Lilith lay peacefully in Nikolai's arms while he rocked her gently on the rocking chair, humming softly with a smile as he rubbed her back. She was fast asleep, completely comfortable in his embrace.
Nikolai stared out toward the sea.
"Why did you have to come back, bitch?" he whispered coldly. "And now you will pay for everything… for taking Aunt's life."
He lowered his gaze toward his tiny wife and kissed her forehead.
"You will get deeply hurt, but my love for you will never die," he whispered.
He kissed her lips softly.
Lilith smiled in her sleep.
"Oh, my darling angel. Daddy loves you so, so much, and now we will grow more," he whispered.
Meanwhile, the group of women placed another wedding picture on the wall of Lily and their boss, The Apex Monstrosity.
"Awww, she's so cute!" the pink-haired lady said.
"I agree," the orange-haired girl said.
They were finally done with the hidden mansion.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the woman was beginning to lose her patience.
Her family members sat around while she blew smoke from her cigarette.
"We are packed," a woman said.
"Good. Now I am choosing a dress for Nick. Which one will look sexy on me?" she asked.
"What about his wife?" the lady asked.
"Not a problem," she said.
"It's a big problem. She is Sohan Muard's daughter. You will get us killed!" a man said.
"He is not around, so before he comes back, his daughter will have an accident and lose her life," she said while smoking and drinking.
She picked a dress.
Four weeks later, it was a day before Christmas.
It was Mila's first Christmas.
"Nikki…" Lilith cried.
Nikolai smiled and kissed both of her eyes.
"That's why our baby girl will get a lot of gifts from Santa," he said.
She chuckled at him.
"Oh, school is resuming on Monday next week," she said.
"I know, baby," he replied.
He placed his forehead against hers.
"We fly back," he said.
During Christmas Eve, Nikolai was on a call with Sohan, talking to him. Sohan seemed angry at first, but eventually calmed down.
"Fine," he said as they spoke more.
Meanwhile, Mila touched the snow and made her first snowman with a giggle. She played happily with her family.
Both parents were asleep when the door opened.
Mila waddled into the room.
She climbed onto the bed.
"Wakey wakey! It Chwistmas! Wake up, wake up! Santa came! Yayyy!" she shouted, jumping on the bed.
Both parents smiled.
Nikolai groaned.
"Two more minutes, sweetie," he said.
Mila pouted.
She kicked him.
Nikolai sat up and grabbed her.
She squealed so loudly and hugged him.
Lily giggled as they hugged her.
Mila began babbling about how much she loved both her mama and Dada.
"I will miss you a lot, baby," Lily said.
"Me too, Mama. I call you an' Dada too. I wuv you both BIG!!!" Mila said.
Lilith held her, hugging her tightly while Mila softly patted her.
Downstairs, everyone gave their gifts.
Mila held a box.
"A gift from Santa to Mila!" Mila said.
Nikolai held a hot cup of chocolate, his arm wrapped around Lilith.
Lilith unwrapped her gift.
She gasped.
Inside was a locket.
She opened it.
On one side was a picture of her and Nikolai, while the other side held a picture of Lilith, Nikolai, and their family.
Mila looked at him and Lily.
"For me?" she asked.
"Yes, sweetheart. For you," he said.
He bent over and placed it around her neck.
"Always wear it, baby. It's Papa's love for you," he said with a smile.
She smiled widely and nodded.
"I love you so much," he said, hugging her.
"I wuv you too, Dada," Mila said, hugging him.
"Mama gift?" Mila asked.
Nikolai sat beside Lilith and opened another box.
"For you, my darling," he said.
Lilith held the ruby mini necklace.
Nikolai carefully put it around her neck and kissed her cheeks, making her shy and blush.
"Ouuuuu!" the girls said, teasing her.
She rolled her eyes at them.
But inside the ruby necklace, a yellow light suddenly appeared.
Nikolai smiled.
They kissed.
He gave her many gifts.
They had Christmas breakfast together.
Lily gifted Nikolai a diamond ring with Mila's name on it, worth $50 million dollars.
He wore it.
She smiled at him.
Blackstrom got extremely close to the woman.
She was very happy to get everything in Nikolai's name.
"They will be back in two weeks," he said.
