Galina appears behind her, exasperated. Her narrowed eyes say it all:“This fucking woman is insane!”
“It’s fine, Galina,” I say. “You can go.”
She nods once, shuts the door with the kind of precision that says she’s mentally stabbing Tatiana with a letter opener.
“Nice fortress,” Tatiana purrs, glancing around the office like she’s inspecting an art exhibit she finds unimpressive. “Does it come with shackles? Or is that just reserved for my son?”
Ah. There it is.
“Filipp’s exactly where he needs to be,” I say calmly, steepling my fingers. “Istanbul is generous, considering what he did.”
She laughs once, bitter. “He was provoked.”
“He was stupid.”
“You’re punishing him for being my son.”
“No. I’m punishing you for being an idiot.”
Her nostrils flare. She crosses the room like she owns the floor beneath her, stopping just short of my desk.
“You think you’ve won,” she says. “But this circus with the girl? Bella? It won’t last. You paid her to marry you, didn’t you? Everyone knows. ThePakhan’sgolden boy can’t even get a woman without a contract.”
I don’t flinch. But something behind my ribs shifts.
“You’re lucky,” I say softly, “that my father still has some shred of mercy left in him. Because if it were up to me, you’d be rotting somewhere cold and unmarked.”
She tilts her head, mocking curiosity. “Because of Bella? Or because you know I know the truth?”
“Touch her again, or anyone connected to me, and I won’t blink. Family or not. That protection ends today.”
Silence stretches.
Then—
She smiles.
Contempt. Pure, uncut.
“You still think this is about power,” she whispers. “You’re playing checkers in a game that was never about the board.”
I stand.
The skyline frames us. King and snake.
“Walk out now, Tatiana.”
She turns, slow and calculated. But at the door, she pauses.
“I’ll enjoy watching how long you keep pretending this little happy-family fantasy of yours isn’t going to explode in your face,” she says with a crooked smile. “Tick-tock.”
The door clicks shut.
I pull out my phone and dial.
Oleg answers on the third ring. “Yes, sir.”
“Everything okay at the house?”
