“The kind where he’ll want his most trusted advisors present. You, specifically. Maybe Misha and Zoya, if he’s feeling particularly cautious.”
“Kira.” Nicolai’s voice carries that edge of authority he’s cultivated since becoming Father’s financial architect. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I lean forward, choosing my words with the same care I’d use to defuse a bomb. Because in a way, that’s exactly what this conversation is.
“I need you to promise me something first.”
“I’m not making blind promises to you. Not anymore. Not after the last few weeks of watching you spiral into whatever this obsession with Rafael Rosso has become.”
The accusation stings because it’s partially true. I have been obsessed with Rafa—just not in the way Nicolai thinks.
“This isn’t about Rafael. This is about survival. Yours, specifically.”
“Explain.”
“Father is planning something. Something that’s going to put him and Alexei in significant danger.” I pause, watching his expression. “Something that could destroy our family if you’re caught in the crossfire.”
Nicolai leans back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him. “You’re being deliberately vague. Why?”
“Because the less you know, the safer you’ll be when this is over.”
“When what is over?”
“The meeting I’m warning you about. The one where Father thinks he’s going to eliminate a problem but instead walks into—” I stop myself before I can say ‘trap.’ “Into a situation he’s not prepared for.”
“A situation you know about in advance.”
“Yes.”
“A situation you’re involved in creating.”
“Yes.”
The admission hangs between us like a blade. Nicolai’s expression doesn’t change, but I see the moment understanding begins to dawn. The careful calculation in his eyes as he pieces together implications I can’t say outright.
“Kira.” His voice is hushed now. “What have you done?”
“What I had to do to protect the people I love.”
“By betraying the people you should love most?”
The question hits like a physical blow. “Is it betrayal if they were planning to betray me first?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Father never intended the alliance with the Rossos to be permanent. It means I was always expendable in his larger strategy. It means that he would have eliminated me without hesitation when I became inconvenient to his plans.”
Nicolai goes very still. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? Tell me honestly—if Father decided I was a security risk, if he concluded that my feelings for Rafael made me unreliable, would he hesitate to order my death?”
The pause before his response tells me everything I need to know.
“He loves you,” Nicolai says finally.
“He loves the idea of me. The useful daughter. The brilliant tool. The asset he can deploy when needed.” I lean forward. “But the woman who chooses her own path? Who prioritizes her own happiness over family strategy? He’d kill that woman in a heartbeat.”
“You don’t know that.”
