Page 63 of Dark King Daddy

Anton had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Papers covered the desk. Client lists. Route reports. Security estimates.

He looked up when I entered.

“No,” he said.

“I haven’t said anything.”

“I know your face.”

“You know my funeral face. This is different.”

“It isn’t.”

I closed the door.

Then I sat across from him.

“If you speak to Daniil, these are my conditions.”

Anton leaned back.

“Ksenia.”

“My finances remain independent. Everything I earn stays mine. Existing Orlov assets remain outside the marriage, and Daniil receives no claim on them through me.”

Anton said nothing.

“I continue working. My projects, my clients, my professional name. He does not decide where I go or whether I take a commission.”

A muscle moved in Anton’s jaw.

“I maintain my own accounts, my own attorney, and access to transportation that does not depend on Sokolov permission.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

I held his gaze.

“No marital intimacy without my consent. The marriage may be political. My body is not.”

Anton’s expression went very still.

“If he objects,” I said, “the answer is no.”

“He won’t object.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No,” Anton said. “But if he does, he will not leave this building pleased with the conversation.”

The threat warmed something in me. My brother was still my brother beneath the title.

“Put every condition in writing,” I said.

“I will.”

“And I want to speak with Daniil before anything is announced.”