had with contacts. Look for any patterns, any anomalies."

Viktor nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "We'll find something. There has to be a trace."

Hours pass, and finally, Viktor finds a lead. Andrei had recently accessed secure files related to high-value assets—files that weren't part of his usual work.

"This could be a clue," Viktor says. "It looks like Lev was trying to cover his tracks."

We follow the trail, which lead us to a hidden server location. I could feel the tension mounting as we accessed the data. Hidden within the files was a coded message, one that pointed to a rendezvous location. It wasn't conclusive, but it was a starting point.

The next morning, Viktor and I prepare to follow the lead. The data suggests a meeting spot, a place Lev might have used as a hideout. As we prepare to move out, I couldn't shake the feeling that my father had been hiding more than he let on. But for now, the clue was all I had, and I had to follow it.

"How could you be sure your father would have set up this meeting?" Viktor asks from the front.

I look up from my laptop, "Just a calculated guess." I say with a shrug.

"And your dad will be there?"

"He's already in Alex's and Aiden's possession." Viktor's eyebrows hit the hairline.

"Then I believe he should start praying that he dies quickly." He says with a whistle while I shake my head.

I look at Viktor, resolute. "We're going to find Andrei. And when we do, he'll pay for everything he's done." He says sombrely.

As we move through the streets, the weight of the past weeks presses heavily on my shoulders, the determination to protect Katherine and bringing justice the only things driving me forward. The path ahead is fraught with danger, but I am ready to face it. For Katherine. For us, I would do it all.

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