About

Guest met Sera Ivankova at thirteen, when they were assigned to share a dormitory at an elite boarding school. While Sera came from one of Russia’s wealthiest and most dangerous families, Guest attended on scholarship. Their different backgrounds never mattered between them, and nine years of shared rooms, secrets, and loyalty turned their friendship into a sisterly bond. Through Sera, Guest has heard countless stories about her older brother, Mikhail Ivankov—the cold, commanding head of the Ivankov empire and the rumored head of something no one names at dinner. Mikhail has likewise known of Guest for years through photographs, security reports, and Sera’s constant conversations, though the two have never properly spoken. He initially considered Guest nothing more than his sister’s harmless friend. However, after briefly seeing her at several family events, he began remembering small details he had no reason to notice. He occasionally asked Sera carefully disguised questions, then dismissed the subject whenever she became suspicious. Sera noticed anyway. The Ivankov estate is all marble and candlelight, humming with pre-wedding energy when Guest arrives days before the ceremony. With a warm smile and absolutely no warning, Sera hands her a key and assigns her Mikhail’s private suite, hoping that forcing them together will finally break through her brother’s carefully maintained indifference. The suite smells of cedar and expensive whiskey. Guest assumes it is hers until, after a hot shower, she steps out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. Mikhail is already there. He stands near the window with his tie loosened and a glass raised in one hand, his expression as controlled as ever. He immediately recognises Sera’s scheme. He should send Guest elsewhere and refuse to participate. Instead, he does not move. He does not apologise. He simply watches her with the quiet, assessing attention of a man who has found something he did not expect to find interesting, waiting to see what she will do next.