Chapter 334: Together We Are Bright As The Stars

[FROLO]

The city of Frolo was on fire.

It had been barely an hour after the announcements, and gods help them all, no one knew what to focus on at the moment.

For starters, Katya Romanov had resigned from Moskowsky Holdings as its chairman two weeks ago.

Two weeks.

Yet no one had leaked anything.

No one had been told anything.

Not even the board had managed to squeak a word about the changes despite the fact that there had been two board meetings.

As if that wasn’t enough, Katya Romanov was working in Romanov Holdings as a mid-level researcher. Not senior. Mid-level.

No one even understood it anymore. Because this was the same man who had run Moskowsky Holdings for four long years. Four years as the chairman, and now he was a kid-level researcher at the empire he was an heir to?

No one could really gauge what the game plan for Katya was at the moment, especially with such a huge demotion. And it was so confusing.

Then again, some said after the explosion at Moskowsky Group and the chaos that had followed right after, Katya leaving Moskowsky was not such a bad move. He’d endured enough already, and it was time to go back to his roots.

Others argued that it would be a conflict of interest given he was also working in Moskowsky R&D, but even so, there wasn’t much attention paid to it.

Now the city was trying to wrap its head around the shit that had happened in two weeks.

Of course it didn’t get better.

"Chairman Romanov broke up with the senator," Sierra had announced on the morning segment the day before. Like it was just another thing that everyone had expected.

Alek and his bratva involvement was once brought into the limelight, and with all the stacked evidence, of course the city was on Katya’s side.

It was only right the Romanov omega chose himself, right?

But shit only got better... or worse?

"Sergei Moskowsky returned from his first rut in three decades," Sierra had mentioned casually in the morning segment again today.

It wasn’t supposed to be news.

Really wasn’t.

Yet... Frolo knew what that meant.

The alpha who chose to suppress his rut for over three decades had gone into one suddenly. It was not as simple. Because the facts were there.

"Mr. Moskowsky must be serious about the person he called Solnyshka last time," one of Sierra’s guests said after they showed clips of the interview that had ruined Alek’s career.

The interview after which the news station had learned that the devil of Frolo had a beloved.

But it wasn’t just about Sergei having a beloved anymore.

"Alphas like Sergei Moskowsky don’t break routine for the sake of it. If he... If he went into his rut, then his omega must have been there with him.

"There’s no way someone can survive the first rut in so long without someone to spend it with," another guest chimed in, and they looked at each other like they had suddenly remembered something.

Maybe it was madness.

Maybe they were overthinking.

Maybe it was the truth.

But...

"The Romanov omega was gone for as long as Sergei Moskowsky was gone... Coincidence?" Sierra asked, knowing damn well the chances of her not waking up tomorrow with a head were high.

But surely someone had to connect the dots.

Katya resigning from the chairmanship.

Katya breaking up with Aleksandr.

Katya choosing to go back to his family business as a mid-level researcher. A job that would not have him in the limelight and one that would have no one paying attention to him.

But then Katya Romanov was the only heir to the multimillion steel empire.

Was it still coincidence?

"That’s some dangerous pointer there, Sierra. We all know Mr. Moskowsky has spent a lot of time over the years with his former chairman.

"But to suggest that he was in a rut with him is a bit insane," the first guest said like he needed to be on record saying that it was madness.

That it didn’t make sense.

That he didn’t believe the things Sierra had said.

It was almost like a contingency plan, but damn if that wasn’t the most dangerous of things.

"Maybe. But Chairman Romanov was last seen at the grocery store with his mother, Mrs. Romanova," Sierra said before they pulled up a photo of Katya and Masha having a mother-son moment.

It was nothing to be so worked up about.

Save for the hickeys that were fading on Katya’s neck.

The bite marks on his arms.

The dark bruises on his shoulder blade.

Katya Romanov looked like he’d been beaten black and blue. Only that people beaten up never walked with their bruises out in the open like that.

And their mothers wouldn’t show the world the kind of pain their children went through without trying to fix them first.

"Do you still want to say it’s a coincidence that Katya Romanov and Sergei Moskowsky disappeared for the same amount of time and came back at the same time too?" Sierra challenged as the segment ended.

And damn was Frolo thrown into everything and nothing at the same time.

