Moin Sir grabbed Sophia by both shoulders and gently pushed her back. There was deep concern in his voice as he whispered,
"But remember one thing, my child… Dimitri is not a good man at all. There are Interpol cases against him for rape and human trafficking. He is a living devil."
Sophia stood frozen, staring at him. Just a few hours ago, Dimitri's forceful attempt to kiss her and his touch flashed through her mind like lightning.
Moin Sir lowered his voice further.
"Dimitri is helping you because he wants to decorate you like an expensive toy in his collection. While trying to catch Riki's killers, don't trap yourself inside this beast's cage. If he gets the chance, he will tear you apart."
At that moment, the sound in the corridor came right up to the door. Moin Sir quickly pushed Sophia toward a small hidden window at the side of the room.
"There's no time to think now. You will have to take Dimitri's help. Because right now, your own people are your enemies. But remember—never look into Dimitri's eyes, never become a victim of his lust. Take the chip and run!"
Sophia jumped down through the window. The snowstorm outside had grown even more violent. Moin Sir's words echoed in her ears—"He has rape cases… he's not a good man."
In the alley behind the station, a black Mercedes stood with its engine running. As the window rolled down, Sophia saw Dimitri's bodyguard inside. As she moved to get into the car, a thought struck her—was she escaping from fire only to jump into a pit of hell?
Dimitri was already seated in the back. A glass of alcohol in his hand, that mysterious crooked smile on his lips. His eyes moved greedily over Sophia's wet white sheer dress.
"Welcome, Sophia. What fairy tales did your Moin Sir tell you? Or did he just slander me?"
Sophia sat as far away from Dimitri as possible, gripping Riki's chip tightly in her hand. She realized that before she could bring Riki's killers to justice, she would have to protect her own dignity from this monster.
Inside the Mercedes, a silence more terrifying than the snowstorm outside prevailed. The windows were tinted black. Dimitri finished his vodka in one gulp and set the glass aside.
There was a predator's hunger in his eyes. Slowly he moved closer to Sophia. She pressed herself into the seat, trying to escape, but Dimitri's iron grip trapped her. He held her chin tightly so she could not turn her face away.
"Moin must have told you about my cases, right?" Dimitri's voice was thick with alcohol. "He was right. I take what I want. And right now, I want you."
He grabbed the thin fabric near her shoulder. Sophia realized this man was no longer the refined gentleman with expensive perfume, but a primitive beast. His hot breath burned against her skin.
Sophia knew screaming was useless. The driver was Dimitri's loyal dog. Gathering all her hatred, she looked straight into Dimitri's eyes. Just as his hand moved downward, Sophia pulled out the small dagger hidden inside her coat and stabbed it hard into his thigh.
"Ahhh!" Dimitri screamed in pain, releasing her. Blood quickly soaked through his pants.
Sophia held the dagger at his throat and said coldly,
"Moin Sir was right. You are an animal. But you forgot—I am the shadow of a dead person. After losing Riki, I have nothing left to lose. Move an inch, and I will cut your throat right here."
Dimitri writhed in pain, but instead of fear, a twisted delight appeared in his eyes. He laughed.
"You're not like ordinary girls, Sophia. This fire is what I wanted. Kill me… let's see how brave you are."
The car stopped at a deserted mountain bend. The driver stepped out, perhaps to do something terrible on Dimitri's command.
As the dagger remained steady near his throat, Dimitri's laughter changed. Despite the pain, he looked into Sophia's eyes as if he had found the key to a great secret.
"Kill me, Sophia. If you truly think I'm the beast Moin described, finish me. But did Moin tell you why those cases exist against me?"
Sophia did not loosen the pressure of the blade.
Dimitri continued,
"Moscow's politics and the mafia world are filthy. Those rape and trafficking cases were fabricated. When I opposed your country's corrupt officials in the chip smuggling deal, Moin and his allies used Interpol to destroy my reputation. So that no one would believe me in times like this—just like you don't now."
He leaned closer, his eyes now free of lust, filled with strange sincerity.
"Did Moin tell you why he hugged you and cried? Because he knows you won't return. He wanted you to kill me—two birds with one stone. Riki's killer is that man himself, Sophia. Riki discovered all his secret bank accounts."
Sophia's hand began to tremble.
Whom should she believe?
Moin—the senior who hugged her like a father and cried?
Or Dimitri—the feared mafia man, bleeding before her, claiming innocence?Dimitri gently removed the dagger from Sophia's hand. This time he did not use force. In a calm voice he said,
"I am not a good man, Sophia. I may be a devil, but I am not a traitor. There's a first aid box in the car with my driver. You can clean my wound if you want… or you can leave me here in this snowstorm and disappear. The choice is yours."
