His hand moves to my stomach, pressing gently against the slight curve there, and I see his jaw tighten with barely controlled emotion. When his blue eyes meet mine, I see love there so powerful, it steals my breath. Not just desire or possession or the complicated tangle of feelings we've been navigating. Pure, absolute love.
"I love you," I say, needing him to hear it again, needing him to know. "I love you so much it terrifies me."
"I love you too." His thumb traces my lower lip, and despite everything, despite the violence and terror of the past hours, heat floods through me. "More than my empire. More than my life. More than anything."
The confession makes my chest tight. Roman Sokolov, Pakhan and monster, choosing me over everything he's built. The weight of that choice, the significance of it, nearly brings me to my knees.
But Irina's voice cuts through our moment, shrill and desperate.
"Lev! Lev, please, you have to listen to me!" She's struggling against his iron grip, her designer coat torn now, her sophisticated chignon coming loose. "I did everything for you! For us! Don't you see? Roman was holding you back, keeping you from your true potential. You deserve to be Pakhan, not him!"
Lev's expression doesn't change. His dark eyes remain flat, cold, revealing nothing of the emotions that must be churning beneath the surface.
"I love you," Irina continues, her voice cracking with desperation. "I've always loved you. Everything I did, every choice I made, it was all for you. So we could have the power we deserve. So you could finally step out of Roman's shadow and become what you were meant to be."
Tears stream down her face now, and I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. But then I remember the knife descending toward my stomach, the cold calculation in her eyes when she talked about eliminating my baby, and any sympathy evaporates.
"Please," Irina sobs, her legs giving out so that only Lev's grip keeps her upright. "Please, Lev. I did it all for you. For us. You have to believe me."
Lev's silence stretches, heavy and suffocating. I watch his face, seeing the war playing out behind his carefully controlled expression. This woman betrayed him in every possible way. But she was also his girlfriend for five years. The woman he shared his life with, whom he trusted completely. That kind of betrayal doesn't just hurt. It destroys something fundamental.
When Irina realizes her tears aren't working, that Lev isn't softening, her expression transforms. The desperate pleading melts away, replaced by pure, venomous fury.
"You're pathetic," she spits, her voice dripping with contempt. "Playing at being powerful while you're really just Roman's lapdog, following him around like some devoted puppy. I gave you a chance to be something more, to take what should have been yours, and you're too weak to seize it."
Her green eyes shift to me, and the hatred there makes my skin crawl. "And you. You stupid little whore. You think Roman loves you? He's using you, just like he uses everyone. The moment you're no longer useful, the moment that baby is born and he has his heir, he'll discard you like yesterday's trash."
Roman's arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer, and I feel the rage vibrating through his body. But he doesn't respond to Irina's taunts. He just holds me, his presence solid and protective, letting his actions speak louder than any words could.
"You've destroyed everything," Irina continues, her voice rising to something almost hysterical. "My plans, my future, everything I've worked for. I hope you're happy, Eva. I hope that baby was worth it. Because Roman's empire is crumbling, and when it falls, you'll fall with it."
Lev's hand moves to cover her mouth, cutting off the stream of vitriol. His dark eyes meet Roman's across the warehouse, and something passes between them. Understanding. Recognition. The weight of a decision that needs to be made.
Roman's blue eyes are cold as he looks at Irina, at the woman who tried to murder his wife and child. I see the Pakhan in himnow, the monster everyone fears, the man who's built an empire on blood and ruthless calculation. His jaw tightens, his hands curl into fists at his sides, and I know he's imagining all the ways he could make her pay for what she's done.
But then his gaze shifts to Lev, and I see something softer flicker in his expression. Compassion, maybe. Or understanding of the pain hissovietnikmust be feeling.
Roman's voice is low and controlled when he finally speaks, but I hear the steel beneath it, the absolute authority of a man who's used to being obeyed without question.
"Lev." He pauses, letting the weight of the moment settle. "What do you want to do with her?"
52
ROMAN
Istand at my office window, watching the city lights flicker to life as dusk settles over the skyline. The view from the forty-second floor has never looked better. My empire, rebuilt and stronger than before. My reputation, not just salvaged but enhanced by how I handled Abram's betrayal. The Moscow delegates returned home satisfied, their faith in my leadership restored.
And Abram Yakovlev is dead, a bullet between his eyes courtesy of the gray-haired delegate who'd pulled the trigger the moment we confirmed Eva was safe. No trial. No lengthy deliberation. Just swift, brutal justice delivered by men who understood that some betrayals can only be answered with blood.
The memory of that moment still brings savage satisfaction. Abram's pale gray eyes going wide with shock, then empty. His massive body crumpling to the conference room floor. The delegates stepping over his corpse like it was nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle as they prepared to leave.
Good fucking riddance.
My phone buzzes with another report from David. The IRS audit has been quietly closed, the frozen bank accounts released, the federal scrutiny evaporating as mysteriously as it appeared. My lawyer worked his magic, and the legitimate businesses are operating smoothly again. Money flows through proper channels. The Chinese and Irish families have accepted my evidence of Abram's manipulation, and our alliances are stronger than before.
Everything is back on track. Better than before, even.
The office door opens, and I don't need to turn around to know it's Eva. I feel her presence like a physical touch, the way I always do. Her light floral perfume reaches me first, followed by the soft click of her heels against the marble floor.
