Doppelgänger

Three

Daniil's POV

"I know for certain that someday you will leave this all behind" she insisted, her voice soft yet firm. "This life will destroy you. It will destroy us."

I laughed, wrapping my arms around her from behind, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. "How could this life destroy me?" I teased, pressing a gentle kiss to her neck. "You know I thrive in chaos."

But she turned in my embrace, her expression serious. "No, I'm serious. I feel like you're going to lose someone dear to you, and it would kill you. I love you too much to see you sad."

The weight of her words settled like a stone in my gut, and I shook my head, trying to brush off her fears. "I'm not afraid of losing anyone, Oksana. I've fought too hard to build what I have. Why would I let anything—anyone—tear that away?"

"Because you're so focused on this world, Daniil," she pleaded, her hands resting on my chest. "You don't see how dangerous it is."

"You worry too much," I murmured, trying to keep the mood light. "Nothing will happen to us."

But the doubt lingered in her eyes, a shadow that cast a pall over our laughter. "Promise me, Daniil. Promise me we'll get out before it's too late."

Just as I was about to respond, the dream began to fade, the warmth of her presence slipping away, and I felt a jarring knock on my door.

"Daniil!" Lev's voice broke through. "You in there?"

I jolted awake, the remnants of the dream clinging to my consciousness like a heavy mist. "What?" I barked, irritation bubbling up from the depths of my mind.

Lev pushed the door open and stepped inside, his face a mask of concern. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have something important." He held out a file, his demeanor serious. "It's Asher's profile."

The air in the room thick with unspoken tension. I opened it, my eyes scanning the details—photographs, background information, everything I needed to know about him. And then I saw it: his picture.

Everything clicked into place, and an icy realization washed over me. I knew exactly why Asher killed Oksana. I didn't want to accept it, but the truth was undeniable.

As memories from 2015 flooded back, I was transported to a time when I was a different man—violent, ruthless, consumed by a need for power. Back then, Asher's parents had worked for me. They had no choice; the mafia was their only option for survival. I had offered them jobs, a way to make ends meet, but they quickly learned that the price of that life was steep.

Over the year, they witnessed the brutality of the world I was entrenched in—the innocent lives I shattered without a second thought, they decided to leave. They thought they could escape the dark grip of the mafia, start fresh somewhere else.

But I knew better. Leaving meant they were as good as dead.

Rage bubbled up inside me as I recalled the night I tracked them down. I remembered the way Asher and Azura's eyes had widened in horror, filled with a mix of confusion and despair as they witnessed the execution of their parents.

In that moment, I had become the monster I had always been—the monster that took everything away from them.

Now, Asher had taken my Oksana, the one person who had seen the good in me, the one who had fought against my demons. My blood boiled at the thought that he had killed her for something she didn't even know about. She was innocent.

"I swear to God," I growled, slamming the file shut, my hands trembling with rage. "I will make those two siblings' lives a living hell."

Lev watched me, his expression grave. "Daniil, we need to be smart about this. If you're right about Asher, we can't act recklessly."