Sophia saw the car seat soaked with Dimitri's blood. She did not know whether Dimitri was trying to trap her in another web. But at this moment, it felt to her as if the blue color in Dimitri's eyes was speaking the truth—just like the message inside Riki's chip.
Sophia leaned forward, took the first aid box from the dashboard, and began cleaning Dimitri's wound. While dressing it, she said coldly,
"If I find out you're lying, next time the knife won't go into your thigh—it will go straight into your heart."
Dimitri took a long breath in pain and smiled faintly.
"Then let the mission begin, Sophia. We both belong to the world of the dead now. Let's see whose blood Moscow's snow prefers more—Moin's, or ours."
After finishing the dressing, Sophia quickly moved away and sat at a distance. The fire of distrust still burned in her eyes. Wiping the blood from her hands with the edge of her white sheer dress, she said in an icy voice,
"I don't trust you, Dimitri. You're mafia, and mafia men can tell lies more artistically than truth. Your rape cases may be fabricated… or maybe not. And Moin Sir… whether he is a traitor or not, I will not believe anything until I see it with my own eyes."
Dimitri closed his eyes in pain once, then looked at her again. He was strangely impressed by her stubborn resolve. He smiled and said,
"Not trusting anyone is the smartest trait of an agent. But right now, Sophia, our destination is the same. You want the truth, and I want my lost honor and business back."
The car started moving again. Looking out the window, Dimitri said,
"You don't have to trust me. Just stay with me for this one night. I will show you a live footage after which your Moin Sir's emotional tears will look like the greatest acting performance on earth."
The car stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse outside Moscow. The snowstorm had grown more violent. Dimitri extended his hand toward Sophia.
"Come, Sophia. You may hold my hand. After seeing the truth inside, you might feel dizzy."
Sophia did not take his hand. She stepped out on her own, adjusting her white dress under her overcoat, and walked inside.
Inside were rows of computer screens. Dimitri pressed a remote, and one screen lit up.
On the screen, Major General Moin was seen sitting in a secret room. On the laptop in front of him, the same "Project Blue Star" file was open. He was talking on the phone. As the audio became clear, Sophia heard him say:
"Sophia has gone back to Dimitri with the chip. I handled her emotionally. Now if we launch a missile or gas attack on Dimitri's base, it's game over. Dimitri will die, and the chip will turn to ashes with Sophia. After Riki, removing Sophia was my last obstacle…"
The ground beneath Sophia's feet seemed to shake. The man she had hugged and cried with was planning to push her toward death. Her golden eyes turned red with humiliation and betrayal.
She turned toward Dimitri. Dimitri calmly extended a heavy automatic rifle toward her and said,
"Do you still not believe me, Sophia? Or would you prefer to walk over Moscow's snow in your Cesare Paciotti shoes and burn these traitors' den yourself?"
A mysterious, victorious smile appeared on Sophia's lips. She glanced at the rifle and pushed it aside with disdain. The temperature of the room seemed to drop instantly.
Sophia stepped very close to Dimitri. There was no fear in her eyes now—only supreme confidence. She leaned near his ear and whispered,
"Did you really think, Dimitri, that I would believe this staged video? The footage you showed is an AI-generated deepfake. You didn't know—I had already spoken to Moin Sir in my real code before coming here."
The confident smile faded from Dimitri's face. A shadow of disbelief appeared in his blue eyes.
Sophia took a small holographic projector out of her purse. As she turned it on, real live footage appeared in the air. It showed Moin Sir speaking with Moscow Police Special Forces, instructing them to surround Dimitri's hideout from all sides.
Sophia gently pushed Dimitri's chest with her finger and said,
"You killed Riki and thought you could fool his partner with a cheap video? You've been caught, Dimitri baby. When you drugged me, I inserted a virus into your system. Now this entire warehouse is surrounded by Moscow Police."
At that very moment, the sound of sirens was heard outside. Dimitri's bodyguards rushed in with fear in their eyes.
Sophia adjusted her white sheer dress and sat on the sofa in a royal posture. She picked up Dimitri's vodka glass, took a sip, and said,
"Moin Sir is not my real father, but he is my country. And you? You are just a mafia man trapped in your own web. Riki's justice will be written here in this snow."
Dimitri, furious, tried to pull out his pistol. But before he could, Sophia pressed a small button hidden under the heel of her Cesare Paciotti shoe. Instantly, a strong electric shock passed through the floor beneath Dimitri's feet, rendering him unconscious.
Sophia stood up, looked at Dimitri's motionless body, and said,
"You wanted to make me your 'queen,' didn't you? Now go build your empire in a Siberian prison."