— A City of Firsts

Moscow, Russia.

The first thing Avika noticed was the cold.

Not the kind of cold she was used to during winter in India, but a sharp, unfamiliar chill that touched her skin the moment she stepped out of the airport.

Snowflakes drifted through the grey sky, landing softly on the roads, cars, and the shoulders of strangers rushing past her.

Avika stood still for a moment.

A silver suitcase rested beside her, one hand holding the handle while the other adjusted her coat.

She looked around.

The unfamiliar language on the signs.

The tall buildings covered in winter mist.

The quiet beauty of a city she had only seen through pictures and books.

A small smile appeared on her face.

"So... this is Moscow."

For a few seconds, she forgot about the busy schedule waiting for her.

The flight.

The conference.

The endless medical discussions.

She simply allowed herself to enjoy the moment.

But that moment didn't last long.

Her phone vibrated.

A reminder appeared on the screen.

Global Young Physicians Forum — Registration: 9:00 AM

Avika sighed softly.

Reality returned.

She wasn't here as a tourist.

She was here as one of the selected young doctors representing India at an international medical event.

And for Avika Malhotra, medicine was never just a profession.

It was a responsibility.

---

After checking into her hotel, Avika placed her suitcase near the bed and looked out of the window.

Moscow looked completely different from above.

The streets were covered in white, streetlights glowing against the falling snow, and people moving like tiny figures below.

Her phone rang again.

She already knew who it was.

"Did you reach safely?"

Her younger sister's voice came from the other side.

Avika smiled.

"Yes. I reached a while ago."

"Did you take pictures?"

"Already asking?"

"Of course. You went to Russia. Don't tell me you are planning to spend the whole trip inside a hotel room reading medical papers."

Avika laughed.

"I'm here for medicine, not tourism."

"That's exactly what someone who needs tourism would say."

Their playful argument continued for a few minutes.

Simple conversations.

Small jokes.

The kind of moments that reminded Avika that behind the title of doctor, she was still just a normal girl.

After ending the call, she looked at her phone screen for a moment and smiled.

Tomorrow would be a busy day.

---

The next morning, the Global Young Physicians Forum began.

The grand convention hall was filled with doctors from different countries.

Different languages.

Different cultures.

But the same purpose.

To save lives.

Avika walked through the hall wearing a professional expression, her ID card hanging around her neck.

She listened carefully during every lecture.

She took notes.

She observed.

When other doctors rushed to speak, Avika waited.

She believed that understanding came before answering.

During one session, a guest speaker presented a complicated medical case.

The room became silent.

Many experienced doctors looked thoughtful.

Avika looked at the information displayed on the screen.

Something didn't feel right.

She raised her hand.

"May I share an observation?"

The speaker looked toward her.

"Of course."

Avika explained her point calmly.

She didn't try to prove she was smarter than anyone else.

She simply wanted to find the answer.

For a moment, the hall remained quiet.

Then the speaker smiled.

"That's an interesting perspective, Doctor Malhotra."

Avika simply nodded.

For her, it wasn't about recognition.

It was about learning.

---

By evening, the first day of the forum ended.

As Avika walked outside, the cold breeze touched her face again.

One of the guest speakers had mentioned a small independent bookstore nearby.

"A hidden gem of Moscow," he had called it.

Curious, Avika decided to visit.

The bookstore was peaceful.

Warm lights.

The smell of old pages.

Rows of books waiting to be discovered.

For a while, she forgot she was in a foreign country.

She picked a novel from the shelf and smiled.

Sometimes, even doctors needed a break from saving others.

After buying the novel, she began walking back toward her hotel.

But somewhere along the way...

She took the wrong road.

The crowded streets slowly disappeared.

The noise of the city faded.

She looked at her phone.

1% battery.

A second later, the screen went dark.

"Great timing..."

She noticed a narrow alley that seemed to connect to the main street.

Thinking it was a shortcut, she stepped inside.

And then...

She heard a voice.

Cold.

Calm.

Authoritative.

"I asked you a question."

Avika stopped.

At the end of the alley stood several men in black suits.

