Page 52 of The Bratva Bosses' Nanny

She looks up with those big, innocent eyes, and in that moment, I know that whatever retribution I had planned for her disappearance is pointless. She’s safe, she’s unharmed.

I extend my arms to her, and as she rushes into my embrace, I swear to myself that I’ll fortify the world around her, so that never again will her safety be anything but absolute.

With Alina secure in my arms, I pull out my phone and swiftly type a message to halt the search. My thumbs fly across the screen, the urgency still palpable in each tap.

She’s been found. Call off the search

The message is sent to my men, and in my haste, I include the group chat where Emma is a member.

I have doubt for a second, but I quickly push it away. Emma should know; she’s now a part of this.

As I walk toward the kitchen, Alina’s weight on my chest makes me feel better. The kitchen is a place of warmth and life, which is very different from the cold fear I experienced earlier. When I push the door open, I see Dmitri and Emma with their heads close together, taking a moment to smile and laugh alone.

“She was in the house all along,” I announce, “hiding.”

Emma steps forward, her hands reaching out for Alina. I hesitate for just a fraction of a second before I transfer the child into her arms. Our fingers brush.

Alina, oblivious to the tension, wraps her little arms around Emma’s neck and buries her face in the crook of her shoulder.

As Emma cradles her, our eyes lock. In that gaze, there’s a world of emotions we’re not ready to voice. The fear of what could have happened, the relief that it didn’t, the complexity of our entwined lives—it all converges in this look. It’s a moment that feels like family, like a unit that has weathered a storm together.

The room is quiet except for the sound of Alina’s contented murmurs, and it strikes me how much Emma has become a part of this house, a part of our lives.

Her eyes are warm and kind, but there’s something else there, something that makes my heart beat a little faster than it should. I fight against it, reminding myself she’s only an employee in our household, that I can’t risk letting my guard down around her.

But the way she’s looking at me tells me she feels it too. She bites her lip nervously before stepping closer to me, still holding Alina in her arms. “Thank god she’s safe,” she says softly.

I nod, feeling the familiar weight of responsibility settle back onto my shoulders. “We’ll have to do a thorough check of the house and property. We can’t take any chances.”

“Of course,” Emma agrees, but there’s a hesitation in her voice that tells me she senses something between us too.

I lean against the countertop, watching Emma. “Tomorrow, you’re meeting with your sister.”

She meets my eyes, steady and resolved. She nods and fishes out her phone, her fingers working quickly over the screen. There’s a certain tension in the air, a weight to the moment. She’s taking a step that can’t be untaken.

I wait, feeling the seconds stretch out. Emma’s face is unreadable, a mask of focus as she waits for the reply. It dings, and she glances down. A smile touches her lips, just briefly.

Can’t wait!The screen reads. She shows it to me.

“Good.” My response is curt, clipped. There’s more at stake than a family reunion, and we both know it. But it’s a start, a move on the chessboard of our current predicament.

“Get some rest,” I tell her. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”

She nods again, a small furrow of concern between her brows. But she’s brave, this one. She doesn’t back down.

“Okay,” she says. She’s ready, as ready as one can be for a confrontation that might change everything.

Emma’s protective instinct kicks in, cradling Alina close as she heads towards her room. Her determination is clear in the set of her shoulders, the careful way she holds the child.

“Where are you taking her?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“I won’t let her sleep in her room tonight. Not after today,” she says without turning, her voice firm.

Dmitri, leaning against the doorframe, nods in agreement. “She’s right. It’s safer.”

“Okay,” I say, my mind already racing through security protocols. “Dmitri, you stay with them too.”

He meets my gaze, a silent understanding passing between us. “Will do.”

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