Page 78 of The Bratva's Secret Twins

I thought everything had changed when I met Vivian, but the real game-changer was the kids.

They had turned me into a different man within these few weeks, a better man, as Vivian believed. We spent a lot of time together, watching movies, playing games, and going out.

The business was not affected because, in my absence, Andrei was in charge, making sure that everything was going fine. He had once told me that he thought it was a good idea, loosening up around the kids.

I couldn’t help it. I loved them too much to be absent. This was the difference between my father and me. I hadn’t felt his love growing up because there was the whole Bratva tough guy thing, and I hadn’t seen it as a problem. It hadn’t been. He trained me in his own way, in the way of the Bratva, and I would do the same to Leo—only in my own way.

“Wake up, wake up!”

I groaned in our bed, my eyes struggling to open, as their voices forced me out of my dream. I could feel the effect of their cheerful hops as they jumped on the bed, excited.

“What time is it?” I asked, reaching for my watch on the bedside table.

“I don’t know. It’s morning!” Sophia laughed, still jumping.

“Dad, you promised!” Leo said, standing over my head.

For a second there, my head was blank. My brain couldn’t think of anything, let alone remember the promise they were so keen about. But I couldn’t let them down by asking what it was we’d agreed upon.

“Uhh…” I drawled lazily.

“Come on, come on, get out of bed,” Sophia said, attempting to literally drag me off.

“Okay, okay,” I replied, smoothing my hair back.

“Yay!” She jumped off the bed and skipped around the room joyfully.

I wiped the remnants of sleep from my eyes and stretched a bit before placing my feet on the floor. However, instead of feeling the chills of the cold floor beneath my feet, I felt a sharp pain, like I'd stepped on something pointy.

“Aww!” I reflexively raised the affected foot and hopped on the other.

Leo laughed, but Sophia was more concerned.

“Sorry, Dad,” she said softly, taking a break from her rounds.

Leo glanced at his sister, then said, trying to hold in his amusement, “Sorry.”

“Oh, you find this funny, tough guy?” I asked with a playful frown on my face.

He was just standing there, giggling.

“Leo, run!” Sophia laughed as I charged at the boy.

He took off with his tiny feet as though he could outrun me. I picked him up above my head.

“Not so tough now, are you?”

“Put him down, or you will feel my sword!” Sophia said to me.

I looked down, and there she was: pointing a toy blade at me with a heroic stance and a serious look etched upon her adorable face.

“And who might you be, young hero?” I asked with a thick voice, syncing into character, as I was the villain.

“I am an Amazon warrior!” Then, she let out a battle cry and attacked me.

I gently set Leo down, groaning at the imaginary cuts her sword was inflicting on me.

“What’s going on here?” Vivian asked from the door.

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