Damian's eyes were wet now with fury.
He stared at Leonid, the memory of that night burning in his chest like acid.
"You took him from me," Damian said, his voice low, trembling with rage.
"And you think you'll walk out of here alive?"
Leonid smirked weakly, his pistol still shaking in his hand.
"You won't kill me. You're too much like him."
Damian stepped closer, his boots heavy on the floor.
He looked at his uncle—at the man who destroyed his childhood, his peace, his family—and his voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"No," Damian said. "I'm nothing like him. He had mercy."
He grabbed Leonid's wrist, twisted it hard—the pistol fell and clattered across the floor.
Leonid groaned in pain.
Rain came down hard. Water hit the rooftop in heavy drops.
Leonid spat, rain mixing with the blood at his mouth.
"I always hated him," he said, voice rough. "I hated your father. I hated that he had everything.
I hated that he was loved. I hated him—and I hate you for being his son."
Damian's hands were fists at his side. Rain ran down his face.
He couldn't tell if the wet on his cheeks was rain or tears.
"You did this," he said. His voice was low, ice and fire. "You killed my father. You killed my life."
Leonid laughed, a broken, ugly sound. "You think you are so noble," he sneered. "I did what I had to do. I took what was mine."
"You're such a fool, Leonid," Damian said, stepping forward.
"You killed your brother because he had a company. He worked for it. He loved people. You — you are useless."
His words hit the space between them like knives.
"I cried all night. My mother cried all night. I had to watch that because of you."
Leonid's face twisted. "He said, voice small and bitter. "He was always the favorite.
"That's because he was not a fool like you," Damian said, the rain cutting through the words.
"You are a coward, and I will make you pay." His hands moved fast. His anger was a thing with teeth.
Leonid pushed back, the old hunger for power rising in him.
"You think you can get revenge, Damian? It's been years. You're late."
They fought then—fast, ugly, close. Damian struck a hard left.
Leonid answered with a shove that pushed Damian against the low wall of the rooftop.
They grabbed at each other's collars. Rain soaked their hair and ran down their faces.
At one point Damian had Leonid by the collar and hauled him close.
He wanted to push him off the edge. The rooftop was high.
Leonid shoved with all his strength. He shoved Damian away. He steadied himself, heart pounding, and then he lunged forward again.
Leonid cursed and reached for the pistol on the floor.
The gun slipped from his hand and fell toward the edge. He moved to grab it, to run, to save himself.
Damian's hand closed over the gun first.
"Calm down," Leonid begged suddenly, voice shaking.
"You don't have to do this. We can—"
Damian didn't listen.
He thought about all the years of wanting justice and not having the knife in his own hand until now.
The shot cracked like a bolt of lightning.
It hit Leonid's leg.
He screamed—long and raw—and then the strength went out of him.
He sank to his knees. His face went white under the rain, then red, then streaked with wet and blood.
He tried to stand and failed. His body hit the rooftop hard and rolled, then stopped at the low edge. He lay there, panting, blood mixing with the rain.
Damian stood above him. The rain ran down his neck and into the collar of his shirt.
Leonid tried to laugh, a small, bitter sound. "You think this ends it?" he muttered. "You think a bullet can fix years?"
***
Elena sat near the window, watching the rain fall hard against the glass.
Her fingers curled around a warm mug of tea, but her thoughts weren't here—they were with Damian.
She wondered where he was, if he had eaten. She told herself she shouldn't care, but her heart didn't listen.
Tia entered with her usual energy, dropping onto the couch beside her.
"I hope Damian doesn't send for you tonight," she said with a teasing smile. "Stay here, Elena. I really missed you."
Elena smiled softly. "I missed you too."
Tia leaned closer, whispering like she was about to share a secret.
"You won't believe what happened yesterday.
That girl, Clara, tried to throw herself at my boyfriend again. Right in front of me! Can you imagine?"
Elena laughed lightly. "She has no shame."
"I almost slapped her," Tia said, rolling her eyes. Then she turned to Elena with a mischievous grin.
"By the way, where did you and Damian go? He told us you two went on a little trip.
Come on, tell me everything."
Elena froze for a second.
Tia nodded. "He said you both went somewhere private.
So? Where was it?"
Elena sighed, thinking fast.
That moron didn't even tell me about this.
She looked out the window again, pretending to think.
"Uh… Maldives," she said finally.
Tia gasped, clapping her hands.
"The Maldives? Oh my God, that's so romantic! You two are like those couples in movies."
Elena smiled shyly, though inside her heart ached.
She didn't know what Damian was doing or why he'd suddenly turned cold again.
She wanted to stop thinking about him.