Page 53 of The Bratva Queens' Kings

His agreement is slow, resigned, as if I've just asked him to clean the entire house instead of tackling a few pages of school work. I hide a smile as he trudges upstairs, his reluctance comical.

Turning back to the group, I catch the tail end of their silent exchange of grins. They always find Maxim's melodramatics amusing. We move into the living room, settling down into the comfort of old, worn sofas that hold memories of many such nights.

“Homework, huh? I can help with that,” Grigori offers, his voice rough but warm. “What’s he got? Math? Science?”

“It’s math tonight,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “And before you start, he’s better at it than I was at his age.”

Grigori chuckles, standing up as if he’s been appointed the new Minister of Education. “I’ll get him sorted then. We’ll crunch those numbers like old times, eh, Roman?”

Roman, who's been lounging with a kind of lazy grace only he can manage, perks up. “And after you guys conquer the world of arithmetic, how about a game? I found this new strategy game online. Might be fun, give the kid some incentive.”

“A game? That’s your solution to everything,” Luca interjects, shaking his head but with a smile tugging at his lips. “Next, you’ll be teaching him poker as a way to improve his probability skills.”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it. It’s all about statistics and probability,” Roman retorts.

Maxim bounds back down the stairs, having overheard the promise of games. His homework suddenly seems a lot less daunting with the prospect of playing games afterward. “Can we play the game with the castles and the dragons?”

“Only if you finish your homework first. Double-time now, young man,” Grigori points upstairs, his authoritative tone softened by a conspiratorial wink.

Maxim nods vigorously and dashes off, the previous weight on his shoulders magically lifted.

I lean back, watching the scene unfold with a contented sigh. “You’re all terrible influences,” I say, though my heart swells with love for these moments.

“Ah, but we’re your terrible influences,” Luca quips, raising his coffee mug in a toast.

“We’d be boring otherwise,” Roman adds, grinning.

“And who wants boring?” Grigori concludes, heading towards the stairs to make sure Maxim actually tackles his math problems.

We all laugh. Roman shifts closer, his body language relaxed but somehow more focused, his eyes a little more intense. "You know, Lana, it’s rare to see you softened up by domestic bliss."

I throw a cushion at him, my aim precise, but my smile betrays my affection. "Keep it up, and you’ll see how soft I really am," I retort, the challenge clear in my eyes.

Luca laughs, his gaze flicking between Roman and me. "I’d pay good money to see that match. My bets on Lana, though."

"Smart man," I nod at Luca.

Roman picks up the cushion, his fingers brushing mine as he hands it back, his touch deliberate. "I’d never bet against you, Lana. I know better."

"Oh, playing it safe now, are we?" I tease.

"Always," he replies smoothly, "Especially when the stakes are as high as you."

Luca, not one to be left out of the fun, chimes in, his voice warm with amusement. "You two are going to need a referee at this rate."

Grigori pokes his head down from the stairs, an amused glint in his eye as he takes in the exchange. “You lot done flirting? Because our young mathematician is onto fractions and I’m not the one to referee that arena."

“Fractions,” Luca whistles, shaking his head. “Now there's a true battle.”

I laugh, rising from the sofa, smoothing down my dress. "Looks like the real challenges are upstairs, not down here with these harmless flirts."

Roman throws a cushion at me, which I catch effortlessly. "Speak for yourself, Lana. I'm as harmless as a loaded gun."

"Which is to say, not at all," Grigori calls down, his voice filled with dry humor as he disappears back up the stairs.

We follow him, the mood light and energized by our interactions. Reaching Maxim's room, we find him at his small desk, brows furrowed in concentration, a pencil poised above his homework.

"Hey, buddy, need some backup?" I ask, moving to kneel beside him.

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