The speculations.

The danger that loomed.

The possession.

The obsession.

The omega who wore marks proudly in a world where omegas were known to not have that many choices. Normally, omegas were supposed to sit pretty and not flaunt anything.

Yet the Romanov omega was out there living his best mundane life, while looking like he’d been attacked.

Maybe it was because Katya Romanov was a former chairman and had connections. Maybe because Katya Romanov was the son of the Romanovs, and that family never played about their child.

The city knew the Romanovs always protected their child unless Katya asked them not to. In which case, his two best friends were always up and available for the next chaos regarding Romanov.

Even if the Romanovs were okay with Katya’s situation, the city knew the other possibility.

"Svetlana and Andre would never sit on the sidelines if those marks were the result of abuse."

"You remember what she did to Yaroslav on live television and in front of the devil of Frolo?"

"That woman only fears the moon goddess."

"So those are love bites on the Romanov omega."

"I’m willing to bet my life they’re from the devil of Frolo."

The buzz didn’t stop. Didn’t slow down.

Everyone was curious. Wanted answers yet couldn’t even go to Romanov Steel to confirm. Because unlike Moskowsky Holdings, which was known to be accommodating to reporters, Romanov Steel wasn’t.

Not unless they were the ones who called for the press conference.

A journalist going to that company to ask for a statement over the heir having bite marks was never going to end well for any of them.

They had all learned the hard way.

And if it was true...

If what they suspected was true.

Then there were two very powerful empires protecting one omega.

That wasn’t the kind of shit anyone wanted to be strapped in for.

No one.

Yet across the city, inside one bratva operation, Alek was with Kenzo, checking a shipment of drugs at the depot.

"Do you think those marks on your omega are from Sergei?" Kenzo asked for the first time in the weeks since the rumors had begun.

"Yes... After thirty years, we finally have Sergei’s viable weakness," Alek said with conviction.

"So same plan?"

"I don’t have to pretend to love him anymore," Alek said casually before adding, "We continue to phase two."

"Yes, Leader." Kenzo bowed to Alek before leaving.

Alek stared at the photo of Katya and Masha, and a cruel smirk played on his lips.

"Where’s the Romanov omega now?" he asked the man beside him.

"On lunch break with his coworkers, Leader."

"Any sign of the Romanov camp?"

"None, Leader."

Katya Romanov was alone, on lunch with no visible protection lingering. That was interesting, really, given how crazed Sergei was for the omega.

"Are the snipers in position yet?" the alpha asked, staring boredly at the controller on his screen.

"Yes, Leader."

"Let’s see how good your protective detail is, Sergei," the alpha said before giving the order.

"Kill three random people in that restaurant. Don’t shoot the omega or his coworkers," he ordered into the mouthpiece, his excitement showing.

He watched, waited... but nothing happened.

"Did they not hear what I said?" he asked coldly.

"Lead...leader... they’re dead... three sniper shots to the head each before they could pull the trigger."

And Alek laughed heartily.

"This is going to be fun. Let the games begin, Sergei," Alek added amusedly, as he got into his car and was driven off.

Aleksandr Petrov was the bratva leader.

Meanwhile, inside the Moskowsky chairman’s office, Sergei watched the depot live footage with a smile on his face.

"How predictable... Finally shedding skin now, are we, Petrovsky?" he smirked at the footage, unsurprised.

He’d always known from the very beginning. From the first time he’d watched Alek watch Katya. He’d prepared for it, and now, with this right here, he didn’t even have a reason to be shocked.

After all, Alek’s bratva infiltration excuse was the worst thing that could ever have been brought to light.

"Sir, do we activate the Myrtles now?" Volkov asked, tablet in his hand, gun and blade on both his thighs, gun magazines on his waist, and a bulletproof loaded vest on his chest.

"Yes, time to reopen the shop," Sergei said, and Volkov was on his way out when Sergei stopped him.

"Send the therapist up."

"Sir?"

"I need to talk to someone about my Solnyshka showing his pretty skin to the world... Mr. Romanov is going to strangle me in my sleep if I murder someone for staring at my omega’s skin. So, hurry," the alpha groaned as he glared at the photo of Katya on his phone with Masha.

His omega was so beautiful, damn.