Page 75 of Ruthless Daddies

He grins, the kind of grin that makes me instantly regret pushing. “Alright, then. I’ll tell you.”

He pauses just long enough for me to roll my eyes. “Out with it, Dmitri.”

“Okay, okay,” he says, holding up his hands like I’m twisting his arm. “So, I’ve been working with my PI on something. Something…sensitive.”

My stomach twists, the humor draining from the moment. “Sensitive how?”

Dmitri’s grin fades slightly, and he leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “It’s about Ivan’s kids.”

Now it’s my turn to freeze. “What about them?”

“Turns out,” Dmitri begins, his voice deliberately slow, “Elena wasn’t as loyal as we all thought. She was seeing someone during her marriage.”

My jaw drops, and for a second, I’m convinced I misheard him. “What the hell are you saying?” I’m trying to wrap my head around what Dmitri just told me. Elena…having an affair? The idea is absurd. Or at least, it should be.

“How could she have done it?” I ask, my voice low as I pace Dmitri’s office. “She never left the house without security. Sergei or someone else was always tailing her. It doesn’t make sense.”

Dmitri watches me from his seat, his expression thoughtful as he drums his fingers on the desk. “That’s the part that beats me,” he admits. “Whoever she was seeing had to be someone we trusted. Someone who could get past security without raising suspicion.”

I stop pacing and turn to him, the knot in my chest tightening. “So you think it was someone from inside?”

Dmitri shrugs, but his face is grim. “It’s a possibility. Or someone with enough power or resources to work around our system.”

I sink into the chair across from him, rubbing my hands over my face. “This doesn’t make sense, Dmitri. Elena wasn’t reckless. She knew the risks, the rules. She wouldn’t have put herself or the kids in danger.”

“People do strange things when they’re unhappy,” Dmitri says quietly.

Was she unhappy? Did any of us really know what was going on in her head?

“So, do you think whoever she was seeing…?” I trail off, not wanting to finish the thought.

“Is responsible for her death?” Dmitri finishes for me.

I nod, my throat tight.

“Possibly,” Dmitri says, his voice flat. “It would explain a lot. If she was planning to leave—or if she knew something she shouldn’t have—it could’ve been enough to make her a target.”

The thought makes my stomach churn. Elena wasn’t just Ivan’s wife or the mother of his children. She was part of this family. And the idea that someone could’ve betrayed her, hurt her, is almost too much to bear.

Dmitri and I exchange a grim glance.

“I don’t know what we’re going to find,” Dmitri says after a long pause. “But I’m not stopping until I have answers.”

I nod, my jaw tightening. “Neither am I.”

Unfortunately,though, our plans take a setback later in the week.

Ivan is seated at the head of the table, his fingers steepled under his chin as Dmitri finishes briefing us. A hit-and-run attempt on Staten Island, targeting our men at one of the warehouses.

“We need to find out who’s behind this,” Ivan says, his voice low and dangerous.

“No kidding,” Dmitri mutters, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve already sent a few of our guys to do recon, but we’re going to have to go down there ourselves. Interrogate some employees, check for leaks.”

Ivan nods, his eyes narrowing. “We leave in an hour. Be ready.”

I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. Another long night ahead. Staten Island isn’t exactly around the corner, and these things always take longer than they should.

“Anything else?” I ask, glancing between them.

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