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A trace of love.

I finished buttoning his shirt, grabbed the black sweater he held, and helped him slip it over his head.

“There. Not so hard, see ?”

“Thank you, sir,” he said before running off to join the other kids in the kitchen.

I approached the dining table, barely suppressing an eye roll when I saw Sasha and Sienna bickering—again.

“You have to eat more,” Sasha insisted, trying to pile food onto her plate. Sienna swatted his hand away, “I swear, if you don’t stop, I’ll shove this serving spoon so far down your throat you’ll need a surgeon, Hardman.”

“And I swear, if you don’t eat every damn thing I put on your plate, I’ll tie you down and force-feed you,gadyuka,” Sasha shot back, his jaw tightening.

The last time I’d seen him this concerned about someone was with Elif. And even when she was pregnant with Tarik, she hadn’t gotten this level of attention from him.

Something had changed in him. And I had a feeling Sienna was the reason. The moment shattered when Grigori stormed into the room, phone pressed to his ear.

“What do you mean, attacked ? And the shipment ?! Fuck !”

He hung up and tossed his phone onto the table, his glare snapping to me.

“What happened,moybrat ?” I asked, already feeling the weight of my brothers’ stares.

“What happened ?” he stepped toward me, his voice sharp. “The fucking Italians attacked our men in Missouri killing almost all of them. They stole the shipment—four million dollars, Nikolaï ! Because that son of a bitch Antonio thinks we kidnapped his wife and son!”

I clenched my fists, “she’s not his wife,” I ground out. Grigori’s glare darkened as he grabbed the front of my shirt, yanking us face to face. “Four million, Nikolaï ! Have you lost your fucking mind ?”

I shoved his hand off me, “so what? You’re blaming me for our men dying? Calling me the monster? As if handing over a woman and child to an abuser would make us saints?”

I stepped closer, our chests nearly colliding, “we’re all monsters in this world,moy brat. The men who died knew the risks—they made their choices. If protecting this woman and her son means becoming something even worse—so be it.”

Chapter ten

Selina

The cool grass beneath my feet sent shivers up my spine as I walked between the tall hedges in the Ivanov garden two days after the confrontation. After the heated exchange between Nikolaï and his brother, Elif had fortunately arrived just in time to calm them down.

“Mom, look !” Rafael shouted from farther ahead before kicking the soccer ball at his feet.

“Bravo,Angelomio,” I called out as he disappeared behind Andrei, waving at me with excitement. A different kind of weight settled on my shoulders—less oppressive, but just as heavy. My son looked so happy… But would he be just as happy wherever we went? Would I be able to protect him?

“You’re thinking so hard it’s giving me a headache,” Sienna said, suddenly appearing at my side with a can ofChinòNeriin her hand. I blinked in surprise.

“Unbelievable, right ?” she chuckled. “Just yesterday, I told Elif this was my favorite drink, and today I found it in the fridge. I need to thank her.” She took a long sip.

She certainly should have thanked someone—but not Elif, because I had seen Sasha putting those cans in the fridge earlier. I didn’t know what to make of that man. He was cold and distant, his calculating stare sending shivers down my spine every time it landed on me. But when his eyes settled on my sister, something else flickered behind them. Maybe Roman had been right, maybe he did feel guilty for knocking her unconscious.

Not that it mattered. Once we left in three weeks, the Ivanov brothers would be nothing more than a memory. Well… perhapsnot three weeks anymore, given the news from two days prior. Nikolaï and his brothers had withdrawn right after breakfast to discuss the attack.

Antonio… of course he would do something like this. His obsession with me blinded him to the point of starting a war.

“What do you think they’ll do ?” I asked my sister, slipping my arm through hers as we walked toward the pool, its surface shimmering under the sunlight.

“I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care,” she replied, her voice firm, her gaze locked on the water. “Even if they throw us out, I know people here. We’ll manage.”

I frowned, “how do you have contacts here, Sienna ? What have you been doing all these years,miasorella ?”

I felt her stiffen under my touch, though her face remained unreadable as she inhaled slowly, “nothing,miasorella. Nothing worth telling” she drained the last of her can and tossed it into a wooden trash bin before quickly walking away to join the children.