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As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I spent too long coasting, doing everything, yet nothing at the same time—Alex would be quick to agree, seeing as he was on my ass more often than not about doing something more. Going bigger.

Sure, I was busy helping with the family business and doing whatever needed to be done there, but beyond that, I was drifting, and I knew it.

I didn’t want to be the brother who wasted his time messing around and indulging…especially not when that was already Yuri’s title. Love him as I might, I didn’t want to be like him.

We looked too similar already, and I’d rather not fall into the typical twin stereotype.

That meant I needed to invest my time elsewhere, but, of course, it needed to be worth my while, and that of the family. If I was going to be a helpful link in the business, then I couldn’t half-ass it. It needed to be an asset, not a setback.

Which brought me to Andrey Fedorov’s proverbial doorstep.

I wasn’t one to approach others for help often or stick my neck out for any kind of partnership, but if anyone knew how to conduct business, and conduct it well , it was Andrey.

“Am I supposed to know who this is?” Yuri asked while he closed the car door behind himself and looked over at the casino entrance before glancing at me while he pulled his sunglasses off.

“You probably should,” I returned, not at all surprised he had no idea who we were dealing with. Locking the car, I tossed the fob in my pocket. “Fedorov is one of the biggest tycoons in the city. Multi-millionaire—hell, likely billionaire by now—and brushes shoulders with many of the elite here.”

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. “He’s that much of a big deal, huh?”

“Yes, he is. Which means you need to behave.”

Yuri chuckled, letting the faint grin linger on his lips while he followed along behind me as we entered the casino, which was surprisingly busy for the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. “No promises.”

Knowing better than to expect anything more from him, I nodded towards one of the bouncers as he let us in. “Just keep your hands to yourself. That’s all I ask.”

“What…it’s not like he’s some kind of kingpin, right?”

“No, he’s not. But he has enough friends in high places. We shouldn’t ruffle any feathers here,” I mumbled, making sure he kept up with me. “Especially not since I’m hoping to make a deal with him. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

An amused huff escaped him while he held his hands up in defense. “Alright, alright…I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Good.”

At Yuri’s understanding, I relaxed only slightly and continued through the main floor of the casino. There was certainly more than the lion’s share of patrons there, and I had no doubt they were regulars.

Andrey had a knack for securing business and profit, and I didn’t need to question it—not when I could see it with my own eyes.

When we reached a secluded hall, I let the guards know we were looking for Andrey, and with a single nod, they guided us through. Before long, they took us to one of the back rooms and wordlessly let us inside.

Keeping a cool head, I took in the space, finding the secluded lounge as I expected it to be: decent-sized, full of private tables, a few goons of his own, and enough women to keep them all happy.

Heavy cigar smoke lingered in the air, and sure enough, Andrey was lounging on one of the sectionals with a woman on either side of him, dressed in more feathers and frills than actual clothing. He puffed out more smoke and let his gaze fall on us. Recognition reached his eyes, just barely visible behind the blue tint of his glasses.

“Novikov, yes?”

Nodding, the two of us approached. “That’s us. Val”—I gestured to myself—“and this is Yuri.”

“I’m just seeing two of you,” Andrey chided, pretending to be more far gone than he truly was. “I’m not that drunk already, am I?”

Biding my time, used to the usual twin jokes, I managed a partial smile despite sighing internally. “Not drunk enough, it seems.”

Andrey laughed. “Then I suppose I should catch up…sit, sit. Both of you.”

Exchanging a glance with Yuri, we both took our seats across from the tycoon and slowly felt the ice start to melt, even if we were in someone else’s territory.

While he wasn’t exactly in the same league as us, especially not when it came to manpower, it still felt like we were treading a fine line. If I hoped to work with one of the best business moguls in the city, then I needed things to go well.

With his short black hair slicked back, Andrey looked between us before settling his attention on me. “So…I heard you’re interested in starting a new business, Val. What did you have in mind?”

“Yes, I am. I’m looking to start something with heavy cash flow. Something discreet. I was thinking a lounge might do.”

Thinking on it for a moment, Andrey chuckled and flicked the ash from his cigar. “You don’t need to be coy with me…I’ve been around long enough. You want something to dump cash into, and something to keep up appearances in the meantime.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

A grin pulled on his lips. “Then you’re in the right place. I’ve handled more than my fair share of schemes.”

“I don’t doubt that. But it needs to be legitimate. At least, semi-legitimate,” I said, wanting to make that distinction before we got too far ahead of ourselves.

Even if it was for the purpose of laundering money, I still wanted it to be something real. Not something as minor as a mom-and-pop shop, or a seemingly harmless mattress company. It needed to bring in a profit, too.

He hummed and nodded, pointing the cigar in my direction. “A man with class…I like it. And what are your expectations for this kind of project?”

“Since you have more than enough experience, you know how to keep things moving, and that’s what I’m looking for. I want this thing to fly under the radar, and I don’t want to sink all of my attention into it. If you can oversee the day-to-day business on my behalf, then your cut will be more than generous,” I told him. “Make sure it looks legit and runs smoothly, and I won’t have any problems while I do what I need to do behind the scenes.”

