Nikita

With just the two of them in the room, Nikita and Qiao looked at each other.

One was worried about the wellbeing of the other, while another was worried about the situation beyond his nonexistent doors.

They both needed to deal with the situation and make the speculations go away, but Nikita had something else in mind.

"What do you mean to leave everything as it is?" Qiao asked, not believing Nikita when the doctor said he wouldn't do a reputation cleansing.

The man was clearly nuts, or maybe the sedatives were screwing with his mind. Maybe there was something that Qiao wasn't understanding, but what could it be? It was clear that Nikita was getting crazier by the hour.

"Make me understand, and maybe you're talking about the goddamn mahogany door that your little brats broke through. I didn't have a problem with that. Besides, the only thing anyone can steal from this room is you.

"What the fuċk do you mean, Nikita, and don't you be playing catch with me," Qiao sighed frustratedly, grabbing the packet of crips Nikita was eating and keeping them to himself.

They needed to be on the same page.

Of course, Qiao had expected his best friend to be skeptical about the whole situation, but here he was, trying to pretend like the world wasn't out there lynching him and his family.

"Hear me out, Qiao, and I want my crips back," Nikita said with a pout. On the other hand, Qiao did not find this shit funny anymore. 

"You had better be talking, and no, the goddamn crisps are mine, and you're not getting more from your stock. Sit your ȧss down and talk," Qiao said angrily. His best friend would one day drive him nuts, literally.

How was he supposed to be dealing with a man who didn't seem to think the people hurting him were going to succeed when they already had his reputation under the rug?

There was so much at stake, so many families depended on the Pavlenko household, and if everything went downhill, then they would have to leave.

Qiao was just worried about Nikita. He needed his best friend, but it seemed like the crash had taken away a large bit of his best friend. The man in front of him was just a  shell of whoever Nikita once was, and it wasn't hilarious.

It wasn't something they could laugh over a glass of wine and some fuċkėd Pizza. This was their family they were talking about, their legacy, and it suċkėd that the man in question was ready to lose himself to forget about this all.

"Yessir," Nikita said as he saluted his best friend. Qiao resisted the urge to tie Nikita to the bed and make him see sense. Maybe he would, if there were no options left anymore, but right now, there was still the Carrie option to be explored.

"Hey, Qiao Xi, relax, officer. Everything will be fine, I promise. I know you guys are fighting to keep me here, but I don't want to be here. I hate it here, no offense, but it hurts so much. There are so many blanks.

"Everything isn't what it was. I used to be a doctor who would come from surgery and branch to the nearest mall and buy shit for Raisa, Yuri, and even you guys. I had a reason to go home with a smile on my face.

"I had every reason not to stay in the office and go home. It was always exciting, you know, the movie nights, the dinners, the games we played, the competition? Everything Is fun—" Nikita began, but Qiao interrupted him.

"Niki—"

"No Qiao, let me. Everything feels pointless. There are billions of dollars worth of fortune in the Pavlenko name, but what use is that when I don't have the people I love? Look at you. I often notice you working, running away too. Carrie disappeared to the military.

"Everything is not the same anymore. Even the billions don't make me happy, and they never made me happy. Y'know, I even considered making the Semenovs the custodians of the estate and the wealth, but somehow I believe that will be exposing them to too much pressure.

"Managing all this shit is not easy, but that's not even my worry Qiao," Nikita said as he took a deep breath. He needed to belt it out. Even though this wasn't him looking to be saved, he just felt like he needed to reassure his best friend that he wasn't giving up entirely, just a little.

Nikita had nothing to look forward to completely, but he wouldn't tell that to Qiao. He still needed his best friend to believe that he was okay. He wasn't leaving because he hated him, but because there were too many memories.

"We didn't leave Nikita; we're always here with you," Qiao tried to make Nikita see sense in their friendship. Of course, Nikita adored them, and he would go to hell and back for them, but what about him?

Was that all he was going to keep doing; staying like a watchdog for everyone while they live their best and he guided them? Who would even care about him anyway? He needed to breathe, and frankly, Todorov wasn't the place for him.

"I'm not saying I don't want to be here Qiao, or that I don't want the reputation of my family to stay clean. It's just that we both know more people will be coming after the wealth.

"More people will want to bring down the Pavlenko name, and I know that should bother me, but it doesn't, not anymore. If they want it all, they can come for it, and they can take their fill and get rich or do whatever they want—" Nikita said, and Qiao just watched him disbelievingly.

"You don't mean that—"

"Oh, but I do. You and I both know I'm not in the right mental state. Maybe I needed the push, but Qiao, I finally saw it. I need to get better, I need to heal, and you're right; I need time to mourn my family.

"Only then will I be able to face everything. Everyone is coming after me because they know I won't be able to fight. They know they can claim everything without me caring or even fighting them well. This is why I already made a choice, and this time, not even Carrie or you can stop me.

"It would be best if you guys let me do this. I'm just telling you so you won't be surprised. But since you all made me believe that I could get better, then you have to listen to my choices, and you have to respect them too," Nikita said with a sly smile.

On the other hand, Qiao was anxious, and to ease his anxiety, he decided to eat the crisps.. He was sure what Nikita would tell him would break his heart anyway.