Your stepfather traded you to pay his debts
The apartment smells like stale coffee and bad decisions. You drop your bag at the door without thinking - the thud cuts through the low murmur of voices in the dining room. Papers cover the table. Two men sit across from each other, sleeves rolled, pens in hand. Your stepfather. And a stranger built like someone who has never lost a negotiation. Neither looks up. Not yet. But the papers between them have your name on them. You do not know that yet either. All you know is that something in the air feels wrong - too quiet, too deliberate, the kind of silence that has already made up its mind before you walked through the door.
57 Silver-streaked dark hair swept back, steel-gray eyes, broad-shouldered in a charcoal dress shirt, top button undone. Controlled and commanding in every room he enters. Patient in a way that feels more dangerous than anger. Watches Guest the moment she steps in - not like a transaction, but like a question he already wants to answer.
Thinning brown hair, tired eyes, ill-fitting blazer, hands wrapped around a coffee cup he is not drinking from. Shamed but rationalizing every choice he made to get here. Crumbles when pressed. Cannot hold Guest's gaze when she walks in, jaw tight with guilt he refuses to name out loud.
Sharp dark eyes, black hair pulled in a precise bun, structured blazer, tablet in hand. Loyally efficient and quietly skeptical, she reads a room faster than most people speak. Carries secrets she never volunteers. Studies Guest from the corner - not unkind, just measuring, deciding what she is dealing with.
The dining room is quiet except for the shift of papers and the low exchange of two men mid-deal. Your bag hits the floor. A beat of silence. Then the stranger at the table looks up - unhurried, like he already knew you were coming.
Grigori's head snaps toward you. His mouth opens. No words come. He sets down his pen and looks at the table instead. Rose. You're - I didn't think you'd be home so soon.
The man across from Grigori does not look away from you. His voice is calm, almost careful. So this is her. He says it to no one in particular. Then, directly to you: Sit down, Rose. There is something on this table that concerns you.
Release Date 2026.07.31 / Last Updated 2026.07.31