Page 17 of Inked in Devotion

I swallowed a smile, momentarily amused how Kolya and Kirill were obviously out of their element because their method of negotiation certainly didn’t include staring at their opponent from across a twenty-two-seat boardroom table and rarely included civility.

Eliza sat at the head. She set a recorder on its surface.

Kolya’s team on one side, the Kings on the other.

“I’m Dr. Eliza Hawthorne. Lead counsel and conflict resolution officer for Marriage Ink. Margo requested I settle the paternal acknowledgement, custodial rights, and interim conditions regarding Sebastian King.”

Kolya visibly flinched when he heard Sebastian’s last name. His eyes cut to mine, and it took all my willpower to meet his eyes briefly in challenge before I gave my attention back to Eliza.

“Failure to comply with arbitration rulings will incur social or financial sanctions. I’ll remind you that both the Zahkarov organization and King Industries and its heirs are bound by covenant enforcement measures. Has this been explained to you, Miss King, Mr. Petrov?”

“Da,” Kolya said curtly.

“Yes.” The Kings and the Zahkarovs had a long-standing relationship with Marriage Ink spanning centuries. I hadn’t signed any covenant, but I was bound through Theo once I accepted the King last name. I wasn’t sure if Kolya had ever signed one either, but he was a member of the bratva. Theo explained the Zahkarovs had used Margo’s secret-society-type organization for arranged marriages and alliances.

To the public, Marriage Ink was simply an exclusive, all-inclusive wedding business.

“Then let’s begin. You do not address each other; you talk only to me, understand?”

A round of yeses went around the room.

“Miss King, you have requested exclusive custody and anonymous paternal identity, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Mr. Petrov, you’re seeking recognition as the biological father and joint parental rights, correct?”

“Yes,” Kolya responded. He was staring at Eliza, refusing to look at me. His single-word acknowledgement was frosty and rife with rebellion.

I don’t know why I was so certain I had nothing to worry about when Kolya clearly hadn’t earned his position as bratva enforcer if he was a man who easily backed down.

He enforced. But Sebastian and I aren’t bratva business, I told myself, in trying to regain confidence.

“Mr. King, you are seeking legal guardian proxy status⁠—”

“Fuck no,” Kolya exploded, then at Eliza’s censuring glare, he muttered, “Apologies.”

“You are seeking legal guardian proxy status for Miss King’s and Sebastian’s protection. Are you foreseeing any internal or external threats?”

“Well, yes,” Theo said. “We are about to reveal Chloe King and my nephew as missing King heirs. There are a handful of shareholders who’d started rumblings of a takeover after Jeremiah’s accident, and I’m certain they will employ all tactics to target any King heir. This is speculation, no solid intel, but I’d like to protect Chloe and Sebastian as much as possible. There is also a concern about the bratva.”

Eliza looked at Maksim. “You want to interject?”

“Yes, your honor. I don’t know where Mr. King’s concern of the bratva comes from. We have no reason to harm Sebastian.”

“And the mother?” Theo derided.

“Mr. King,” Eliza censured.

“My father, Ivan, is fond of Chloe. He raised her until she was four.”

Blood left my face, and I was dizzy even when I was sitting. A memory of the four-year-old child waiting for her Papa Ivan to come home flashed through my mind. The child, who was eager to show him a stick drawing of a man, woman, and child. A family. But he never returned. A hitched sob pierced my chest.

I looked at Eliza. “That past has no bearing here.”

“Mr. Zahkarov, please refrain from mentioning your father. It’s distressing Miss King, and has little bearing on the custody hearing. What I will do is extract a promise that there will be no bratva retaliation against any of the Kings, regardless of the result. Do I have your word?”

“Yes,” Kirill answered.