Kaz answers, already pouring himself another drink. “Mykonos. Official business.”
Roman butts into the conversation. “Marseille numbers came in.”
Lev looks up from his phone. “And?”
Roman lifts his glass. “Up twenty-three percent. Clean transfers. No delays.”
Dimitri lets out a low whistle. “I told you that the port manager would fold.”
“He didn’t fold,” I say. “He negotiated.”
Roman chuckles. “That’s what they all call it.”
Lev taps his phone and turns the screen toward us. “Eastern corridor exceeded projections too. Riga and Gdansk both cleared ahead of schedule.”
“Good,” I say. “That means we can expand before summer.”
Kaz nods. “Already in motion. Warehouses are secured. Staff vetted.”
Roman raises an eyebrow. “Vetted by who?”
“By people who enjoy breathing,” Kaz replies.
Laughter rolls around the room. I raise my glass again. “To expansion.”
“To dominance,” Kaz adds.
“To staying untouchable,” Roman finishes.
Glasses clink.
Across the table, Konstantin watches us over the rim of his tumbler with a smile on his face.
There’s a knock at the door.
A staff member peeks in, deferential. “Dinner is served.”
Chairs scrape softly as we rise. We move downstairs together, the mood shifting from strategy to ceremony. The dining room is already alive when we enter—warm light, polished wood, low laughter. The women are gathered around the table, mid-conversation.
Sienna stands out immediately.
She looks…at ease.
Relaxed. Engaged. Laughing softly at something Sasha says. For a brief, irrational second, it irritates me. That she fits here so easily. That she looks like she belongs.
Konstantin takes the seat at the far end of the table without a word, settling in like he’s always been there.
As the other men join their wives at the table, they exchange kisses and hugs. The yearning and affection is evident.
I slow as I approach Sienna. She notices me instantly—her shoulders stiffen, her posture tightening as if she’s bracing herself. Expecting something.
A kiss. Like the others.
Or maybe a performance.
I don’t give her either.
I simply pull out the chair beside her and sit, eyes forward.
