My Russian Billionaire Boss 🔐| Part 22: Before the Doors Opened (Patreon)

All characters depicted in this story are fictional and 18 years of age or older. Everything portrayed is safe, sane, and consensual.

I woke before the sun had even touched the edges of the city. The penthouse was still dark and quiet, the only sound was the low hum of the air system. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and checked it immediately, the way I had every morning for the past twelve days. No new messages. No reply from Alexei Orlov. The screen stayed blank and cold in my hand. I stared at it for a long moment, the weight of silence pressing down on my chest, then set it down gently so I would not wake the man beside me.

Viktor was already awake. He stood at the floor to ceiling window with his back to me, dressed in his sharpest suit, the deep blue one that made his shoulders look even broader and his presence even more commanding. A cup of coffee sat untouched on the small table beside him. The city lights were still on in the distance, glittering like scattered stars against the dark sky. He held himself perfectly still, shoulders set, head slightly bowed as he looked out over the world he had built and was about to lose.

I stayed in bed for a moment longer, just watching him. My heart felt heavy and tight. Today was the day. The board meeting. The day they would strip everything from him. The fear I had been carrying for days now sat like a stone in my stomach, but I forced myself to breathe through it. I could not let him see how terrified I was. Not when he needed me steady.

I slipped out of bed quietly and crossed the room. My bare feet made no sound on the cool marble floor. I stopped behind him, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body even through the expensive fabric of his suit. For a second I simply stood there, breathing him in, letting the scent of his cologne and the faint trace of sleep still clinging to his skin settle something inside me.

“Vik,” I said softly. My voice came out quieter than I intended. “You okay?”

He did not turn. Did not answer. His shoulders remained rigid, his gaze fixed on the city below. The silence stretched between us, heavy and full of everything neither of us wanted to say out loud. I watched the way his fingers tightened around the edge of the window frame, the way his jaw worked like he was grinding down words he could not afford to speak.

I moved closer and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, pressing my chest to his back and resting my cheek between his shoulder blades. He was warm and solid and real, and for a moment I let myself hold him like that, breathing against the fabric of his jacket. My hands slid up over his stomach and chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palms.

“Whatever happens today,” I said against his back, my voice steady even though my own heart was racing, “know that we will do everything to get it back. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you do not lose what you built. I am with you in this. All the way. No matter what they decide in that room, I am not going anywhere. We will fight it. Together.”

Viktor did not speak. He simply reached down and covered one of my hands with his own, squeezing once, firmly. A quiet “hmm” was all he gave me, low in his throat, but I felt the way his body leaned back into mine just slightly, accepting the comfort I offered. It was enough. It had to be enough.

I stayed there a little longer, holding him, letting the warmth of his body chase away some of the cold fear in my chest. Then I pressed a soft kiss to the back of his neck, right where his collar met skin, and stepped away. He did not turn, but I felt his eyes follow me as I walked to the closet and began to dress. I chose a dark shirt and tailored trousers, something professional but understated. Today was not about me. It was about standing beside him, no matter what came.

When I was ready I found him still at the window. The coffee remained untouched. I crossed the room again and touched his arm gently.

“We should go,” I said quietly.

He nodded once, set the cup down, and turned. For a brief moment his eyes met mine and I saw the storm there, the exhaustion and the anger and the fear all tangled together. Then he reached out and touched my face, thumb brushing my cheek in a gesture so tender it made my throat tighten. He did not speak. He simply turned and walked toward the elevator, and I followed.

The ride down was silent. The elevator felt smaller than usual, the air thicker. I stood beside him, close enough that our arms brushed with every subtle shift. I kept looking at him, studying the sharp line of his jaw, the way his eyes stayed fixed straight ahead, the tension in his shoulders that no amount of expensive tailoring could hide. He was trying so hard to hold himself together, to be the man everyone expected him to be. I wanted to reach for him, to pull him into my arms again and tell him it would be alright, but I knew he needed the silence more than my words right now. So I stayed quiet and simply watched him, letting my presence be the reassurance I could not put into words.

When the doors opened on the ground floor I stayed close to his side. The walk to the car was short, but every step felt weighted. I opened the door for him and he slid in without a word. I followed, settling beside him in the back seat. The driver pulled away from the curb and the city began to blur past the tinted windows.