"Good," she said.
She went shopping, walking out of the house.
The Apex Monstrosity smirked coldly.
He made a call to the company.
As he ended it, he looked ahead.
Meanwhile, everyone packed up.
Mila hugged Lily tightly as they all got into the small yacht and sailed off toward the country beach.
After thirty minutes, they sat in the car.
"Make sure you eat, sleep, and take a nappy, okay, my sweet girl?" Lilith said.
"I big girl, Mama," Mila said.
"Of course, my baby," Nikolai said.
As the cars arrived at the airport, everyone got down.
A guard bowed.
"Boss," he said.
"Ba ba, everyone!" Mila said.
"Bye, Mil!" they all said.
Nikolai and Lily hugged her tightly.
"Take care, otay!?" Mila said.
"Okay, b…baby," Lilith said.
Mila kissed Nikolai and kissed Lily's cheeks.
"Let go, Big Unca," Mila said as he held her bag.
Lilith remained bent down, tears in her eyes.
Mila got onto the plane.
"Ba ba, Mama! Ba ba, Dada!!!!" she said, waving at them and blowing kisses.
"Bye, baby! I LOVE YOU!!" Lilith said, crying.
"I WUV YOU TOO!!!!" Mila said as she got into the plane.
The door closed shut.
After two minutes, the plane took off into the sky.
Lily broke down completely.
Nikolai lifted her into his arms and carried her to their private jet.
Everyone entered.
"My baby?" she said.
"Our girl is safe and fine," he said.
She nodded and wiped her tears.
Their plane took off.
After five hours, Mila's plane landed in the city of Melbourne, Australia.
Mila was asleep as the guard carried her.
Some men were waiting for them.
They shook hands.
The guard sat inside the car with the other men.
Mila slowly woke up.
She yawned.
"Hello, sweetie," the other guard said.
"Hi. I Mil," she said, tapping herself.
"We know, Mimi," they said.
"We're here."
"Nice, Unca?" she asked sleepily.
"Almost, baby," he said.
She watched through the window.
The cars eventually pulled up to a hidden mansion.
They got down.
Mila dusted her little dress while sucking her pacifier.
She waddled inside with them.
"Guide her," the guard said.
Meanwhile, inside the hidden mansion, a man sat in the darkness.
They called him The Harbinger of Ruin.
A man was trembling as his body had been brutally beaten. His body was covered with scars, and he looked like a half-corpse.
"Mimi, your shoes is untie," the guard said.
Mila looked down.
"Oh no," she said.
The guard bent down and tied her little shoelace.
"Sir, I…I…I will tell—"
The torture man stopped.
"Speak," the terrifying voice said.
"Warehouse…78, box 6. Everything is in there," he said, breathing heavily.
"Got it?" The Harbinger of Ruin asked.
"Yes, boss," his assistant said.
He bent his head to the right.
Then he saw Mila standing there.
His face broke into a smile.
"Why, hello, Mimi. Welcome, sweetheart," he said.
Mila took off her pacifier.
"Hi, Bigger Unca. I hewe," Mila said.
She waddled toward him.
Everyone watched.
She touched his feet.
"Bless you, dear," he said as he lifted her into his arms.
Mila tapped her chest.
He walked into another hall filled with men and women.
"She is here," he said.
They looked at her.
Mila blinked.
"She looks so much like him," a lady said.
She walked toward them.
"Hello, pwetty lady," Mila said.
"Aww, hi, sweetheart," she replied while rubbing Mila's cheeks.
Mila took their blessings.
"Mother taught you well, darling," a man said.
"Hmmhm," Mila nodded.
As they talked, Mila giggled.
Meanwhile, Nikolai and Lilith arrived at the new mansion with their family.
Lily came down and looked at the mansion.
They walked into it.
Deep within an enormous isolated Russian wilderness, far beyond ordinary roads and completely concealed from the outside world, stood The Hidden Imperial Estate, a colossal royal Russian mansion complex built like a private kingdom for an ancient and immensely powerful mafia dynasty.
The entire estate was dominated by coal black—from the monumental palace walls and roofs to the iron gates, black marble floors, towers, bridges, statues, fountains, vehicles, and surrounding architecture.
