Bella’s jaw sets. “She’s three, Aleksander.”
“She’s impressionable,” I counter. “I’m not talking about my work with her sitting right here.”
Bella lifts her chin. “Then talk like a respectable businessman. I’m sure you have a version of the truth you use at banks and charity galas.”
Nikolai huffs a quiet laugh through his nose.
I stare at her for a second, then sigh. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“No,” she says. “I am not.”
I lean back, choosing my words. “Fine. We’ll call it what it is without…spelling it out.”
She folds her arms. “Code, then.”
“Code,” I agree.
Lily holds up her cracker. “Cookie!”
“Exactly,” I say dryly. “Code and cookies. Very serious meeting.”
Bella’s mouth twitches, but she doesn’t let herself smile. “Start with the basics. What does your…company do?”
“We handle logistics,” I say. “We move…products for people who don’t like paperwork.”
She gives me a look. “Illegal products.”
“Products that don’t enjoy regulatory attention,” I correct.
Nikolai’s shoulders shake once. He keeps his eyes on the road.
Bella doesn’t let up. “And this logistics company of yours. Does it…have competitors?”
“Of course,” I say. “Other companies who think they can move the same boxes through the same ports. Sometimes they forget to ask permission first.”
“Ask permission,” she repeats. “Right. And if they forget?”
“We remind them,” I say. “Firmly.”
She stares at me. “Firmly as in…a strongly worded email?”
Lily chimes in, delighted, “Mail!”
I keep my face neutral. “Something like that.”
Bella narrows her eyes. “Do your reminders use, say, knives and guns instead of bullet points and fonts?”
Nikolai actually coughs to hide a laugh.
“Sometimes our reminders arrive with…escorts,” I say. “The kind that make an impression.”
Bella snorts. “Your euphemisms are terrible.”
“You asked for business language,” I remind her. “I’m being very professional.”
She shifts, brushing a hand over Lily’s hair. “What about money? You said you ‘manage’ it.”
“That’s easier,” I say. “People borrow. People pay interest. If they don’t pay on time, we adjust the terms.”
