“Please,” I muttered. “Surprise me further.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice even though the office was soundproofed. “Before the incident, Roman was seen with a woman. Security picked her up on camera entering the Eclipse Tower with him around midnight.”
I turned my chair slowly. “Eclipse Tower,” I repeated. “His penthouse?”
“Yes.” Anton continued. “No trace of her leaving the building. The next time he’s seen, he’s… well,unclothed.”
“Of course,” I said dryly. “My brotherly Casanova meets a ghost and wakes up without pants.”
“What do you want me to do?” Anton asked.
“Find her. Quietly. If she’s still in Dubai, she’ll try to vanish within twenty-four hours. Have our man at the consulate monitor the airport logs. Check private hangars, yacht manifests, everything.”
He nodded once. “And Roman?”
I hesitated. Family loyalty was a curse we were born into. Roman was a Markov, and that meant I’d clean up his messes until the day one of them buried me.
“Keep him under watch. Discreetly. He doesn’t need to know I’m involved.”
“Understood.” Anton started for the door, but I stopped him with a hand gesture.
“And Anton?”
He looked back.
“If this woman took something from him, I want to know before anyone else. Understand?”
He gave a thin smile. “Of course, boss. I’ll handle it personally.”
When the door closed behind him, I sat in the silence, staring at the faint reflection of my own face in the window. The city still glittered, unbothered, its wealth shining like freshly whitened teeth.
Roman always did have a talent for chaos, but this felt different. With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and the door to my office burst open without a knock, because of course it did.
My older brother strolled in like he was arriving at a gala, not a reckoning. Wearing a perfectly pressed navy suit, a smirk that belonged on magazine covers, and not a trace of shame in sight. It was impressive, really, considering that less than six hours ago, he’d been found strolling Dubai completely naked.
“Hey, idiot,” I said flatly, not looking up from the report on my desk. “I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at, but you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
“Ah, good morning to you too, brother.” Roman’s voice carried that lazy, velvet drawl that made women forget what they were saying mid-sentence. “You seem angry. Should I be flattered?”
I lifted my gaze. “Angry? No. Furious, maybe. Disappointed, absolutely. Concerned that you’ve lost what’s left of your brain? Without question.”
He grinned like it was a compliment. “You’re exaggerating.”
“I’m quoting,” I replied. “Security footage, witness statements, medical assessments. Shall I continue, or will you save me the trouble and explain why you were found naked andthrobbinglyerectoutside a five-star hotel at the butt-crack of dawn?”
Roman chuckled softly, tugging at his cufflinks. “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds.”
“Do enlighten me,” I said dryly.
Before he could answer, the door opened again, but this time a bit more slowly and quietly. My younger brother Lev stepped in.
He didn’t speak at first. He never did; it wasn’t his way. Lev was a study in silence, all sharp lines and understated menace. His dark blond hair looked like spun gold in certain light, but it was his icy cold blue eyes that made most people stop short. His suit was black on black, his tie perfectly straight. A gold signet ring gleamed on his finger, identical to mine and Roman’s, though his somehow looked more dangerous.
Lev closed the door behind him and leaned against the frame, arms crossed. “Is this about Roman’s little streaking incident?” he asked, his tone as dry as ash.
Roman sighed. “Really? ‘Streaking’? You make it sound like I was pledging a fraternity.”
“Were you?” Lev arched a brow. “Because that would explain a lot.”
