Page 94 of Mafia Prince's Secret Baby

Her lips curl into a satisfied smile as she peers down at the phone in my hand. But her playful demeanor vanishes as she sees the image.

“Do you recognize the symbol?”

“Never seen it before,” she says, but something flickers in her eyes. Her hand inches toward her desk phone.

Ivan moves faster than I expect for a man his size. In one fluid motion, he disconnects the phone line. “Try again, gorgeous,” he says quietly.

“There are guards right outside—” she starts.

“Who won’t hear a thing,” I cut her off. “Now, about that symbol.”

She swallows hard, glancing between us. “You don’t understand. If I tell you?—”

“If you don’t tell us,” I lean forward, “things will get very uncomfortable.”

Her shoulders slump. “It’s Maksim’s,” she whispers. “My brother’s.”

My blood runs cold. Maksim’s involvement could mean anything—he could be behind this, be working for someone, or someone could be using his symbol to frame him. But one thing’s certain—he’s connected to what happened to Katya, and I’m going to find out exactly how.

“Where’s your brother?” I force through gritted teeth.

Galina’s body goes limp, and her eyelids flutter a few times. “He left a few hours ago. He seemed in a hurry.”

“Do you know where he went?”

Ivan tugs his phone out and steps out of the office, no doubt to update Nikolai. Meanwhile, I have one hand on Galina’s desk, grasping the edge until my knuckles are white. If I were alone, I’d slam my fist against it, maybe knock over a few objects and kick a few things.

My breathing accelerates. The anger rushes through me like a high tide, threatening to wash everything away.

“No,” Galina says slowly, her hesitant stare roving over my tense body. “What is going on? Did my brother fuck your girlfriend or something?”

“Or something,” I mutter and force myself to put some distance between us.

Maksim’s actions aren’t Galina’s fault. I shouldn’t throw my fury at her. When I take a deep breath, my resolve returns.

“Will you call me if you hear from him?” I ask.

“I will,” she promises.

“Thanks, Galina,” I say with a forced smile and a wink. “I knew I could count on you, sweetheart.”

Flustered, she blushes and graces me with an answering smile.

Before I can lose control over myself, I leave the office. Still on the phone, Ivan follows me back to the car.

“Everything okay,Shef?” Konstantin asks as soon as I climb into the back seat.

“Change of plans,” I reply. “Take me home. Now.”

He needs no extra encouragement. The engine hums to life, and we turn the corner sharply and make a run for it.

The attacker, thief, asshole, has a name now—Maksim. He’s not a shadow anymore. It’s only a matter of time before we find him. But until then, I have to make sure my family’s safe.

34

KATYA

Igor storms through the front door, his entire body humming with tension. His movements are sharp and silent in a way that only makes the air around him feel heavier. He doesn’t say a word to the men trailing behind him, just gestures for them to wait outside with a flick of his hand. Then he steps into the house like a storm waiting to break.