"Your life was forfeit the moment you walked through that door." I make sure my words are cold and final. "The woman you were half an hour ago? She's gone. The only question now is whether you want to survive as someone new or have your body dumped in the river."
Her face goes pale. "You're serious."
"Absolutely."
She's quiet for a long moment, and I watch her process it. The fear, the anger, the slow creeping realization that I'm not bluffing. That there's no easy way out of this.
Finally, she lifts her chin. "And what do you get out of this?"
I pull my phone out again, pulling up Vitali's message.Charlotte's pregnant. Early days. Thought you should know.
I stare at the message for a second longer than necessary, then lock the screen and slide the phone back into my pocket.
What do I get out of this?
I don’t answer her right away. Instead, I study her. The way she’s standing there trying to look brave while everything inside her is clearly unraveling. The way her mouth tightens like she refuses to beg. The way her fingers curl into the hem of her jacket like it’s the only thing anchoring her to the floor.
Most women would already be crying.
Florrie isn’t.
That’s what strikes me the hardest. That she isn’t buckling beneath fear and panic, despite her clearly feeling those things.
“My uncle wants heirs,” I say finally. I don’t soften it. There’s no point. “He wants stability. Bloodlines. Public legitimacy.” I shrug. “You walked into the middle of that timeline.”
Her eyes flicker. “So, this is… what. Convenient?”
“Yes.” I push away from the desk and take a step toward her. She doesn’t retreat this time, there’s no where for her to go. “But convenience doesn’t explain why I haven’t already handed you off to a driver and told you to pack a bag. Convenience doesn’t explain why I’m standing here deciding how your life is going to look for the next eighteen years.”
Her breath stutters and neither of us misses it.
I’ve spent my entire adult life avoiding permanence. Women came and went. Beds were warm, then empty. Everything was temporary by design. No attachments. No weaknesses. That was the rule.
But looking at her now, shaken and stubborn and brave in the wrong place at the wrong time, I feel something come to rest beneath my ribs with unsettling certainty.
Maybe it’s time.
Maybe I’ve run out of excuses.
My brothers are already falling in line. Vitali’s done his duty. Avros is burning himself alive over it. Zakhar will be forced one way or another. The legacy is moving forward whether I like it or not.
And standing in front of me is a woman who doesn’t know it yet, but who fits into this future with terrifying ease.
I step closer until she has to tilt her head to look at me.
“You don’t get out of this,” I tell her quietly. “You don’t disappear. You don’t run. You stay with me.”
Her throat bobs.
“This won’t be a fling, Florrie. It won’t be a night gone wrong.” My voice drops, rougher than before. “If I do this, I do it properly. Marriage. Protection. A home. My name on yours. My child growing inside you.”
Her eyes widen.
The words feel bigger than I expected. But they also feel right.
I’ve built empires with my family. I’ve ended wars before they started. I’ve buried men without losing sleep.
Settling down was never part of the plan, until now.
