The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband – Episode 28
While Natalie celebrated her new job, Sebastian entered the pawnshop through a rear door Nick Volkov believed secure. The storefront was dark, its metal gate lowered after closing, but one light burned in the office where Nick counted cash from transactions designed to leave desperate customers poorer than before. Sebastian passed the display case where Natalie’s wedding shoes had nearly become another stolen asset. Remembering the bruising grip of Nick’s men on her arms stripped the last hesitation from his purpose. Nick looked up at the sound of measured footsteps and reached beneath his desk.
Sebastian caught his wrist before the weapon cleared the drawer. He forced Nick against the wall with controlled strength, giving him enough pain to understand the imbalance between them. “I told your men I would come.”
Recognition replaced anger. “You’re that woman’s husband.” Nick chose a uglier description for Natalie, and Sebastian tightened his grip until the insult collapsed into a gasp.
“You will address her with respect.” His voice remained quiet, which frightened Nick more than shouting would have. “You tried to steal from my wife. Then you sent men after her when she refused.”
Nick recovered enough arrogance to threaten him. The Volkov operation had partners, protection, and friends no discarded Klein son could challenge. “You walked into the wrong business, pretty boy. People disappear for less.”
Sebastian released him and straightened his cuff. “Your most powerful friend is Peter Romanov.” The name changed the air. Nick’s confidence faltered because Romanov’s circle was not information an outsider casually possessed.
“How do you know Peter?”
Sebastian answered by making a call. When Romanov appeared on the screen, his greeting carried immediate respect. Sebastian explained that one of Peter’s associates had threatened his wife and asked whether the offense reflected a wider decision. Romanov’s expression changed as soon as he heard Natalie had been touched. Men in his world understood that attacking a protected family member was not ordinary business but a declaration of war. Sebastian never raised his voice or described what punishment he wanted; power made both unnecessary.
Romanov apologized before Nick could speak. He offered to remove the problem permanently, treating a man who claimed to command the city’s underworld as disposable inventory. Nick stared at Sebastian, finally recognizing that the quiet husband in ordinary clothes occupied a world far above the Klein family scandal.
“That won’t be necessary,” Sebastian said. “Nick is going to help me with something. If he performs well, we’ll consider the matter settled.”
Romanov agreed without asking the task. Before the call ended, he addressed Sebastian by the name that transformed Nick’s fear into disbelief: Mr. Myers.
Nick backed away. Newspapers had called Bash Myers a ghost, a technological prodigy, and the hidden architect of B.M. Enterprises. Criminal circles used the same name more carefully, aware that his private network could reach markets and men beyond conventional borders. The fortune mattered less than the reputation: Myers did not issue threats twice, and he never entered a room without controlling its exits. Nick glanced toward the locked rear door and understood that every safeguard had already failed. “You’re Bash Myers.”
“I am.” Sebastian did not enjoy the fear as much as he once might have. Since marrying Natalie, displays of power had begun to feel meaningful only when they protected something beyond ambition or personal revenge alone.
He placed a business card on the desk. The card named a legitimate distribution company seeking a contract with B.M. Enterprises. Nick’s network could deliver its owner to a sales meeting, smooth the negotiations, and ensure the agreement reached the correct new employee. Sebastian had studied the firm before coming; it needed B.M.’s logistics platform and could benefit from the agreement. He would not saddle Natalie with a fraudulent sale merely to create the appearance of success.
“You want me to arrange a sale?” Nick asked, confused by the modest demand. “For your wife?”
“She will earn the client once she gets the meeting.” Sebastian’s expression warned him not to mistake support for charity. Natalie would research, negotiate, and win or lose on the strength of her proposal. “You are only opening a door Serena will try to keep locked.”
Nick understood enough to nod. He promised the introduction, repayment for the stolen time, and silence about Natalie. Sebastian reminded him that silence included his identity. If Natalie learned the truth through a frightened criminal, the consequences would extend far beyond business.
Outside, Daniel waited beside an unmarked car. He reported that Natalie had accepted the B.M. offer and would start Monday. Sebastian looked back at the pawnshop, where Nick was already making calls to preserve his life. “Assign her fairly. No ceremonial position and no inflated results.”
“You just coerced a criminal into finding her a client,” Daniel observed. “Your definition of fairly has become flexible.”
Sebastian accepted the criticism because it was accurate. He wanted Natalie to succeed through her own ability, yet he could not stand aside while Serena sabotaged her again. As they drove toward the penthouse, his phone lit with Natalie’s message asking him to come home for a surprise dinner. The ruthless identity Nick had just uncovered receded behind the name she used with affection, but Sebastian knew every favor he arranged made the distance between Sebastian Klein and Bash Myers harder to cross.
