Page 67 of Ruthless Daddies

And then there’s Sergei. He lingers at a distance, his presence as solid and unsettling as ever. I catch him watching me once or twice, his expression unreadable, but I force myself to focus on the children.

We returnto the estate late in the evening. The drive back is silent, the kids asleep in the back seat, Mila’s head resting onLuka’s shoulder. Sergei drives, his hands steady on the wheel, his face blank.

When we arrive, Marta takes the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed. I stay in the living room with the brothers, my unease growing by the second. Nikolai has been tight-lipped all day, his usual warmth replaced by a cold, detached expression. Dmitri stands by the window, his back to the room, while Ivan pours himself a drink, his movements deliberate.

“What’s going on?” I finally ask, unable to bear the tension any longer.

Ivan turns to me, his blue eyes meeting mine. “Vadim left us a message,” he says, his voice low and measured.

“A message?” I repeat, my heart sinking.

He nods, setting the glass down. “One of our men—Vadim left his body hanging from the gate of the estate. A warning.”

I gasp, the room spinning for a moment. “Oh my God…that’s why we…?”

Ivan nods. “So the children didn’t see it. They don’t need to see things like that.”

“He’s declared war,” Dmitri says from the window, his voice flat. “And this was just the beginning.”

I glance at Ivan, Nikolai, and Dmitri. Their faces are hard, their postures tense, and for the first time, I feel the full weight of what it means to be part of their world when death is always just around the corner.

“Why?” I ask. “Why would he do something like that?”

“He’s daring us to respond,” Ivan says.

A shiver runs down my spine, and I wrap my arms around myself. “What are you going to do?”

Nikolai lifts his head, his brown eyes meeting mine. For a moment, there’s a flicker of something vulnerable in his gaze, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “What we have to,” he says quietly.

I step closer, my heart pounding. “And the children? What about Luka and Mila?”

Ivan’s jaw tightens. “They’ll be safe,” he says firmly. “That’s our priority.”

“Safe?” I echo, my voice rising. “How can you promise that when Vadim is willing to do something so—so horrific?”

“We’ll protect them,” Nikolai says, his tone softer but no less determined. “No matter what.”

I look between the three of them, my chest tightening with fear. They’re strong, yes, but Vadim isn’t just any enemy. He’s their family, Elena’s brother, someone who knows their weaknesses as well as their strengths. And now, he’s turned that knowledge into a weapon.

“I don’t understand,” I say, my voice trembling. “Why would Vadim do this? Why would he go so far?”

Dmitri exchanges a look with Ivan, his lips pressing into a thin line. “It’s complicated,” he says finally.

“Try me,” I snap, frustration bubbling to the surface. “I deserve to know what’s going on. If I’m going to stay here, if I’m going to help with the children, I need to know the truth.”

Ivan sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Vadim blames us for Elena’s death,” he says after a long pause. “He’s convinced we had something to do with it, that we didn’t protect her when we should have.”

My heart sinks. “But that’s not true, right?”

“It’s not that simple,” Nikolai says finally, his voice quiet. “Elena…she made choices that put her in danger. We tried to protect her, but—” He stops, his jaw tightening. “Vadim doesn’t see it that way. To him, we’re guilty. And he’s been waiting for an opportunity to strike.”

Dmitri snorts. We all turn to look at him. “Come on, you don’t really believe that bullshit, do you? If you ask me, Vadim had the most to gain from Elena’s death. He was named heir overnight and he got an excuse to come after us.”

“Dmitri—” Ivan warns.

“Elena’s death was not a freak accident, Ivan. I know it, and I know you know it deep down.”

I swallow hard. There might be truth to what Dmitri is saying. The messages on her phone tell me the same.

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