“What?”
“That I look happy.”
“Do you? Feel happy?”
I think about that. About Sunday pancakes and flower crowns and bedtime stories. About small touches, late nights, and plans for gardens and more children.
“Yes,” I say. “I think I do.”
He pulls me closer. Kisses me. Soft and unhurried.
“Good,” he says against my mouth.
Downstairs, I hear Alexei shouting about garden plans. Maxim laughing. Normal family chaos. My family.
Maybe my mother is right. Maybe I should let myself have this. Let myself be happy even though I didn’t choose it, even though it started wrong.
Maybe this is what happens when you stop fighting and start living.
“Come on,” Luca says, taking my hand. “Alexei wants to show me his garden blueprint.”
25
LUCA
Pavel walksinto my office carrying a leather portfolio that looks heavier than it should.
“The Kestrel Maritime restructuring is complete,” he says, setting it on my desk. “Legal reviewed everything. Financial models are solid. Implementation timeline is realistic.”
I open the portfolio. Inside are documents that represent three months of work. Partnership agreements. Profit-sharing structures. Leadership role definitions. Asset transfer schedules. Everything needed to turn a hostile takeover into a legitimate family business.
“Walk me through it,” I say.
Pavel pulls up a chair and opens his tablet. “The core structure gives you fifty-one percent controlling interest. Viktor retains forty percent. The remaining nine percent goes into a trust for Mila and Alexei that they can’t access until they’re twenty-five.”
“Why forty for Viktor?”
“Keeps him invested in success. Forty percent means his decisions still matter. His vote carries weight. But you maintain final authority on major decisions.”
I scan the profit-sharing agreement. The percentages align with ownership stakes. Revenue distribution happens quarterly. Clear metrics for performance bonuses.
“What about operational roles?” I ask.
“Viktor remains CEO on paper and in practice for day-to-day operations. You become chairman. Svetlana gets chief financial officer position with actual authority over budgets and expenditures. She has a finance background from before the twins were born.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“She worked in corporate finance for twelve years. Good track record before she left to help Viktor with the company.”
Interesting. Svetlana has skills I can use.
“Leadership structure?” I ask.
Pavel swipes to another document. “Viktor handles operations, client relationships, and route management. Svetlana manages finance, budgeting, and cost controls. You oversee strategy, major contracts, and expansion decisions. Clear divisions of responsibility.”
“And if Viktor makes a decision I disagree with?”
“You have override authority as chairman and controlling shareholder. But it requires documented justification. Can’t just veto because you feel like it.”
