Soha lifted her head from the floor, the emptiness in her eyes instantly turning into a volcanic blaze. After being slapped by the maid, Soha looked at her with a ghastly smile and replied in perfect, fluent Russian.
Soha (In sharp and grave Russian): "Ты думаешь, я не понимаю? Ты думаешь, я глупая?"
(Do you think I don't understand? Do you think I'm stupid?)
Both the maid and Adriq froze in shock. Soha didn't stop; she rattled her chains violently and shouted directly into Adriq's eyes in Russian.
Soha (In Russian): "Адрик, ты думал, что сломал меня этими железками? Я знала каждое слово, которое ты шептал. Я знала, что эта крыса работает на тебя!"
(Adriq, did you think you broke me with these irons? I knew every word you whispered. And I knew this rat [the maid] was working for you!)
Adriq's glass of wine stopped mid-air. He stepped slowly toward her. Soha's Russian accent was so flawless it sounded as if she had been raised in an elite Russian gangster family.
Soha (With a cruel laugh in Russian): "Твои пушки, твоя сила... это ничего. Мой разум все еще свободен. И я заставлю тебя жалеть о том дне, когда ты приковал меня здесь."
(Your guns, your strength... they are nothing. My mind is still free. And I will make you regret the day you chained me here.)
The maid stepped back two paces in fear. She had never dreamed that the woman she considered a "broken toy" would launch such a verbal counter-attack in Russian. Adriq leaned down in front of Soha. His eyes held not just rage, but a primitive curiosity and a fierce sense of gratification. He gripped Soha's chin tightly.
Adriq (In Russian): "Значит, ты все это время играла со мной? Тебе нравилось притворяться жертвой, пока я входил в тебя?"
(So you were playing with me all this time? Did you enjoy pretending to be the victim while I was entering you?)
Soha gave no answer, only a look of pure disdain. The chains and captivity seemed to make her even more formidable.
Adriq smashed his wine glass against the wall in a fit of rage. Shards of glass scattered around Soha. He leaned into her ear and roared in harsh Russian.
Adriq (In Russian): "Если ты понимаешь мой язык, значит, ты понимаешь и мою ярость. Ты хочешь играть? Хорошо, давай поиграем по-настоящему."
(If you understand my language, then you surely understand my fury. You want to play? Fine, let's play for real.)
With a sudden jerk, Adriq ripped away the remaining shreds of Soha's white nightdress. Soha was now completely helpless in her chains, but her eyes still held an indomitable spark. Adriq pulled out his heavy gun again. But this time, he wasn't alone. He looked at the treacherous maid.
Adriq: "Since she's talking too much, find a way to shut her mouth. And pull those chains tighter."
The maid hurried forward and pulled the chains on Soha's hands against the wall hooks so tightly that Soha's body arched like a bow. Soha's face turned blue with pain. Adriq began rubbing the barrel of the gun against Soha's lips, slowly moving it downward.
Adriq (With a cruel smile): "Hearing your Russian has increased my excitement even more, Soha. Let's see if this body of yours is harder than my iron."
Adriq attacked Soha even more brutally than before. Between the cold barrel of the gun and the friction of Adriq's scorching body, Soha wanted to scream in agony, but Adriq muffled her voice with his own hand.
Soha (Muffled): "Ummmmm... ummmmmm..."
She realized her defiance hadn't deterred Adriq; it had only made him more vicious. As waves of pain crashed through her body, Adriq whispered into her ear in Russian—
Adriq (In Russian): "Смотри на меня! Ты никогда не будешь свободна. Ты — моя личная рабыня, и твоя боль — мой рай."
(Look at me! You will never be free. You are my personal slave, and your pain is my paradise.)
Standing by the door, the maid took demonic pleasure in this horrific sight. White fluid began to discharge from Soha's body again, but this time it carried the stain of agony rather than satisfaction. Soha realized that Adriq's palace was actually a vast, enclosed hell where she would have to die a little every single day.When Adriq saw that Soha was still showing defiance despite her pain, he crossed the limits of his own depravity. He removed his hand from Soha's mouth, but he did not release her. Adriq collected that white fluid still discharging from his body into his hand.
Soha stared in disbelief. Adriq let out a demonic laugh that shook the room. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her face toward him.
Adriq (In a cruel voice): "I will shatter the pride of your Russian language today, Soha."
Adriq smeared that white fluid across Soha's face. Her fair face was covered in that white mark of humiliation. Soha tried to turn her head away in disgust, but since she was chained to the wall, she couldn't move even an inch.
Adriq (Whispering in Russian): "Теперь ты носишь мой знак на своем лице. Ты — ничто, Соха."
(Now you carry my mark on your face. You are nothing now, Soha.)
He rubbed the fluid over her lips, forcing her to feel the weight of her total defeat. Soha closed her eyes as tears trickled down, mixing with the white fluid on her face. Standing by the door, the maid clapped her hands at the sight.
The Maid: "Bravo, Master! Madam looks exactly like your pet animal now. Where did all that fire go?"Suddenly, Soha began to laugh while hanging from her chains. There was no joy in her laughter; it was a sound of demonic madness. Her face was covered in Adriq's fluid, her body was devastated—yet her laughter didn't stop. She looked directly into Adriq's eyes.
Soha (Laughing, in Russian): "Ты думаешь, это унижение? Ха-ха! Адрик, ты только что показал, как сильно ты во мне нуждаешься."
