The Beginning of Curiosity

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...

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