I take a breath. “Callista’s pregnant.”
His brows rise, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“We didn’t plan it,” I continue. “But we’re keeping the baby. I love her, and I want to take responsibility. We’ll both finish our degrees before the baby comes, and I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
Leo’s face remains impassive, though I can tell he’s processing every word.
When I finish, silence stretches between us. The clock ticks softly on the wall.
Finally, he leans back. “You’re sure you’re ready to take responsibility?”
I nod. “I’m going to be a father now. It’s time I grow up.”
Something in his expression softens. “And this girl, Callista. You trust her? She knows who we are?”
“She does,” I say. “She knows about the bratva, about what we do. And she doesn’t care. She accepts me.”
Leo studies me quietly for several seconds, then nods. “Then you have my support.”
Relief floods through me. Until he adds, “On one condition.”
My stomach tightens. “What condition?”
He stands, moving around the desk. The light catches his features, harsh and angular, the face of a man who has carried power for too long.
“You will take my place,” he says evenly. “You will become the next pakhan.”
For a moment, I think I misheard him.
“Take your place?” I ask carefully. “But you’re already the pakhan.”
Leo crosses his arms, his presence filling the room. “Not forever. You’ll be taking over my role temporarily, for a few months, maybe even a few years. I need to do something, and I can’t do it with the responsibilities of running a criminal empire weighing on my shoulders. So you take my position until I have finished what I need to do.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and electric.
The smell of smoke lingers. The ticking clock feels louder now.
I sit there frozen, trying to process what he just said.
He wants me to lead. To take over. To bear the weight he’s carried all these years.
And all I can think about is the ring in my pocket, and the woman waiting for me?—
the one who’s already carrying my future.
I know I can’t refuse. I need Leo’s support. But I need to know more. This is not like Leo. He would never shirk his responsibilities unless there was a compelling reason.
My mouth feels dry as I stare at him. Leo doesn’t joke about things like this. His voice is calm, controlled, but beneath it, I can hear something else. Something heavy.
“When do you want me to start?” I ask.
Leo exhales slowly, his gaze drifting toward the window where the afternoon light slants across his desk. Dust motes shimmer in the still air, dancing in the faint trail of cigar smoke.
“Within a few weeks,” he says. “You’ll need to get up to speed on the current operations. Aleksei will walk you through the latest security arrangements, and my right-hand man will handle the introductions to our associates. You’ll learn quickly. You always do.”
He says it so casually, as if he’s just asked me to run an errand, not take command of one of the most powerful Bratva organizations in the country.
“And you?” I ask carefully. “Why the sudden need for a break?”
