I look at him. His eyes are fixed on the monitor, his hand finding mine and squeezing tight.
The technician prints out several images for us.
When we leave the office twenty minutes later, I’m still processing.
“Twins,” I say again as we walk to the SUV.
There’s a smile on his face I’ve never seen before. Pure joy.
Nelson opens the door for me. I slide into the back seat, Sergei following. I stare at the ultrasound pictures in my hands.
“How am I supposed to run an empire with two babies?”
“The same way you’d do it with one,” Sergei says. “We’ll figure it out.”
I want to believe that. But the reality is settling in fast. Two babies mean twice the vulnerability. Twice the risk. Twice the people who can be used against me.
“We’ll need more security,” Sergei says.
I don’t argue. Not right now. I’m too overwhelmed to fight about security protocols.
“Take me to the office,” I tell the driver.
Sergei glances at me. “You sure you don’t want to go home? Rest?”
“I’m pregnant, not dying. I have work to do.”
He doesn’t push. He knows better.
Sergei gives me a kiss and hops into one of the other vehicles. Nelson escorts me inside. People need to see me here. Need to understand the transition is complete. I am the CEO. I am running things.
Nelson positions himself by the door, as always. But something feels different. I glance out the window and notice two men I don’t recognize standing in the area beyond my door. Not threats. I would have registered a threat.
“Nelson.”
“Yes?”
“Who are those two men?”
He doesn’t even look. “Additional security.”
“I didn’t request additional security.”
“Your husband did.”
I take a breath, forcing down the irritation. “How many extra men?”
“Two on the building. Two more in the garage.”
Four extra guards. Without consulting me.
I turn back to my computer and pull up my emails. I spend the next three hours working through correspondence, reviewing financial reports, making decisions about properties and contracts. It’s tedious work, but necessary. This is how empires are actually run, not through violence and intimidation, but through paperwork and red tape.
By the time I’m ready to leave, it’s past six.
“Ready?” Nelson asks.
“Yes.”