Page 71 of Triplet Babies

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I lean forward, forcing myself to focus on business when all I want to do is think about Sarah. “The arrogant one. What about him?”

Valentin slides documents across my desk, pointing to highlighted sections. “He’s been busy. We found three more shell companies with suspicious activity, all connected to accounts that trace back to him, but he’s been operating under multiple aliases.”

I study the bank records and corporate filings, noting dates and amounts that paint a disturbing picture. “Roman Sokolov, Aleksander Petrov, and Alexei Kozlov. Same man, different names, and all tied to the same financial networks.”

Valentin nods grimly, pulling out additional pages. “The timeline is recent, with most within the last two months, which means this has been happening right under our noses.”

I spread the documents across my desk, looking for patterns. “How did he get access to our systems?”

Valentin leans forward, dropping his voice. “That’s where it gets complicated. The authorization codes match legitimate Barinov accounts, but they’re being used for transactions we never approved. Someone with inside access is feeding him information.”

I look up sharply, meeting his gaze. “Inside our organization?”

He shakes his head slowly, his expression troubled. “Or inside the Nikitin organization with access to our joint accounts.” He points to a series of highlighted entries. “Katya’s name keeps appearing in the transaction logs. It could be coincidence, but the pattern is too clean and too deliberate.”

I scowl at the page. If Katya is working with Roman to undermine our operations, the engagement was never about alliance. It was about infiltration and eventual takeover. I’ve known that for a while but having proof confirming it makes me want to handle the separation quickly and messily instead of taking my time for the appearance of a mutually agreed end to our joint deals.

I close the folder and meet his gaze. “What’s our exposure?”

Exhaustion is evident in every line of his face, indicating he’s been working on this for hours, if not days. “Manageable if we move quickly, but if this continues, they could drain our operational accounts and leave us vulnerable to federal investigation.”

I stand and move to the window, processing the scope of the threat. “Recommendations?”

He joins me at the window, his voice quiet but firm. “We need to be careful. If we move too aggressively, we tip them off and lose any chance of catching them in the act, but if we wait too long, they might disappear with enough evidence to destroy us.”

I turn to face him, noting the concern in his expression. “So we watch and wait?”

Valentin nods slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. “We watch, we gather evidence, and we strike when they make a mistake.” He pauses, meeting my gaze directly. “If Katyais involved in this, ending the engagement becomes more complicated. She’s not just going to walk away quietly.”

After he leaves, I sit alone with the knowledge that my world is unraveling from multiple directions. Sarah is gone, convinced I’ll never choose her over business considerations. The Nikitins are possibly stealing from us while planning a wedding that’s supposed to cement our alliance, and somewhere in the middle of all this, a man named Roman Sokolov is playing games with my money and my future.

I think about Sarah’s final words, her accusation that there would always be something more important than us. She’s wrong about one thing. She’s not less important than the business. She’s the reason I want to clean up the business, and the reason I’m willing to risk everything to build something better.

I just need to prove it to her before it’s too late.

23

Sarah

The next five days blur together in a haze of regret and sleepless nights, with each morning bringing the same hollow ache where hope used to live. Nina brings me tea and forces me to eat toast, but everything is tasteless.

I can’t stop replaying that final conversation with Yarik, and how his face went blank when I asked him to choose me immediately. The silence that stretched between us like a chasm, confirming what I’ve known all along—I’ll always be secondary to his obligations, his business, and his world. If I stayed with him, I’d be his mistress, and our children would be his dirty secret. I won’t do that to them or me. We deserve better.

My phone sits on the coffee table, turned face down because I can’t bear to see his name when he calls. He’s tried four times in the days since I walked out of his office, leaving voicemails I delete without listening to. What could he possibly say that would change anything?

Nina settles beside me on the couch with her own cup of tea, watching me with the careful attention she’s maintained since I came home broken and empty five days ago. “You need to eat something substantial.”

I shake my head, pulling the throw blanket tighter around my shoulders. “I’m not hungry.”

“You’re wasting away. This isn’t healthy, especially not now.”

She doesn’t say the word “pregnant” but it hangs in the air between us anyway. I press my hand to my still-flat stomach, thinking about the three lives growing inside me who deserve better than a mother who can’t function. “I keep thinking about what you said,” I say, my voice hoarse from lack of use. “About how I’m letting fear make decisions that love should be making.”

Nina shifts closer, her expression softening. “And?”

“What if love isn’t enough? What if wanting something desperately doesn’t mean you should have it?”

“What if it does?”