It was so enormous that the property resembled a black imperial city rather than a private residence.
The estate was surrounded by endless black pine forests, enormous mountains, private lakes, rivers, gardens, and miles of pristine wilderness.
A gigantic coal-black perimeter wall surrounded the entire territory, with enormous royal gates bearing the family's ancient crest.
At the very center stood the Grand Imperial Russian Mansion, a breathtaking palace of enormous proportions.
Its architecture combined traditional Russian imperial palaces with Gothic fortresses and luxurious modern mafia aesthetics.
Massive black domes rose above the rooftops, surrounded by smaller towers, enormous chimneys, ornate balconies, cathedral-like windows, carved black stone pillars, gigantic arches, and towering black marble staircases.
The main entrance had two enormous coal-black doors, each several meters tall, decorated with intricate gold and black imperial designs.
Above them was a colossal family crest carved into black stone.
Inside, the mansion contained thousands upon thousands of rooms.
There were enormous royal bedrooms, private family suites, presidential guest suites, children's wings, grand dressing rooms, private libraries, offices, conference rooms, enormous dining halls, private restaurants, ballroom halls, theaters, cinemas, lounges, music rooms, art galleries, museums, prayer rooms, indoor gardens, winter gardens, private spas, salons, gyms, swimming pools, entertainment rooms, classrooms, nurseries, medical facilities, kitchens, staff quarters, storage chambers, wine cellars, archives, and countless hidden rooms.
The Grand Imperial Ballroom was one of the largest rooms in the entire estate, featuring towering ceilings, enormous crystal chandeliers, polished black marble floors, gigantic arched windows, coal-black walls, and long imperial dining tables capable of seating hundreds of guests.
Behind the mansion lay a gigantic Royal Black Courtyard surrounded by black marble buildings and enormous gardens.
At its center stood an enormous ancient tree surrounded by black roses, white flowers, fountains, sculptures, and hundreds of lanterns.
Beyond the main palace were multiple enormous private mansions, each connected to the main estate through private roads, underground passages, landscaped paths, and luxurious courtyards.
The Black Crown Palace was the largest secondary mansion and belonged to the heir of the dynasty.
It was practically a palace of its own, containing hundreds of bedrooms and suites, private offices, entertainment halls, libraries, a gigantic ballroom, indoor swimming pools, private gardens, cinemas, gyms, and enormous family rooms.
Its roof was crowned with several black imperial domes.
The Obsidian Rose Mansion was a magnificent coal-black mansion reserved for the women of the royal family.
It contained enormous suites, dressing rooms, jewelry rooms, beauty salons, private spas, lounges, libraries, gardens, bedrooms, entertainment rooms, and a spectacular glass-roofed winter garden filled with flowers.
Black roses grew throughout the surrounding gardens.
The Wolf Manor was a darker, fortress-like mansion belonging to senior members of the family.
Its exterior was built from enormous blocks of coal-black stone with narrow towers, gigantic windows, dramatic arches, black iron balconies, and enormous fireplaces.
The interior combined royal luxury with the intimidating atmosphere of an ancient Russian fortress.
The Imperial Guest Palace was a gigantic separate palace designed for visiting royalty, billionaires, diplomats, family allies, and other important guests.
Every guest received an enormous private apartment with bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, offices, balconies, private dining areas, and private gardens.
The palace contained several enormous formal dining halls and reception rooms.
The Midnight Mansion stood beside a gigantic private black-water lake with enormous glass walls reflecting the dark lake at night, while hundreds of subtle lights illuminated the coal-black architecture.
It contained private bedrooms, lounges, cinemas, restaurants, libraries, game rooms, indoor pools, spas, entertainment halls, and enormous terraces overlooking the water.
The Royal Family Mansion was a gigantic residence dedicated entirely to the younger generation of the family.
It contained enormous children's bedrooms, nurseries, classrooms, libraries, indoor playgrounds, gaming rooms, theaters, art studios, music rooms, swimming pools, gardens, family lounges, and enormous play courtyards.
Every room was luxurious but designed to feel warm and comfortable rather than intimidating.
