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“I know a promise from a man like me doesn’t mean much to you, but I swear, Sienna, I will do everything in my power to make sure Selina and Rafael are free. But I won’t lie to you—I won’t just let her leave without trying to convince her to stay by my side. I will fight for her every second I have, because she’s worth it. And even if, in the end, she chooses to leave despite my efforts, I will respect her decision. I swear this to you, onmy honor and my blood. But until that moment comes, you both need to stay. Please.”

I would have thought that begging someone outside of my family would be humiliating. But when I saw Sienna’s wide eyes, I felt something entirely different. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe one day, her eyes would shine again—when she finally learned to trust.

She nodded at last, and I almost let out a sigh of relief. Almost. But it got stuck in my throat when she added, “But I have conditions.”

Of course.

I groaned, straightening up and letting myself fall onto the couch opposite hers. “I’m listening.”

“Maybe Selina has to stay behind these walls, but I don’t. I have a job, and I won’t let you stop me from doing it. I’m not asking for anything more—I just want the freedom to come and go as I please. I have a car that will pick me up and drop me off.”

I scratched my jaw, considering her words. “I assume your driver is the same man who was going to help you escape in Russia?”

She simply shrugged. “There’s no point in digging into him—you won’t find anything,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Just like we found nothing on you?” I countered. “The last official record of you is that you were studying to become a computer engineer at a small high school in Italy. Then—nothing. You vanished the same year your sister fell into that bastard’s hands.” I leaned forward, resting my chin on my clasped hands. “Tell me, Sienna, what exactly is your job?”

She met my gaze without flinching, then shrugged again.

I sighed and stood, walking toward the large windows overlooking the ocean. “I can’t let just anyone through these gates. I need to know who he is.”

“His name is Kenji,” she replied, stepping beside me. “And he would never do anything to harm the people I care about. I promise you can trust him. Please.”

There was something in her eyes when she said those last words—something reluctant, something that cost her. Maybe we weren’t so different after all.

“Fine,” I said after a moment. “But he doesn’t come inside. He picks you up and drops you off—nothing more. And if he makes one wrong move, he’s dead.” My voice was calm, firm, unquestionable.

She nodded. “Thank you.”

She turned to leave but paused just before reaching the door.

“I know that Grigori, Roman, and you will respect our arrangement, but…”

“I’ll handle Sasha,” I cut in. “As long as you don’t provoke him…”

“Provoke him? Me?” She scoffed, but when I raised an eyebrow, she pressed her lips together.

“Fine,” she muttered. “I’ll try to be… less reactive.”

Then she exited the room, leaving me with a smirk.

Sasha wouldn’t get off easy with this one.

Chapter twenty-three

Selina

Nikolai waved at me, and I returned the gesture as he climbed into the car with Sasha to meet Grigori, who had called them about a problem. The vehicle disappeared behind the heavy gates as they closed.

I brushed my fingers over my lips, still warm from the kiss he had given me in front of Sasha before leaving. His brother hadn’t said a word or let anything show on his face about our sudden closeness. Then again, even I didn’t know where this would lead, but one thing I did know—I hadn’t felt this good in years.

I headed back inside, closed the door behind me, and barely managed to catch Andrei as he ran toward me.

“Slow down, sweetheart,” I said as he looked up at me with those bright blue eyes, so much like his father’s.

“Look, Mama! I drew you!” he exclaimed, holding up a sheet of paper.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of a stick figure holding what seemed to be flowers.