Page 12 of Mafia Prince's Secret Baby

The words hit me like a brick. I blink, stunned.

“Anastasiya Gargarin,” he continues, his tone soft but heavy. “She died in childbirth. The judge gave me full custody of my son. I’ve been raising him on my own ever since.” His dark eyes lock onto mine, and for the first time, I see the cracks in his armor. “I know what it’s like to be a parent, Katya.”

My breath catches. There’s too much to process, too much to unpack.

“I want to meet her,” he continues, stubborn and unyielding.

“No.”

“I don’t need your permission,” he counters, his voice cold and hard.

“You have no idea what kind of power I hold in Russia,” I hiss, my voice laced with warning. “Nor what my brothers will do to shield me—us—from you.”

He smirks, leaning closer. “Is that supposed to scare me?”

“And you expect me to welcome you into our lives out of fear?”

“If that’s what it takes,” he says, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Then yes, Katya. You’ll accept me out of fear.”

I need to spell it out for him in a way he can’t twist, manipulate, or bulldoze his way through. “I think we’re past the point where we can play games, Igor. And I also think you’re full of shit. My little girl is the most precious thing in the world. I won’t risk her safety by letting you into our lives.”

“So what?” he snarls, his voice cracking with barely contained fury. “You want me to stay away from her? You expect me to pretend she doesn’t exist?” His face is turning an alarming shade of red, and for the first time, I wonder just how far his temper can go.

I rise from the couch, forcing space between us before this fight spirals even further. “There’s no going back to a different time, Igor. There’s no point shouting at me.”

But he’s up just as fast, closing the gap between us. His finger jabs toward me, the accusation in his eyes cutting sharper than any words. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s too late. Wecan’tturn back the clock. Fine, I can accept that. I can even accept that you shut the door in my face before we even had a chance to talk it through. But you don’t get to keep my daughter away from me. Now that I know she exists, I won’t stop until I meet her.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, sending my anger flaring hotter and brighter than I thought was possible.

“You’recrazy,” I snap, shaking my head in disbelief. “This isn’t a pissing contest to see who has the bigger dick, Igor!”

“Fuck you,” he growls, his voice dropping an octave as his hands scrub over his face. He paces like a caged animal, his body coiled tight with frustration. “God, I can’t even look at you right now.”

“That’s the one problem I can easily solve for you.” My voice is cold, razor-sharp as I turn on my heel.

Without giving him a chance to respond, I stride to the door and slam it behind me. The sound reverberates down the hallway, loud and final, but it does little to soothe the storm raging inside me.

By the time I make it to my car, my hands are shaking so badly it takes me two tries to get the key in the ignition. As I pull out of the parking lot, my mind is already racing ahead, planning my next move. I can’t handle this alone. I will need backup.

I grab my phone and hit the speed dial for Vasiliy. He answers on the first ring.

“Meet me outside my house,” I say, my voice clipped and urgent.

“What’s going on?” Vasiliy asks, instantly alert.

“We have trouble,” I bite out, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles ache.

There’s a beat of silence before he speaks again, his voice hardening. “Didn’t Itellyou to stay away from him?”

“This isn’t about me!” I snap back, my frustration spilling over. “It’s about Sofiya.”

Another pause. And then, quietly, “What do you mean?”

“He knows,” I say, the words tasting like acid in my mouth.

Silence again, but this time it’s heavier.

“I’ll be there,” Vasiliy finally says, his voice ice cold. The line goes dead, leaving me alone with nothing but my thoughts and the overwhelming realization that my carefully constructed world is about to come crashing down.