The estate grounds contained massive royal gardens, black rose gardens, private forests, multiple private lakes, ornamental fountains, giant courtyards, royal walking paths, horse stables, riding grounds, tennis courts, football fields, basketball courts, private swimming pools, outdoor dining areas, barbecue gardens, children's playgrounds, private orchards, greenhouses, winter gardens, helicopter landing areas, private garages, luxury vehicle halls, underground parking, staff residences, guest cottages, private restaurants, royal hunting lodges, lakeside villas, and countless additional private structures.
At the farthest edge of the territory stood an enormous Black Imperial Tower, rising above the forest and serving as one of the estate's most recognizable landmarks.
The entire property was connected by an enormous network of private roads and underground corridors, allowing residents to move between different sections of the estate without leaving the grounds.
At night, the estate became almost completely silent.
The coal-black palaces disappeared into the darkness of the forest, with only enormous windows, elegant lanterns, fountains, and subtle architectural lighting visible from miles away.
From above, the estate looked like a gigantic black Russian imperial kingdom hidden in the wilderness—one enormous central palace surrounded by dozens of smaller palaces, mansions, villas, gardens, lakes, towers, courtyards, and private grounds.
It was not simply a mansion.
It was an entire hidden royal world built entirely in coal black.
"My bike!" Lilith said.
Everyone groaned.
"Come on!" Noami said angrily.
"No bikes," Nikolai said.
"Then I will walk," she said.
"Oh Jesus Christ!" David said.
She giggled at them.
Lily got her new school things and uniforms too for her second year.
It was nightfall as everyone settled down.
Azzrayan was now five months old.
He stared at Noor.
She made him giggle as Nikolai spoke.
They listened.
Both groups went back to the Main Mansion itself.
One week later, Mila was sitting while the nanny made her hair.
"Tank oo," Mila said.
The nanny smiled.
"Welcome, love," she said.
Nikolai sat while the company gave him many reports.
He rubbed his nose, frustrated.
He had already cleared his debts a while ago.
He sat in his office chair.
Then the door opened.
The lady entered.
She wore a champagne-beige satin mini dress with straps.
She walked toward the desk.
"I see you're back," he said.
She smiled.
"Missed you, honey," she said.
"I am not your honey," he said while rubbing his face.
"Well, I am. I missed you so, so, so, so, so much, Nick!" she said.
"Get out of my office," he said.
"Oh, Nick, didn't you get the news? I am now the new CEO of NK Industries," she said.
He stopped and looked at her.
"Yeah. Including your mansion. Everything is mine," she said.
"Including…" she said as she catwalked toward him.
"You," she said.
He stood up and gripped her neck.
She smiled and bit her lips.
He was disgusted and pushed her away.
"I have your tiny wife located in all the corners. I know where her school is. I have seen her face too," she said.
"She is more gorgeous than you," he said.
She made a fist and slammed the table.
"She is in my way, Nick. I will kill her if you follow me," she said.
"No. I don't care. Take the company. I don't need it," he said while walking away.
"Mila is in Australia, right?" she asked.
He stopped and looked at her.
"She's in an apartment with a nanny all by herself and some guards," she said.
"Don't you dare cross the line, bitch," he said.
She smiled.
"Well," she said while sitting in his seat, "I have taken over everything, including you. So your tiny wife gotta go. She's in my way."
Nikolai's face became cold.
"Don't touch my girls," he said. "Or else I will wipe you out. I should have killed you that day."
She smirked.
"But you couldn't, my love," she said.
"Stop calling me that," he said.
She leaned back seductively.
"Oh, Nick. We used to love each other, and now you got married and had a daughter. We could have…" she said.
He scoffed at her.
"I never loved you. The biggest mistake was accepting your stupid father's request," he said.
She gripped the seat.
"Nothing. I felt nothing for you," he said.
His phone rang.
He picked it up.
"Darling?" he said with a smile.
She watched him.
He took his phone.
"Love you too," he said.
The call ended.
"Stay away from my tiny wife," he said.
"My name is death. Who knows what can happen?" she said with a dark smile.
Her name was Morticia Draven.
She when she was eighteen years old.
25 years ago when he had been on a mission.
He was a spy disguised as a bodyguard.
He worked within enemy territory, and the leader appointed him as Morticia's bodyguard.
She was by herself.
He got close to her for his advantage, and she was falling in love with him.
