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Silence settled between us until the sound of approaching footsteps drew our attention.

Sienna strode toward us with firm steps, her shoulders squared, her gaze defiant. Selina was nowhere in sight—probably with my sons, which made me a little anxious. Those little devils could easily drive her mad with their pranks.

Sienna didn’t spare Sasha so much as a glance as she stopped in front of me. “I need to go out. I have an appointment,” she announced. Or rather—judging by her tone and posture—she informed me rather than asked.

“Not happening,” Sasha growled, stepping toward her, Sienna took a deep breath, still ignoring him, her eyes locked on mine.

“I don’t think that was a request,moybrat,” I said, smirking.

“It wasn’t,” she confirmed. “I’m just letting you know, and I hope you’ll watch over my sister.”

She stepped back, ready to leave, but Sasha grabbed her arm, pulling her against him, his face mere inches from hers.

“I said no,” he growled, his jaw clenched, eyes dark with warning.

“And I said it’s not up to you. And frankly, I don’t even see why you’re here. Your brother seems more than competent enough to handle our safety…”

“Actually…” I cut in, placing a hand on Sasha’s tense shoulder and looking down at her.

“I’m only ensuring the safety of your sister and nephew. You, however, are under my brother’s watch. No offense, Sienna, but you’re a little too much of a pain for my patience—and I fear I’d be the one endangering your safety.”

She blinked at me, clearly offended.Perfect.

Her eyes darted between Sasha and me before her face shut down entirely. And for the first time since I’d met this woman, I found her truly dangerous. The ability to erase emotion like that wasn’t ordinary.

Disturbed by the shift, Sasha let her go, his gaze scanning her face.

“Sienna…” he began, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it—reserved only for Elif and the children.

“I… I think I’ll go lie down. I feel tired,” she muttered, stepping back again.

“I’ll have someone bring you food…” Sasha offered, about to follow her, but she shook her head, “no. I just need to rest. I’ll be fine,” she said weakly, disappearing inside.

We both stared at the closed door.

“Shit,” Sasha swore, clenching his fists, “you should’ve stopped me. I handled her wrong. Again.”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking away, “oh, so now I’m supposed to control you too ?” I arched a brow.

He sighed, casting one last glance toward the house, clearly debating whether or not to follow her.

“Calm down, Sasha. You didn’t hurt her. She’s stronger than she looks. And it’s not like you’ve never tortured or killed a woman before—where’s all this sudden softness coming from ?”

He didn’t answer, just stared at the house for another second before turning away and heading toward the gardens, pulling out a cigarette.

I sighed.

Should I worry about Roman, Sasha, or the Italians?

Yet all I could think about was the face of a woman with dark green eyes—carrying both vulnerability and immeasurable strength.

Selina

“I don’t understand any of this !” Mikhail groaned, letting his head fall back, arms flung toward the ceiling—an image that made me smile.

“But it’s actually quite simple. Once you understand the basics, everything else falls into place,” I said, handing another coloredpencil to Alexei, who was frowning at his coloring book with fierce concentration.

Andrei and Rafael, however, were far less focused, which wasn’t surprising considering how much time they spent laughing and bickering.