“This is weakness,” he said finally.
“No,” I replied. “This is control.”
He studied me like he was seeing someone unfamiliar.
“You love her,” he said flatly.
The word did not feel like a weapon, but it felt like truth. A truth I was not running from anymore.
“Yes.”
His jaw clenched at my reply. “You’ll regret that.”
“Maybe.”
“And if she leaves?”
“I won’t stop her.”
He shook his head slowly. “You’re dismantling your own foundation.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I’m choosing a different one.”
I turned to Viktor, who had been beside me during the whole thing.
“Cancel the port.”
There was hesitation, but it was quickly followed by obedience as orders shifted and crates halted. Phones rang around us, and the plan began to unravel piece by piece. Kliment watched it happen, fury simmering beneath his calm exterior.
“This isn’t over,” he said.
“I know.”
“You walk out now, you walk out without protection.”
“I am aware.”
“And if I move against you?”
I met his gaze steadily.
“Then you move against me.”
For a moment, I thought he might strike me. He had every right. Instead, he stepped back.
“You’ve always been the strategist,” he said coldly. “Let’s see how you survive without the board.”
I left him there. Amid the half-loaded weapons and fractured plans. And for the first time in years, I felt lighter.
***
Elisse was pacing barefoot in the living room when I returned, wrapped in one of my shirts, her hair flowing loosely behind her. She looked up the moment I entered, and something in my expression must have given me away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.
“Whatever was wrong has been handled. You don’t have to worry.”
“That’s not an answer.”
