"Maybe." I set down my pen. "Aurora, I need you to understand something. This life, my world, it's violent. Dangerous. People die. And now that you're part of it, you're at risk too."
"I know."
"Do you? Really?" I lean forward. " it's one thing to know intellectually. It's another to live it. To wake up every day wondering if someone's going to try to kill you to hurt me."
"I lived through my mother's murder. I know what violence looks like."
"That was one incident. This is constant. Ongoing. For the rest of your life, as long as you're with me, you'll be a target."
"Then teach me how to survive it." Her eyes are steady. "Stop trying to protect me from reality and teach me how to navigate it."
She's right. Again.
I've been so focused on keeping her safe that I haven't given her the tools to keep herself safe.
That changes now.
"Alright," I say. "Tomorrow, Viktor starts training you. Self-defense, weapons, threat assessment. You're going to learn how to protect yourself in this world."
"Good."
"And you keep working with me on the business side. Learn the operation inside and out. Know where the money comes from, where it goes, who our allies and enemies are."
"I can do that."
"I know you can."
We sit there in the quiet office, and for once, we're not fighting. Not arguing. Just existing in the same space without friction.
It's strange. Peaceful, almost.
"I should let you work," she says finally, standing.
"Aurora."
She pauses at the door.
"You were right earlier. About being useful. About being more than just someone to protect." I meet her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't see that sooner."
She nods. "Thank you."
After she leaves, I sit alone in my office, staring at the files and screens and endless work.
The warehouse attack. The mysterious caller. Luca's silence. Aurora's integration into my world.
It's all coming to a head. I can feel it.
And I need to be ready.
For whatever comes next, I need a plan. A real one. Not just reactive defence, but proactive strategy.
I think about Aurora upstairs. About the baby growing inside her. About the life we're building in this violent, dangerous world.
And I make a decision.
I know what I need to do
22
