Page 78 of The Pakhan’s Debt by Leona White

“Which doctor?” I ask.

His eyes flick toward Elena.

Dima wrenches his arms back, and the driver’s answer breaks out of him.

“Markova. East entrance.”

Abramov’s face changes.

“Who did you tell?” I ask.

“No one yet.”

I hit him again, and his head snaps sideways.

“Try again.”

His knees bend under him. “A runner at the west gate. Karpov’s chain. I was told to confirm the doctor, the time, and whether the woman looked sick.”

Elena’s hand stays flat on the table, but her fingers spread wider.

“And the pregnancy?” I ask.

His throat works. “They already suspected. The doctor made it useful.”

“Useful,” I say.

“They said it makes her status a practical problem now. If she’s carrying your child, they’ll push settlement before Moretti moves again.”

I grab him by the throat and drive him back against the wall hard enough to rattle the lamp.

“Karpov is going to learn what practical costs.”

Elena’s voice cuts in.

“Maksim.”

I stop because her voice shakes.

I let him go. “Take him downstairs. No doctor.”

Dima drags the man out by the arm, and the door shuts behind them.

Elena sits back down with care, like she has to tell her knees what to do. Mrs. Wentworth pours tea without asking and sets it beside her. She takes the cup, and her fingers hold it steady.

I look at Leonid. “Permanent answer.”

Elena sets the cup down. “I’ll build it.”

Leonid pauses.

She looks at him. “You’ll help.”

He nods. “Of course.”

She turns to me. “Legal authority stays with me until we map every trigger. You get operational control drafted, but nothing is signed until I read each clause. Succession language protects the child from Sergei, Moretti, and Karpov, and no transfer activates without both lines intact.”

“Both lines,” I say.