Shadows of Destiny

132 Who Is On The Line

~Sylvester~

I held the phone to my ears, wondering who was on the other end of the phone.

"Who am I speaking to, please?” n.ove.lx.o I asked, and there was silence.

I could not understand the need for the drama. I was getting impatient, but I relaxed, knowing that the

caller wanted me to be apprehensive.

"How are you doing today, Sylvester?" the caller asked me.

Something was condescending about their tone. They spoke to me like an elder would speak to a child.

As if I were stupid and beneath them.

"I am fine, thank you,” I said with all the calmness I could manage.

David tapped me and frowned, and I held up my index finger, n.ove.lx.o indicating he gives me a

minute.

I could see the worry in his eyes, Erik's too.

’Speaker," Devin linked me, and I placed the call on speaker and held the microphone close to my

mouth.

"Sylvester Volkov," The voice said again, and Erik frowned.

I remained silent, not in the mood to play the game the sick caller was playing.

"I see you are the patient type. No wonder you make loyal friends quickly," the voice said, and I sighed,

feigning boredom.

"How may I help you?’ I asked.

"You know who is speaking, don't you?" the voice asked, .xo and honestly, the caller was getting

on my nerves.

"I do not. Please introduce yourself," I said, and the caller laughed.

"Well, my name is Yuri Stepanov," he said, and I laughed.

’If that is true, why are you masking your voice?" I asked, and he continued laughing. I must sound

funny.

"It will give a dramatic effect, don't you think? Didn't you feel the tension of the suspense? Guessing

who I was, trying to figure it out. The few seconds must have given you the pump," he said, and I was

silent.

"What do you want, Yuri?' I said, not believing he was who he claimed he was but hoping to get

something.

"Well," he finally said without the effect in his voice, .xo and I looked at Erik, who nodded quickly. I

could not believe this bastard. He had indeed masked his voice for effect. How dramatic.

He also seemed like the playful type. A playful bad guy.

I composed myself and allowed him to continue speaking without interruption.

’Everything, of course. I want everything. Everything your grandfather stole from us. I want it all. You

might have been able to deceive my cousin and blind him by dangling peanuts in his eyes, but you

cannot fool me. Giving those two bastards lordship and the West would not erase the damage Dimitri

Volkov caused. It would not change the fact that we had to hide in the shadows for years," he said, and

I did not want to hear his pathetic story, so I cut in.

"What will?" I asked him to see how far he was willing to go.

"Now that you ask, I doubt anything would be enough. novëlxo But I can start by eradicating your

lineage," he laughed.

I thought Erik was the unstable one, but Yuri was insane. I guess the many years of inbreeding must

have affected the mental health of the clan.

I was silent for a bit and waited.

"I am calling to find out how Stephanie is doing. novëlxo I want you to know that I will take all your

loved ones from you like I have done to Stephanie; the poor woman did nothing to me, but she is

collateral damage," He said and laughed. 2

"I hope you know that poison has no antidote. I had it made especially for you and your family. Too bad

Jake had to be a guinea pig,' he said, and my hands shook.

Erik did not linger and left, following the same route Leo took. Whatever needed to be done for Jake

had to be quick.

"I will make you feel the pain Dimitri inflicted on us. novëlxo Jake will not make it. The medication has

no antidote. Prepare for a funeral and know at the back of your mind any of your loved ones could be

next.

I want you to feel the way Stepanovs felt for years, knowing there was a target on our backs. Knowing

our lives were forfeit and we dared not dream of a future. I will take you mates, children, family, and

friends one at a time and make you feel all the pain that we felt when our parents had to flee their

homes and we had to hide from the rest of the world at the mercy of strangers; people that were

beneath us.

I will make you feel it all. Also, tell the Volkov bastard, Leonardo Albert, I will come for him next: his

father, mother, and their treacherous friends. I won't spare any of them. I will cut away bit by bit until

there is nothing left," He said playfully, and I wanted to squeeze my phone, but I dared not.

"So you called me to tell me all of this. Why not just do it?’ I asked, and he laughed. 1

"I like your confidence. But you won't be confident when I am through. xo We were royalty, and

Dimitri took it all. Wiped us out from history as if we

never existed. Covered his father's crimes and made us extinct. We survived him, your father, and we

will survive you, Sylvester. You will be the last Volkov to rule. I keep promises and have made you one,"

he said.

"Very well, we will see who laughs last," xo I said, and he hung up, laughing.

Yuri's words bothered me.

Not knowing his plans or where he would strike bothered me.

The fact that he chose to harm Jake simply because of association made me realise he had no limits.

He was a sick bastard.

David walked up to me and touched my upper arm.

"Do not take his words seriously. All I can see is that Yuri is grabbing on straws," He said, and I

frowned at him.

How could he make such a deduction from the call? As far as I was concerned, the man had called to

brag that he had me in a corner. He wanted me to know what was happening to me, and he wanted me

to feel helpless.

"How can you say that, David? This man wants us to know he has the upper hand," xo Devin

said, taking the words out of my mouth, and David shook his head.

"That is not the reason for the call," David said, and I was attentive.

"The reason for the call is to destabilise us and see if you will break. He thought you were hot-

tempered and would slip up out of anger, but your silence took him by surprise. His boast was to push

you. If you noticed, his voice went from playful to threatening. Forget about his laugh. He was anything

but confident by the time the call ended. He called and got nothing. It also means he has no one in our

circle for now. He is moving blind. That is why he reached out," David explained, and putting it that way

made a lot of sense, but one could not be too relaxed with Yuri. He seemed unstable and unbalanced.

Such people had no limits. He had no soul.

"So what should we do now?" Devin asked.

"Remain on course," I said.

Considering what David said, I figured we were doing something right. I believe Leo had frustrated his

efforts to create a north and south demarcation by holding on to the East. Hence his anger towards

Leo.

I believe Grey and Richardo were indeed on our side, hence why he promised to end them.

Everything has rendered him blind. xo And above all, my actions at the King's hall might have

made a significant shift.

I won't be surprised if the clan is divided and he has lost people. The call was an act of desperation on

Yuri's part, and I got the message loud and clear.

"We will remain on course," I repeated.

"We must be doing something right to have him act this way. This call was to feel for information or

destabilise us, as David deduced. He wants us to be busy watching our backs and looking out for one

another while he carries out his plans.

He wants us to resolve to solve effects instead of dealing with the cause. I believe what David said

about Yuri, and I say we remain on course," I said and headed out.

I wanted to know if Jake had arrived and his condition. I hoped in my heart Erik would be able to do

something for him because I could not bear to see my mother's heartbreak.

They had planned to settle down this Bluemoon and relocate to Cains Island as a form of retirement.

xo It will be sad if it never happens because some pissed-off psycho chose to make an example

of Jake so he could get to me. It would be unfortunate. 1

It was time to have everyone on deck.

Marcel, kindly invite your father. I will need him running things while we deal with this matter," I linked

Marcel while I walked towards Erik's lab.

If Jake had truly arrived, I knew he would be in Erik's care, xo not the infirmary.

"Leo, are they here?" I linked Leo.

"Yes, we have moved him to Erik's lab. He is unconscious, and his skin is grey. We just have to be

hopeful," He said, and I moved.

Decisions needed to be made, and we needed to move quickly.