The drive home is quiet. I stare out the window, my mind already preparing for the conversation I need to have with Sergei.
He’s in his office when I arrive. I walk straight in without knocking.
“Four extra guards?” I say without preamble.
He looks up from his laptop. “Yes.”
“You didn’t think to discuss this with me first?”
“No.”
The bluntness of it makes my jaw clench. “I’m running an empire, Sergei. I need to be able to make decisions about my own security.”
“You are running an empire,” he agrees. “An empire with my babies growing inside you. Two of them. And I’d like all three of you to survive the experience.”
“They’re my babies too,” I shoot back. “I would never put them in danger.”
He stands, moving around the desk. “You’re not invincible, Sofia. You’re pregnant with twins. That makes you a target in ways you weren’t before.”
“I’ve always been a target.”
“Not like this.” He stops in front of me. “Before, you only had yourself to protect. Now you’re carrying our children. That changes everything.”
“It doesn’t change my ability to make my own decisions.”
“I’m not trying to take that from you.”
“Then stop making security decisions without consulting me.”
We stare at each other. The tension in the room is thick enough to cut.
“Fine,” he says finally. “We’ll discuss security changes before implementing them. But I need you to understand something. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. If that means overstepping sometimes, I’ll accept your anger. But I won’t apologize for protecting you.”
It’s not exactly a concession, but it’s something.
“I want Anton on my personal detail,” I say. “Full time.”
Sergei’s jaw tightens. “He’s still recovering.”
“This is non-negotiable. You get your extra guards. I get Anton.”
He studies my face, clearly weighing whether this is a battle worth fighting.
“Fine,” he says. “Anton joins your detail. But he’s not your only guard. He works alongside Nelson and the others.”
“Agreed.”
The tension doesn’t completely dissipate, but it eases slightly.
“I’m not trying to control you,” Sergei says quietly. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“I know.” I step closer to him. “But you need to trust that I can handle myself.”
“The Moscow situation hasn’t been handled yet,” he reminds me.
More cousins who want me dead. How could I forget.
I lean up and kiss him. It’s meant to be brief, but he deepens it, pulling me against him.