One man was kneeling.

And standing before him...

Was the same man whose name made the world afraid.

Valerian Mikhailovich Orlov.

Her breath caught in her throat.

She slowly took one careful step backward.

Then another.

She only wanted to leave before anyone noticed she was there.

The soft crunch of snow beneath her boots echoed through the silent alley.

She froze.

Valerian didn't turn around.

His gaze remained fixed on the kneeling man before him.

Then, in a voice so calm it sent a chill through everyone present, he said,

"I know you're there."

The bodyguards immediately turned toward the darkness.

One of them spotted her.

"Boss... someone's here."

Only then did Valerian slowly turn around.

His cold gray eyes met hers.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

The snow continued to fall between them, as if the world itself had fallen silent.

Neither of them knew...

That one wrong turn in a quiet Moscow alley...

Would become the beginning of a story that would change both of their lives forever.

End of Episode 1

The snow continued to fall.

Soft.

Silent.

Almost peaceful.

If not for the group of men standing in front of her.

Avika stared at them.

Then at the man kneeling in the snow.

Then finally at the terrifying man whose gray eyes were fixed on her.

Valerian Mikhailovich Orlov.

She didn't know who he was.

But judging by the way the men around him stood...

He wasn't someone ordinary.

Avika swallowed.

Then, under her breath, she muttered in Russian,

"Ну конечно... именно сегодня мне нужно было свернуть не туда."

Of course... today of all days, I had to take the wrong turn.

Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic.

Valerian heard every word.

His expression didn't change.

Not even slightly.

Avika didn't notice.

Her eyes quietly moved across the alley.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five bodyguards.

All dressed similarly.

All alert.

One stood closest to Valerian.

Another was positioned near the entrance.

Two more were watching the surroundings.

And then there was Valerian.

Avika's gaze lingered on him for a second.

Tall.

Composed.

No visible weapon.

But judging by the way everyone around him behaved...

He probably didn't need one.

Okay.

If things go wrong...

Her mind immediately switched into calculation mode.

The man on the left first.

Then the one near the entrance.

The closest one would be difficult.

Her fingers slowly tightened around the strap of her bag.

Can I take two at once?

She mentally considered her surroundings.

Snow.

Brick walls.

A metal trash container.

A narrow path behind her.

Not ideal.

But not impossible.

She wasn't thinking about running.

She was thinking about how long she could hold her ground if she had to.

Five men.

She frowned internally.

Six, technically.

Her eyes returned to Valerian.

And the biggest problem is obviously him.

She had no idea what kind of fighting ability he possessed.

But something about the way he stood made her instincts warn her not to underestimate him.

Valerian watched her silently.

Her eyes.

Her posture.

The subtle movement of her hands.

She wasn't behaving like a frightened civilian.

Most people who accidentally walked into something like this would panic.

She was calculating.

Interesting.

One of the bodyguards stepped forward.

His hand moved slightly toward his coat.

"Who are you?"

Avika immediately raised both hands.

"Relax."

She gave an awkward smile.

"I got lost."

The bodyguard narrowed his eyes.

"You got lost?"

"Yes."

She pointed vaguely behind herself.

"My phone died, I took the wrong road, and apparently Moscow decided to test my survival skills."

Silence.

Nobody laughed.

Avika's smile slowly disappeared.

Okay.

Bad audience.

The bodyguard stared at her suspiciously.

"You saw nothing."

Avika nodded immediately.

"Nothing."

Her eyes shifted toward the kneeling man.

Then back to him.

"I mean... absolutely nothing."

A pause.

"Very peaceful alley. Beautiful snow. Wonderful evening."

The bodyguard's expression became even colder.

Avika internally sighed.

Why do I keep talking when I'm nervous?

She glanced toward Valerian.

He hadn't moved.

He simply watched her.

Those gray eyes were unreadable.

Avika suddenly became aware that he had been silent the entire time.

And somehow...

That was more intimidating than shouting.

The bodyguard looked toward him.

"Boss."

Valerian finally spoke.

"Let her go."

The bodyguard hesitated.