In the car I reached over and took his hand. His fingers were cold. I laced mine through them and squeezed gently, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles in slow, steady circles. He did not pull away. Instead he turned his hand and gripped mine tighter, like he was anchoring himself to something real. I kept my eyes on him the entire ride, watching the way the morning light caught the edges of his face, the way his throat worked when he swallowed, the way his free hand rested on his thigh like he was holding himself back from something.

“Take a deep breath, Viktor,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Everything will be alright.”

He did not answer, but I felt the way his grip on my hand loosened just slightly.The office building loomed ahead, glass and steel rising into the pale morning sky. As we stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance I felt the shift in the air immediately. I kept my head high and my hand lightly at Viktor’s elbow, a silent show of support. He walked like he always did, tall and commanding, but I could feel the tension radiating from him in waves.

When the elevator doors closed behind us I turned to him again. The silence between us was heavy but not uncomfortable. I reached up and straightened his already perfect tie, my fingers lingering against the fabric at his throat.

“You are still the man who built this place,” I said quietly. “No vote can take that away from you.”

His eyes met mine and for a second the hard lines of his face softened. He reached up and covered my hand with his own, pressing it against his chest where I could feel the steady thump of his heart.

“I know,” he said, voice low. It was the first real sentence he had spoken all morning. “I just… I don’t know who I am without it.”

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. We stepped out onto the executive floor and the weight of the day settled over us like a shroud. People were already gathering near the boardroom. The air felt charged, electric with tension. I could see Ryan Hale standing near the double doors, arms crossed over his chest, that familiar smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. His ginger hair caught the overhead lights as he turned his head and spotted us.

“Viktor,” he said, voice smooth and loud enough to carry. “Kai.”

Neither of us responded. Viktor kept walking, his gaze fixed straight ahead, and I stayed right beside him, my hand still lightly at his elbow. Ryan’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before returning. He stepped aside as we approached, but his eyes stayed on us, sharp and calculating.

Viktor stopped in front of the boardroom doors. For a moment he simply stood there, staring at the polished wood like it was the gate to something he did not want to enter. Then he turned to me, just slightly, and I saw the question in his eyes. I nodded once, trying to pour every ounce of strength I had into that single gesture.

“Go,” I said softly. “I will be right here when you come out.”

He reached out and touched my face one last time, thumb brushing my lower lip in a gesture so intimate it made my breath catch. Then he dropped his hand, squared his shoulders, and pushed open the doors.

The boardroom swallowed him whole.

I stayed in the hallway, exactly where he had left me. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. I began to pace, unable to stand still, my shoes clicking softly against the marble floor. Every few steps I glanced at the closed doors, imagining what was happening on the other side. The voices were muffled but I could hear the low rumble of conversation, the occasional raised tone. Ryan’s voice was the clearest, cutting through the others like a blade.

I stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, pressing my palms flat against the cool surface to steady myself. My mind raced with everything that could go wrong, everything that already had. Alexei still had not replied. The board was in there deciding Viktor’s fate. And I was out here, powerless to do anything but wait.

But I would wait. I would stand here for as long as it took. Because the man I loved was in that room fighting for everything he had built, and I would be right here when he came out, no matter what the outcome.

I closed my eyes and took a slow, deep breath, letting the quiet of the hallway settle around me. The weight of the day pressed down, heavy and unyielding, but I held my ground.

I was not going anywhere.

Not today.

Not ever.

The minutes stretched into something endless. I kept my eyes on the doors, heart still racing, waiting for the moment they would open and Viktor would walk through them again. Whatever happened next, I would be here. I would hold him through it. I would love him through it.

And I would never let him face it alone.

────────────────Upcoming Episodes

My Russian Billionaire Boss 🔐| Part 23: The Day They Took It All

Part 24 • Title Withheld 👀🗓️ 25th June

Part 25 • Under Sicilian Stars🗓️ 1st July

Part 26 • The Reckoning🗓️ 6th July

Part 27 • From Assistant to Everything (Finale)🗓️ 10th July

Epilogue • Three Months Later🗓️ 12th July

My Russian Billionaire Boss – Complete Ending Bundle (Episodes 20–27 + Epilogue)