9 Chapter 9: One Sided Deal

As they approached the main bedroom on the second floor's hallway, Dmitri and Arias moved stealthily.

The loud moaning masked out any nearby sounds, so they didn't really need to be stealthy.

Dmitri heard his father and stepmother shouting obscenities at one another throughout the entirety of the short walk, which to him seemed like a lifetime.

When they arrived at the entrance, Arias and Dmitri took a position with their backs on the wall on either side.

Arias grabbed for his back at that same moment and pulled out a handgun, holding it in his right hand.

Dmitri imitated this action, but his awkward posture and minor trembling made it clear that he wasn't at ease handling a firearm.

Naturally, Arias observed this, but he remained silent and simply motioned for them to enter.

Bam!

The couple's sexual activity came to an abrupt stop when the door loudly flung open.

"What the hell! Who-?" The man became enraged and was prepared to confront whoever had interrupted his good time, but he stopped when he noticed a gun pointing in his direction.

"Dmitri… Arias…"

The father immediately identified his son, even though the room was dimly lit, and Arias, who was now older, was also recognized.

"Nice to see you again Mr. Ivanov." The man was quite uneasy as a result of Arias's bland response.

"Gregor…" Fearful that her life was in danger, the woman who was close to the man huddled behind his back and spoke gently.

"Don't worry Cynthia, it's all under control." Gregor Ivanov comforted her, but he too was already sweating profusely.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, this situation is far from your control. Off the bed, now." Arias gave instructions in a tone that made Gregor feel even more anxious.

Dmitri had remained quiet because he couldn't keep up with the pace of events.

When Gregor observed this, he assumed that his kid was being forced into doing something he had not wanted to do.

"Dmitri, don't do this, I understand your anger but it's not too late for us to be a family again." He made an offer, but the young man merely sent him a furious glance.

"Oh? If you're that quick to use your family for benefits and replace them then I'd rather not be a part of it. As of now you're not my father anymore, just a guy about to get robbed." Dmitri made a stronger motion with his gun.

Although his posture still indicated that he lacked expertise, his mindset remained firm. He was no longer required to follow the rules he had learned as a child or submit to the superior's authority.

He was actually feeling both heavy and light at that very time, but he was unable to put into words how he was feeling.

"You…" Gregor scowled as he got out of bed, but he was wise enough to restrain himself from rambling.

Cynthia stood there with a worried look on her face while he did this, raising the blanket to cover her body.

When Gregor got out of bed, he hurriedly put on a robe that was lying on the floor, turned to face Arias, and raised his hands in the air.

"Come along, you and I are going for a walk."

While Cynthia grimaced at those remarks, Gregor scowled. He wanted to disagree, but there was nothing he could do.

"I get it, just don't hurt her. Dmitri she took care of you like her own son, be angry with me, not her." Gregor asked Dmitri as he made his way to the door.

Dmitri however shook his head and frowned. "If by take care you mean drove away my mother and even tried seducing me because I was your heir, then yes, she took very good care of me."

Gregor scowled as he fixed his gaze on the still woman on the bed who was still trembling.

"You don't really have the luxury to worry about others right now."

Before dragging Gregor outside by the collar of his robe, Arias gave advice.

With Arias's newly discovered strength, even a small nudge was enough to violently propel him against the corridor wall.

Bam!

Before he hit the ground, he struck it firmly. Arias strolled out, letting his tie fall even further, and crouched down next to the man.

"I'd like to see your vault, lead the way." He gave the command as he watched the man struggle to stand.

Did he find it amusing to watch the mighty cower beneath him powerless to resist him? Yes.

The feeling he felt from doing the same, even though it only lasted for a moment, was exquisite after years of having the powerful towering above him.

He didn't do anything more to embarrass Gregor since he knew there will be other times in the future when he would feel that way again. He put his entire purpose for being there first for the time being.

Gregor didn't say anything; instead, he simply got to his feet and scowled before directing Arias to a locked pair of doors on that particular floor.

He entered a short, six-digit pin into the electronic device on the door's side to unlock it.

"In here…"

Gregor led Arias inside after carefully opening the door.

The space was actually a well-kept modern office, as one could anticipate in a mansion of that size.

Without further comment, Gregor moved over to a painting that was affixed to the wall and pulled it out to show a medium-sized vault built into the wall.

"I don't keep any money inside, if you want money then just give me an account and I'll send it right away." As Gregor perspired more, he proposed.

He believed that Dmitri and Arias were only interested in making money, but Arias persisted.

"Just open it." He gave the order while slightly elevating his weapon.

The only thing Gregor could do was follow instructions and enter the necessary combinations for the vault.

The moment the vault clicked open, Arias went forward and shoved Gregor aside while retaining the gun in one hand and looking through the contents of the vault with the other.

"So many hidden documents, it seems you've been quite busy lately Mr. Ivanov. I wonder what would happen if these documents were leaked."

When Gregor heard those remarks, he scowled.

"Name a price, any price. If you leak those documents then you'll become enemies with a lot of leaders in Gotham, they won't stop till you're dead." He counseled, a tiny frown on his face.

"Provided they aren't too busy dealing with the after math this will cause. But you're right; I don't require that level of focus. Which is why you'll send me $5 million right away and refrain from speaking about the entire fiasco. What do you say? Pretty simple choice really." Arias asked, his gaze coldly fixed on Gregor.

The man gritted his teeth in rage, bowed his head, and finally nodded. "Fine."