CHAPTER 119: KILLIAN ORLOV

Braelyn’s POV

The door creaked open, and I slowly peered inside. As expected it was empty. Raphael was out and Amelia was occupied with her project. It was safe to conclude no one would come here but I can never be too sure

My hands were trembling on the door. This was the first time I had done something like this, and it felt like I was committing a heinous act. I pushed back those thoughts. This wasn’t the time to be nervous or soft-hearted.

"You can do this, Braelyn." I urged myself as my eyes darted around his study.

Raphael’s study was colder than I remembered. Dark walnut shelves lined the walls, filled with neatly arranged files, leather-bound journals, and the faint scent of cedar and whisky lingering in the air. The room was oozing with his presence. It turns out he was still spending hours here that bloody workaholic.

Only if he had a heart attack while working then my problem would be fixed.

The curtains were half-drawn, letting in a muted stream of daylight that fell across his polished desk.

My gaze locked instantly on the laptop sitting in the centre, it was closed, exactly where he always left it.

I shut the door behind me with a soft click, pressing my back against it as I released a long, shaky breath. My pulse hammered in my ears. For a second, guilt tried to creep in again... but I crushed it.

He didn’t deserve my loyalty anymore.

I pushed off the door and walked toward the desk, each step was controlled like I was walking on tiptoes to prevent anyone from getting aware of my presence in here. My fingers brushed the cold metal of the laptop before flipping it open.

The login screen glowed sharply. My fingers rapidly typed in the password on the keyboard. My birthday. Just as expected the password works

A bitter laugh almost slipped from my lips when it unlocked immediately. Even after everything... he still used that. And just like that, I had full access to Raphael Volkov’s world.

I quickly settled into his chair, praising my luck, which was finally working again. My throat tightened, and my palms became as sweaty as I started searching through his files for any clues.

My first idea was to check all the major bids Volkov Apex holdings groups had participated in. The group was a large conglomerate, and winning bids wasn’t a big deal to them. They had a good reputation, smart leadership and always delivered

It was an impressive company, to be honest, the type others are normally nervous to compete with, but a smile grew on my lips.

It wasn’t an obvious hint, but there was one company which stood out among its competitors. They had successfully gotten two major projects in the span of 3 months from the Volkov group, which was pretty impressive.

I dug deeper and realised they have been competing for a few years now, but this year it got more aggressive.

"New Horizons Holdings." I read out the name. It was the first time I had heard of it. My frown deepened, how come the company had such a big competitor and I had never heard of it

Raphael and Ronan handled the situation very well. I closed the files and switched off the system, closing it softly. My touch lingered on the warm smooth top.

I was still with my handbag, so I quickly pulled out my phone to search for the company. I didn’t want to use Raphael’s system to hide the search history.

The search loaded and I was immediately impressed. The New Horizon Holdings was a foreign company which had a rapid growth a few years ago after the majority of the shareholders were kicked out and a new owner and CEO took over

They had competed against the Volkov Apex holdings in the past, but they weren’t much of a competition then.

After the new management took over 3 years ago, the company’s growth spurred, and they acquired multiple subsidiaries and made remarkable investments to expand quickly.

They currently have a branch in the country, which has led to more aggressive competition with the local titan, the Volkov Apex holdings.

My eyes lit up. This was the perfect nemesis Raphael needed. I started trying to look for information about the owner, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much information about the person, not even an image, considering it was a man named "Killian Orlov..." I read out loud.

"Killian Orlov.." I repeated the name, which felt familiar, trying to remember where I had heard it. I left the study, closing the door behind me. I couldn’t shrug the feeling the surname gave me. This sudden chill.

I was lost in my thoughts, slowly descending from the stairs, when an irritating voice chirped. "What were you doing upstairs?"

"Huh," I blurted, and my eyes narrowed on Amelia, who looked like she had aged overnight with heavy dark circles. "Amelia..." I gasped before adding with a genuine concern tone which might have sounded a bit taunting

"What happened to you? You look awful." Her face instantly turned ugly she clenched her jaw. I walked down a few steps to get closer to her.

"Are you sure you are okay? Or aren’t you feeding well?" My incessant questions made her angrier.

I sighed then shook my head. "It must be exhausting being a thick-skinned mistress." That finally ticked her off. I knew I was petty, but who cares?

She threw her bag towards me, which I evaded, then the bag flew over the stairs rail and crashed on the floor after hitting a wall. "Amelia, you should watch your temper. It isn’t ladylike at all." I shook my head dismissively like a disappointed parent

"Shut up Braelyn..." She burst, pointing her finger at my nose while she fumed. "You are draining the life out of me. Why didn’t you just die last night?" She exploded

My eyes dulled. "One, you are in no place to tell me to shut up, and two, sorry to disappoint you, but you will be seeing me a lot." I chimed while walking past her

"Excuse me. I have a guest to entertain." I shrugged. She turned around trying to grab my hand. I evaded her touch then shot her a glare that made her shudder.

"Who gave you the right to touch me?"

She gritted her teeth, fist clenched from rage. "Enough of the act, Braelyn." She drawled my name. "What were you doing upstairs? Your room is on the ground floor."

I turned around at the foot of the stairs, giving her an astonished look like I had heard the most amusing thing ever. She was right, this was an act. I was nervous running into Amelia but I had to act unbothered.

"I had no idea I had to tell a mere mistress playing house with my husband about where I go in my house." I scoffed. Her brows twitched.

She laughed. "You are still playing high and mighty after everything."

I tilted my head. "How else am I meant to behave? Grovel under your feet." I questioned what she looked like.

"Don’t forget this is just an open marriage and I am still legally Mrs Volkov." I let it sink before walking out. I arrived at the door and noticed Lucien who was busy typing on his system

Orlov, the name popped up again,and the colours drained from my face once I remembered where I heard it.