“Siblings. Stop making distinctions that don’t matter.”
“They matter to me.”
“Then that’s your problem to solve. Not mine.” I return to my desk. “Is there anything else?”
Maxim looks at me for a long moment. “You’re really going to do this? Bring them into the family? Treat them like legitimate heirs?”
“They are legitimate. Biologically and legally.”
“And what about their mother? The woman who lied to you for years?”
“Anna stays. The marriage continues. We move forward.”
“Just like that.”
“Just like that.”
“You’ve changed.”
“People do.”
“Not you. You don’t change. You’re Luca Volkov. You don’t forgive. You don’t forget. And you definitely don’t let people get away with making you look weak.”
“I’m not letting anyone get away with anything. I’m choosing my battles. There’s a difference.”
Maxim heads toward the door. Stops with his hand on the handle. “Pavel is handling Lina?”
“Yes.”
“Good. At least someone is dealing with this properly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re too close to this situation. You’re making emotional decisions instead of strategic ones. Someone needs to think clearly.”
“And that someone is you?”
“It has to be. Because you’re not.” He walks out before I can respond.
I sit back down and stare at the door he just closed.
My phone rings. Pavel. “It’s done,” he says.
“Already?”
“Lina won’t be talking anymore. I made the consequences very clear.”
“She’s alive?”
“For now. Depends on whether she listens. But the fear should keep her quiet.”
“And the people she already told?”
“I’m working through that list. By tomorrow, the story will stop spreading.”
“Good.” I hang up and return to the contracts on my desk. Try to focus on shipping routes, profit margins, and things I can control. But Maxim’s words keep circling in my head.
You’ve changed.
