One after the other.
Lukyan stiffens at first, clearly not expecting it, but he doesn’t pull away immediately.
And for a split second, a small smile touches his lips. Then he attempts to push them off.
“Alright, enough,” he mutters.
We all laugh. Lukyan joins us.
Mike presses a glass into Lukyan’s hand.
“Care to explain why you’ve been hiding like a ghost?” Mike asks.
Lukyan takes the glass, his expression settling back into that familiar, unreadable calm. “Didn’t know if I wanted to stay, so I didn’t tell you all not to get your hopes up.”
Dimitri tilts his head. “And now?”
Lukyan looks at all of us. “Yes,” he says simply. “There’s nothing for me out there anymore. I’ll stay.” His grip tightens slightly around the glass. “With family. Build the business.”
Something in my chest eases at that.
Around me, the others nod. No questions. No pressure.
Just acceptance.
That’s how it works with us.
Movement catches my attention.
Misha.
He appears beside me like he always does—quiet, efficient, but something is off. His mouth is tight.
That’s all it takes.
I’m alert immediately.
“What?” I ask.
“Sir,” he says carefully, “a package just arrived for Valeria. It was found outside the premises.”
My expression hardens.
“I’ve checked it. No explosives,” he adds quickly. “But…it wasn’t sent through any channel. It was just left outside.”
That’s worse.
“I want to see it,” I say.
I don’t wait.
I follow him.
The others fall in behind me without a word.
Misha leads us into a hallway just off the main hall.
There’s a small brown box sitting on a table.