Andrey mulled it over for a moment before gesturing for one of the women to hand him his glass of whiskey. After taking a sip, he sighed, “Alright…then I’ll suggest it be a luxury strip club. There are more than enough seedy ones around this place, but it can be so much more than that. It’ll be bigger—better.”

Studying him, I absently rubbed at my chin. “Wouldn’t luxury garner more attention?”

“Ah, yes…more attention, but also more cash flow,” he explained, looking beyond in his element. “The higher the status of the clientele, the bigger the gains, and it’ll be that much easier for you to launder in the background.”

He had a point…with as much cash coming in as possible, it would make the transfer of funds back and forth seem more appropriate. Between the dancers and drinks, there’d be more than enough money moving to not raise any suspicions.

“Alright then,” I said after some further consideration. With a spark of subtle anticipation in my chest, I had the feeling I was onto something. It had every component to make it a success, and that was exactly what I wanted. “I’m interested in moving forward with this idea. If you think you can pull this off, then I don’t see why not.”

Andrey seemed satisfied by the idea of finding himself a part of something worth his while, but after a moment, a flicker of hesitation moved through his eyes.

Keeping my gaze steady on him, I didn’t waver or let it slip by me. “What is it?”

Letting out a deep breath, he sat back in his seat and thought to himself. “Listen,” he said after a moment, “I’m willing to partner with a Novikov, don’t get me wrong. But after the cuts are handed out, you’ll also have the benefit of knowing your dirty funds are accounted for, but I won’t have anything more to show for it.”

My eyes narrowed. “What, is your cut not enough?”

He shrugged. “I want more skin in the game. Since I’ve never partnered with your family before, I want to know I can trust you, and give you the assurance that you can do the same.”

Irritation simmered beneath my skin, but I held it in and decided to hear him out. It wasn’t unreasonable, at least.

“What are you after, then?”

“Something that will give us both a reason to be held accountable throughout the process. Things can get hairy in these situations, and to keep that from happening, I think I have something that can satisfy us both,” Andrey murmured, seemingly settling on an idea in his mind. Then he gave me a curious look. “You aren’t married, are you, Val?”

Not entirely happy about where things were going, I murmured, “No, I’m not.”

“Excellent,” he said, grinning nearly ear to ear. “My girl, Tatiana, is a real prize. If we can come to some sort of agreement, then I have no doubt we’ll both be satisfied.”

The words made my stomach drop.

A marriage pact…he wanted to rope me into a marriage pact.

At once, I could feel my excitement simmering away, and it pulled the wind directly from my sails.

That wasn’t what I was after. I wanted a suitable business to make our money look clean, not find myself held down by a wife I didn’t even know or want.

My irritation stoked into anger as I scoffed at him.

“You can’t be serious,” I uttered, seeing less and less appeal in the whole thing.

Andrey looked vaguely surprised by my disbelief, and he shook his head. “I assure you, I’m quite serious. I think it would benefit us both, and you wouldn't need to search for a wife.”

“I’m not searching for a wife,” I bit back, unable to shake how quickly it all seemed to fall apart. Right when everything sounded perfect…

“No? That’s a shame.”

“You’re right, it is,” I mumbled before standing, feeling the grip I had on my patience begin to slip. “If that is your condition, then I can’t move forward with the arrangement.”

I caught Yuri’s slight look of surprise, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just glanced between the two of us, as if watching a car wreck unfold right in front of him.

Andrey narrowed his eyes at me slightly. Then, as if deciding he didn’t care, he waved me off. “I won’t sit here and beg, Novikov, but you’ll learn soon enough that you’re making a mistake turning down this offer.”

Bristling, I did everything in my power to remain civil. Even if I was angry and offended by the terms, I didn’t need to go around making enemies. Especially not when those seemed to pop up so easily.

“I’m not so sure about that…I’ll just have to take my business elsewhere,” I muttered, giving him one last look before shaking my head. I glanced over at Yuri and gestured towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Without needing to be told twice, Yuri got up, steeling his expression while following me out. We both ignored the curious and vaguely amused gazes of the other men in the room.

Andrey chuckled, the sound lingering in my head even after the door started to close behind us. “When you figure it out, you know where to find me…”

Like hell.

Clenching my fist tightly for a moment, I pulled in a deep breath to stay calm while the two of us moved down the empty hallway, prepared to leave.

“What…couldn’t stomach a marriage pact?” Yuri asked after a moment, his tone humorous.

Huffing out a breath, I didn’t even look at him. “He doesn’t really care about marrying his daughter off. He just wants an advantage over us. I know damn well he likes our proximity to the Levovs, but I won’t let him have that leverage over me, or the family as a whole.”

After a moment, he hummed. “How astute of you.”

“It’s obvious,” I mumbled, finally glancing over at him. As much as I tried, I couldn’t fully hide my irritation. “Besides…I’m not interested in being tied down to anyone.”

At that, Yuri grinned and clapped a hand against my shoulder. “That’s the spirit. To hell with Andrey. You’ll find someone else to handle things.”

With a decided nod, I pushed on, well aware that I could land a deal with anyone I wanted, given my family’s pull.

I just needed to shop around, and soon enough, Andrey and his irritating conditions would be completely out of my head.