"Sir?"

Valerian's gaze remained on Avika.

"She said she got lost."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"Let her go."

The bodyguard immediately stepped aside.

Avika blinked.

That was it?

She looked at Valerian suspiciously.

That easy?

Something didn't feel right.

She gave a small nod.

"Thank you."

She turned around.

One step.

Two.

Then Valerian's voice stopped her.

"Wait."

Avika froze.

Slowly, she turned around.

Valerian looked toward the ground near her feet.

"Your book."

Avika followed his gaze.

Her novel lay half-covered in snow.

"Oh."

She quickly picked it up.

"Right."

She brushed the snow from the cover.

"Thank you."

Valerian said nothing.

Avika turned around again.

This time, she walked away without looking back.

Her footsteps slowly disappeared beneath the sound of falling snow.

Valerian's gaze remained on her until she disappeared around the corner.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Something about her was strange.

She hadn't panicked.

She hadn't begged.

She hadn't even tried to run.

She had simply stood there...

And calculated.

Valerian's gray eyes narrowed slightly.

Interesting.

Then he turned his attention back toward the matter that had been interrupted.

But somewhere in the back of his mind...

The strange woman remained.

Neither of them knew it yet, but their paths had already crossed for a reason.

To be continued...

The alley became silent again.

Avika was gone.

Only her footprints remained in the freshly fallen snow.

Valerian stared at them for a moment before slowly turning around.

The man kneeling before him lowered his head.

"Boss..."

Valerian's expression hardened.

The brief interruption was over.

Whatever curiosity the stranger had sparked in him could wait.

There were more important matters to handle.

He looked at the man in front of him.

"You were saying?"

The man swallowed.

"I—I told them everything I knew."

Valerian's gray eyes remained cold.

"Everything?"

"Yes."

A faint silence followed.

Valerian slowly reached inside his coat.

The men around him immediately became still.

A sharp sound broke through the quiet alley.

The kneeling man collapsed into the snow.

No one spoke.

Valerian calmly lowered his hand.

"Clean this up."

"Yes, Boss."

Two men immediately stepped forward.

Valerian turned away.

He took a few steps before stopping.

His gaze drifted toward the corner where the strange woman had disappeared.

For some reason, her presence still lingered in his thoughts.

The way she had looked at his men.

The way her eyes had moved through the alley.

The fact that she had been calculating instead of panicking.

And that strange sarcastic comment under her breath.

Valerian's expression remained unreadable.

"Boss?"

One of his men waited for his next order.

Valerian finally spoke.

"The woman who was here."

The bodyguard straightened.

"Yes?"

"Find her."

The man's expression changed slightly.

"Do you want us to follow her?"

"No."

Valerian's voice remained calm.

"Find out who she is."

A pause.

"Her name. Where she's staying. Where she came from."

His eyes narrowed.

"And why she was in that alley."

"Understood."

The bodyguard nodded.

"How far should we go?"

Valerian looked at him.

"Everything."

The single word was enough.

The bodyguard immediately lowered his head.

"Yes, Boss."

Valerian turned away.

The snow continued to fall around him.

Within minutes, the alley returned to silence.

But somewhere in Moscow...

A search had already begun.

And the woman who thought she had simply taken a wrong turn...

Had unknowingly caught the attention of a man who rarely became curious about anyone.

Later That Night

Avika had no idea.

She was sitting inside her hotel room, completely unaware of the events unfolding elsewhere.

Her wet coat hung near the heater.

Her novel rested on the bedside table.

And her phone was finally charging.

She looked at the time.

11:47 PM.

"Tomorrow is going to be exhausting."

She rubbed her eyes.

The strange incident from the alley crossed her mind again.

Those men.

That kneeling stranger.

And the man with the cold gray eyes.

Valerian.

She still didn't know why she remembered his gaze so clearly.

Avika shook her head.

"Enough."

She reached for her medical notes.

Tomorrow's forum was far more important.

She had no idea that, at that very moment...

Someone was already searching for her name.

End of Episode 3.

She thought the encounter was over.

Valerian had other plans.

To be continued...