(You think this is humiliation? Ha-ha! Adriq, you just showed how much you hunger for me.)
Adriq frowned and stepped toward her. Her behavior was confusing him. Soha began to lick the white fluid from her lips and said mockingly:
Soha (In Russian): "Твой вкус... вкус твоего поражения. Ты приковал меня цепями, ты пометил меня, потому что боишься! Ты боишься, что без этих цепей я уничтожу тебя."
(Your taste... the taste of your defeat. You chained me, you marked me, because you are afraid! You fear that without these chains, I will destroy you.)
Soha shook her chains violently. The metallic clanging mixed with her crazed laughter turned the room into a nightmare. She spat a mouthful of saliva directly onto Adriq's face and laughed again in Russian. Adriq exploded in rage, but there was no fear in Soha's eyes—only a destructive stubbornness.Adriq stood stone-still for a moment as the spit ran down his face. Then, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wiped his face. This calm was like the silence before a storm. Suddenly, he roared like a wild beast, grabbed Soha's hair, and slammed her head hard against the stone wall.
Adriq (Hissing in Russian): "Ты смеешься надо мной?! Я покажу тебе, что такое настоящий ад!"
(You laugh at me?! I will show you what a real hell looks like!)
Adriq jerked the chains on her hands free from the wall hooks, but her feet remained bound. He grabbed her by the legs and dragged her across the floor. Shards of broken glass pierced Soha's back and body, soaking the dust of the floor in blood.
Adriq pounced on Soha like a hungry tiger. He struck her thigh with the heavy butt of his gun.
Adriq (Raising his voice): "Laugh! Laugh now! I will ravage this body of yours so completely today that you will forget your own name."
Adriq crushed Soha's devastated face in his palm and began his toxic assault once more. This time there was no hint of affection, only primitive vengeance. He became obsessed with occupying every inch of her body. The remnants of her white nightdress lay in a heap in the corner.
Adriq: "You're not afraid of me, are you? Before this night ends, you will be at my feet begging for your life, Soha. I won't kill you, but I will keep you alive in a state worse than death."
Soha was turning blue with pain, but the rebellious light in her eyes had not yet gone out. She felt every blow from Adriq turning her heart into stone.
As Adriq knelt, placing Soha's left foot upon his knee, the chandelier's light caught the side of his face. Soha, leaning back with a glass of wine, watched his every movement through narrowed eyes. Her thin, red mesh nightdress—revealing nearly everything beneath—trembled with the heat of her rising pulse.
As his smooth, surgically altered fingers brushed her skin, Soha's nerves screamed a warning. She leaned in, her face inches from his. Suddenly, her eyes locked onto a tiny, thread-like scar just below his ear. It was a microscopic flaw in an otherwise perfect plastic surgery—the mark left by a shard of glass during the hotel explosion.
The wine glass in Soha's hand shook. That scar, that posture, that specific touch—she knew it all. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she didn't flinch. She realized the Devil had returned from hell.
Soha (In a calm, ice-cold voice): "Your surgery is quite impressive, Adriq. But no skin has been made yet that can hide the demon inside you."
Adriq's hand froze on her leg. He slowly raised his head. The disguised voice vanished, replaced by that familiar, gravelly, and ferocious Russian tone.
Adriq (With a cruel smirk): "Привет, Соха (Hello, Soha). Did you think I had vanished into the smoke? I have been reborn from the very ashes of the fire you lit."
With a sudden jerk, Adriq shoved her leg aside and stood up. He drew his heavy old pistol from his waist and pressed the cold barrel against her temple, tangling her long hair around the metal.
Adriq (Hissing): "You look exquisite tonight, Soha. Was this red nightdress meant for my funeral? Or were you dressed to welcome me back?"
Soha didn't show fear. She swept her long hair back with a defiant toss and looked directly into his eyes, her body vibrating with a mix of rage and adrenaline beneath the scarlet mesh.
Soha: "I knew you'd come. You are so obsessed with me that even death couldn't keep you away. So, what now? Are you going to kill me?"
Adriq traced the gun barrel down her cheek, stopping at the center of her chest, pressing it against the thin red fabric. He began to stroke the old bite mark on her neck with his free hand.
Adriq (Whispering in Russian): "I didn't come to kill you, Soha. I came to remind you of the taste of chains and humiliation. Tonight, this hotel is no longer your empire—it becomes my cage once again."
Adriq didn't wait for a response. He grabbed the diamond-studded heels he had brought and forced them onto Soha's feet. These weren't just shoes; they were a symbol of her renewed bondage.
Adriq: "You like expensive things, don't you? These heels have a special feature. One wrong move, and the needles in the soles will paralyze you instantly. You are my prisoner, even while you stand."
Soha felt the sharp prick at her heels. She realized he had planned this meticulously. He wasn't just back for her body; he was back to dismantle the queen she had become. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her flush against his suit, the rough fabric of his clothes scratching against her exposed skin.
Soha (Whispering in his ear): "You can chain my feet, Adriq. You can even take this hotel. But you can never take back the fear I saw in your eyes when that building blew up. I broke you once. I can do it again."
Adriq's grip tightened, his fingers digging into her hips. He leaned in to bite the same spot on her neck, reclaiming his territory. The room, once a symbol of her power, now felt like a suffocating tomb.