Just Once

Chapter 2- Zayden

The Society

I clenched my jaw just thinking about them. They're a cancer, poisoning everything they touch. The people they take, the lives they destroy—nothing is off-limits to them. And now, I'm the one who's going to burn them down. Every last one of them.

My father had put an end to Clara two decades ago but looks like the moment Z became slightly lenient  with it someone was ready to strike and take its throne. Proclaim themselves the emperor of this disgusting empire. 

Turning back to my desk, I scanned the files once again. The intel we had was solid. Their operations, their connections, their weaknesses—it was all laid out in front of me, a carefully constructed map of their demise. But one name kept surfacing. One obstacle I hadn't accounted for.

Sofia Volkov

She wasn't part of The Society. In fact, she was clean—too clean for someone with her power. Volkov Industries had grown into an empire, and she had done it on her own terms. No ties to her father's company, Archer Groups, and no apparent skeletons in her closet. That's what bothered me. Someone with her level of success always has something to hide. And yet, no matter how deep we dug, we found nothing.

But she was in the way. Volkov Industries had business ties—indirect, maybe, but still too close for comfort—to some of the shell companies The Society used. If I was going to dismantle their empire, I had to deal with her first.

I sat down at my desk, fingers tapping lightly on the edge of the wood. Destroying her would be easy. Too easy. I could hit one of her key deals overseas, spread a few rumors, and watch as her empire started to crumble. That's what I should do. Clean. Efficient. Just another obstacle removed.

But something about Sofia Volkov wouldn't let me do it that easily.

I wasn't interested in her, not in the way most men would be. I'd seen pictures of her, of course. She was beautiful, no denying that. But that wasn't what caught my attention. It was her reputation. Independent, smart, ruthless when she had to be. She built an empire on her own terms, and I could respect that. Even admire it, if I were the kind of man who did admiration.

Still, admiration or not, she was in the way. And in my world, obstacles didn't get to stay standing for long

The door to my office creaked open, and I didn't need to look up to know who it was. Aurelian, my second-in-command, stepped inside, dropping a file on my desk.

"You were right," he said. "The deal with Volkov Industries—there's a weak point. A few key players we can turn, some rumors we can plant. It'll take time, but we can take her down piece by piece."

I nodded, glancing at the file but not opening it yet. "Do it. But quietly. I don't want her knowing where the hit is coming from."

Aurelian frowned slightly. "You're sure about this? You could just approach her directly. Offer her a deal. She's not involved with The Society—at least, not knowingly."

"She's too close," I said, my voice cold, final. "She may not know she's in the middle of this, but that doesn't change the facts. She's a liability."

Aurelian didn't argue. He knew better. In my world, liabilities didn't last long.

Once Aurelian left, I leaned back in my chair, staring at Sofia's file. Something about her stuck with me, a gnawing feeling in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake. I didn't like it. I didn't like her being in my head like this.

A buzz on my phone snapped me out of my thoughts. A reminder of tonight's event. A charity gala—one I couldn't afford to miss. Appearances mattered, even if I hated playing the game.

The event was the usual—glamorous, shallow, full of people who pretended they cared about the world but only cared about how they looked saving it. I moved through the crowd with practiced ease, nodding, shaking hands, making all the right noises. But my mind was elsewhere.

That's when I saw her.

Sofia Volkov.
She was standing across the room, a glass of champagne in her hand, her posture relaxed but commanding. Even from this distance, I could feel the energy coming off her. She wasn't like the others here—wasn't pretending. She didn't need to.

For a moment, our eyes met. Just a brief flicker of connection, but it was enough. Enough to know that she was every bit the force I'd heard about. Enough to know that she was going to be more than just an obstacle.

She didn't approach me. I didn't approach her. But the tension was there, thick in the air between us. I could feel it. So could she.

I turned away, forcing myself back into the small talk and fake smiles. But even as I moved through the rest of the evening, her presence lingered in the back of my mind.

Sofia Volkov. The obstacle I couldn't ignore.

But soon enough, I'd know whether she was a threat to be eliminated—or an ally I could use.

And either way, I was going to win.

Back in my penthouse later that night, I stood by the window, looking out over the city. My phone buzzed with a new message.

Intel received. Movement on Volkov's side.

I smirked, my mind already calculating my next move.

"Let's see how you handle this, Sofia."