Dimitri was outside the palace for an urgent meeting, and Victor was busy at the border with his own forces. In the vast palace, Sofia was completely alone. Outside the window, snow was falling softly, and inside the room, the only sound was the faint breathing of the baby sleeping in the cradle.
Suddenly, Sofia's phone screen lit up.
A notification appeared: "New Voice Email received from Ricky."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Ricky—her colleague and friend, whose death she had learned about just a few days ago. Either he had scheduled this voice mail before dying, or he had sent it in his final moments. With trembling hands, Sofia pressed the play button.
Ricky's exhausted, broken yet firm voice came through the speaker:
"Hi… it's me. Ricky. Sofia, if you're hearing this message, it means I'm no longer in this world. I know today is my last day, and before I go, I need to tell you some truths that are very important for you to know…"
The voice mail was long. Ricky spoke while gasping for breath:
"Sofia, the mission of sending you to Dimitri was not as simple as it seemed. There is a traitor in our headquarters who has joined hands with Arian Volkov. They staged that drama with Alia abandoning the baby so that you would become mentally weak. They want you and Dimitri to fight each other, and in that chaos, Arian plans to take control of all Moscow."
Ricky's voice grew lower. In the background, faint gunshots could be heard.
"Sofia, trust Dimitri. He may be mafia, but he has never betrayed you. Alia is actually working as Dimitri's enemy. And listen… after my death, you'll find a blueprint in my file. That is the map of Arian's headquarters. Sofia, you are a Major, but more than that, you are a warrior. Save Dimitri. Save yourself. Goodbye… your Ricky."
The voice mail ended with a long exhale.
Sofia sat frozen like stone. Tears filled her eyes, but her jaw tightened. She realized that the web she had been trapped in all this time was being pulled by someone else. Even in death, Ricky had forced her to face a terrifying truth.
Looking out the window, Sofia muttered under her breath,
"Ricky, I will not let your blood go to waste. Alia and Arian I'll dig both of your graves with my own hands."
A few seconds after the first voice email ended, her phone vibrated again.
This time, it was a video file.
Sofia tapped the screen and saw Ricky sitting in a dark room. Fresh blood was dripping from his forehead. He was leaning against a wall, struggling to breathe.
Ricky looked into the camera and gave a faint smile. His eyes were glistening with tears. He began to speak slowly:
"Sofia… I know after hearing the first message, you're very angry. But this video is only for you. In our profession, we're not allowed to talk about love, but before dying, I don't want to carry this truth with me."
He coughed. Blood came out of his mouth. Wiping it away, he spoke in a trembling voice:
"You know, Sofia? Every time we went on a mission together, my focus wasn't on the enemy… it was on you. Your unstoppable courage, that stubborn fire in you… I could never tell you how much I loved you. I knew I wasn't as powerful as Dimitri. I didn't have an empire. I just wanted to be your shadow."
Tears were now rolling down Ricky's face.
"Sometimes I imagined we would leave this world of war and run far away. Somewhere with no pistols, no Galaxy chocolate… just you and me. But look at fate. Today, I'm dying alone in this dark room, and you are in Dimitri's palace. I don't envy him. He has the ability to protect you, something I never had."
Ricky's voice completely broke. He leaned closer to the camera and whispered:
"Don't cry, Sofia. Majors don't cry. After watching this video, delete it. I don't want Dimitri to know that a worthless soldier was madly in love with his queen. Take care… my Major."
The video ended with a static crackle.
The room felt like a graveyard.
Sofia clutched the phone to her chest and collapsed onto the bed. Tears poured from her eyes. She couldn't scream, but her chest felt like it was tearing apart. Ricky's selfless love and tragic death crushed her from the inside.
Suddenly, Sofia felt someone's presence in the room.
She wiped her eyes and looked up.
Dimitri was standing at the door.
A file was in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on Sofia's tear-filled face. Perhaps he had heard the last part of Ricky's video.
Without saying a word, Dimitri walked slowly toward her. He took the phone from her hand, placed it aside, and pulled her into his strong embrace.
This time, Sofia could not hold herself back. She buried her face in Dimitri's chest and broke down, sobbing.
Gently stroking her head, Dimitri said in a calm voice,
"I know, Sofia. What Ricky gave you, I can never give. His love was pure. But I promise you… those who did this to Ricky, I will drag them to the gates of hell." Sofia wiped her eyes and stepped back from Dimitri's chest. She went straight to the cradle and picked up the baby again. The little one was crying, hungry and thirsty.
Dimitri came closer, a shadow of sadness in his eyes.
Sofia looked at him firmly and said,
"Dimitri, Ricky was right. Alia was used to weaken us. Victor said Alia abandoned the baby because she wanted to become an agent, but the real truth is probably something else."
Dimitri furrowed his brows and asked,
"What are you trying to say?"
Sofia gently stroked the baby's head and said,
"I know why Alia left. She wasn't producing enough milk and felt like a failure as a mother. And Arian Volkov took advantage of that. He convinced her that she was unfit as a mother, so she had to return to the battlefield."
The baby made a soft "hmm…" sound and nuzzled into Sofia's chest. Sofia gave a faint smile and told Dimitri,
"Dimitri, I've made a decision. From today, this baby is mine. Even if Alia couldn't be a mother, I will give her motherhood. I'm adopting her. From now on, she is not Alia's—she is Major Sofia's child."
Dimitri stared at Sofia in astonishment. A mafia king and a Major had no place in their lives for raising a child—but seeing Sofia's maternal determination, he couldn't say no. Placing his hand on her forehead, Dimitri said,
"If this is your decision, then so be it. From today, this child will be the heir of the Volkov lineage. And for those who took her away from her real mother, I will strike like a thunderstorm."
Sofia pulled the baby close to her chest again to soothe her. Whispering in Bengali, she said,
"Don't worry, my little one. So what if Alia's chest was empty? My chest will always be full for you. By becoming your mother, I have also freed myself today."
But at that very moment, the palace alarm blared. The shouts of the guards echoed from below. Arian Volkov and Alia had probably arrived, ready to make their final move.