None of it surprised me.
“And to your partnership.”
Beside me, Mila shifted on her feet.
“You will avoid further public displays.” Vasiliev’s eyes gleamed. “Both of you.”
“And if we don’t?”
His expression didn’t change. “Then future assignments may become more difficult.”
I almost laughed.More difficult.Years of my life reduced to two words.
Mila spoke before I could say anything else. “And if Luka trains somewhere else for a while?”
Vasiliev gazed steadily at her. “Velkarya has invested heavily in its athletes.” He continued speaking, outlining obligations and expectations I could have recited myself by now. I switched off.
None of it was new. The wording changed. The message didn’t.
The dragon pin gleamed when Vasiliev shifted in his chair, drawing my attention back to the table.
“You have until departure Monday morning,” the official said at last. “The team flight leaves at ten forty.”
I gave another nod.
And just like that, the meeting was over.
When the door finally closed behind us, Mila expelled a long breath.
“They’re terrified.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “It feels that way to me too.”
She turned toward me. “And?”
I knew what she was really asking.
What do I want?
For days I’d been turning that question over in my mind, convinced the answer would arrive as certainty, maybe in some grand moment of clarity.
I reached into my pocket and felt the edge of Helen’s business card beneath my fingertips.
This time, the thought of everything it represented didn’t fill me with panic.
Mila watched me for another moment, then gave me a knowing smile.
“You’ve decided.”
I pulled the card from my pocket and gazed at it.
“Maybe.”
Mila laughed. “That’s the closest thing I’m getting to a yes, isn’t it?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled out my phone.
Her eyes widened. “Are you going to call her now?”
