☆Wish Upon A Star☆

☆~Chapter 19~☆

At the moment Ekaterina led Matthew back out of the mansion, Ivan's clenched fists were still shaking on the wooden desk before him; a weak bead of sweat, triggered by adrenaline, ran down his temple.

He couldn't believe he had finally gotten into a path towards his target again, thanks to a young man that once was his enemy's friend. Matthew hadn't given him their address, but had told him exactly how to find Kiku's most visited places, and that was enough for Ivan's bloodthirst to put him to action.

Although he didn't want to admit it, the choice wasn't entirely his. He had to ask his sister, who was much cleverer than him. It infuriated him to ask Ekaterina, the mansion's scullerymaid, about what he was going to do. But she was smart, and would know how to lead him. She would have no choice, Ivan could easily defeat her if she didn't cooperate.

He stared at Ekaterina's cold, blue eyes as soon as she walked back in, needily. "E-Ekaterina..." He mumbled out, not knowing how to word it.

Luckily, she was a woman. She understood and slithered into his thoughts faster than a viper. "Oh, Ivan. I didn't know you were that innocent," She hissed, hiding her shaking knees.

Ivan let out a growl. He would not accept her insults. "You know nothing, Ekaterina. That boy wasn't lying!" He shouted, glaring as the wrath was unleashed from the depths of his soul.

She managed a groan and looked away. She couldn't let Ivan find out about the tricks she had been using on him. "You should listen to me... It was me who stopped you from setting Yao's old home on fire after the Kirklands', and you know how helpful is that,"

"Helpful?" Ivan huffed, "I don't think of it as helpful."

Ekaterina looked back at him, settling her weapons in her mind before using them. "What if... something happened to their current home on the coast? They'd go back here, next to you,"

Ivan widened his eyes slightly. Her arguments seemed solid, so he let her continue.

"Anyway, I don't think you should go there. I perfectly know how badly you want to take revenge, but..." She smirked internally. "Now you have them under your control. You know where they usually are. Destroying them would be too easy, and it wouldn't fulfill you,"

Ivan narrowed his eyes at her, slowly understanding her.

"Play with them. Let them know that you've got them, watch their reaction. Taunt them, and, when they're too tired to keep playing," She smirked, looking up at him and knowing that that moment would never come. "Kill them!"

Ivan took in a deep breath, glaring at the ground as he considered her proposition. The girl had planted the seed of trust in his heart, and it was too hard to take out.

"What if they run away?" He mumbled, not wanting to accept that, in fact, Ekaterina was right.

"Then you can contact Matthew again, and he'll tell you everything you need to now,"

The Russian man stood up, bending over the desk to keep his now spread palms against the dark wood, and looked up into Ekaterina's eyes, narrowing his own warningly. "You are useless and expensive. But sometimes you have ideas that are worth keeping you alive and by my side."

Ekaterina's face didn't show any trace of expression. "It's my pleasure," She said, firm and cold like an empress. She bowed down slightly, bending her knees, "I'll go get you some allies. Hitmen or criminals to give them... warnings," And walked out of the room.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

The last Braginski girl in Asia moved quickly and gracefully through the snowed forest, like an arctic fox in the middle of its hunting party.