The man told Nikolai that they should get married.
On the wedding day, his team crashed the wedding.
Morticia thought Nikolai would protect her.
But he shot the man, dropping her brother dead.
He went away.
She lost her brother.
She was locked away.
And now she was back to destroy him and his family.
Meanwhile, Lilith was in school in her art class, drawing.
When she was done with her art classes, she was eating with her friends when a group of senior students walked toward her.
"Lilith, right?" the girl named Ember said.
Lilith nodded while eating.
Ember sat down.
"Well, I heard a lot about you. Nothing special," she said.
"Hmm," Lily said.
Ember took milk and poured it into her food.
"What the hell!?" Wiktor said.
Her friends laughed.
Lily mixed the food.
"Eat it," Ember said.
Lilith took a full spoon and gripped her jaw.
The students watched as she shoved everything down Ember's throat.
Ember coughed.
"How was it? Did you enjoy it?" Lilith said.
"You bitch!" Ember said.
Lilith cleaned her hands.
"If you think you can make me your victim, then your grave is waiting for you early. So please mind your useless mouth, or else," Lily said while walking away.
Ember took her phone.
"Ma, she is not getting away that easily," she said on the phone with her boss.
In the school hallway, Lilith opened her locker and picked up some things.
A group of hockey players approached her.
"Hello, beautiful," one of the players said.
She ignored him.
"So you're the one Ember has been fussy about," he said.
His name was Louis.
She closed her locker.
Her phone rang.
"What?" she said while zipping her bag.
"Kill him and hang his head. Send the body as my gift to them," she said coldly.
Louis blinked.
The others behind him were shocked.
"TF?" one of them said.
She ended the call and walked away.
Louis eyed her with a dirty smirk on his face.
Nikolai came home as Lily made dinner.
He wrapped his arms around her.
"I am bankrupt," he said.
"What!?" she said.
"Yeah. I lost my company. An old enemy took over my business, and now she has my properties in her name," he said.
She cupped his face.
"How much do you need to get everything back?" she asked.
He sighed and placed his forehead against hers.
"Not much. Just $2 billion dollars. She sold my weapons and took over my businesses, including this mansion. She was an old enemy's daughter. We were about to get married. On the wedding day, I killed her brother. Someone in the company betrayed me," he said.
She hugged him.
"My sweet boy, shhhh," she said.
He lifted her into his arms.
They kissed slowly.
He lay in her arms.
Meanwhile, Mila was in the garden filled with poisonous plants.
She held her little basket.
The nanny followed behind her.
"Hmmmm. No pwetty flowers," she said, pouting.
"Hi, baby. Come. There is another garden. Let's go," a lady said.
Mila waddled along.
They reached the garden.
Mila carefully picked each flower.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Lilith rubbed Nikolai's hair.
She took her phone and texted Amelia.
"Yes, boss," Amelia replied.
Then the school field trip location came out.
Lilith read it.
Morticia sat as Ember was angry.
"That tiny bitch," she said.
"Relax," Louis said while smoking.
Morticia cleaned Nikolai's picture with a smile.
"Listen carefully," she said.
As she told them her plan, Ember broke into a dirty smirk.
By sunrise, Amelia whispered into Lily's ear.
Lilith nodded.
Nikolai ate as Lilith took his hand and led him to the other hall.
"Hmm?" he said.
"Here is $2 billion," she said.
"What!?" he said.
"Yeah. This is from my wedding, and I sold my second shop. I wanted to keep both shops, but you are more important," she said.
He stared at the money.
"Boss, we got something," Damian said.
"Go," she whispered.
He kissed her deeply.
She wiped his tears.
"I'm going on a field trip today," she said.
He held her hand as she hugged him.
"Bye!" she said and left.
"We got a meeting, and she's trying to take it," Damian said.
Nikolai quickly got dressed and walked away with the money.
After six hours, Nikolai got a deal worth ₽30 trillion.
He began working on transferring the money.
He got home.
Lily sent him a picture of the business fair.
The $2 billion she gave him had saved him.
Then a woman and some people with her bags entered.
"Hi, darling," she said.
Nikolai and the family saw her.
"Morticia. I'm home, love," she said.
Now the real problem had landed.