Page 48 of Daddy Brigadier

“Shut your mouth!” I snap, my blood rising in temperature. “You’ll wake her.” I let out a low warning growl.

Elise shakes her head in disbelief. “She’s here? That Lexi girl?” Sitting up straight, she grips the folder tightly, the corners crinkling under her fingers. “Excuse me,” she says, leaving the folder on the desk behind her as she storms out of my office.

“Tell me, Dad, how well does your new toy fuck you?” Daniel asks, tilting his head and scanning me with a look of disdain.

I leap out of my seat, feeling a fire igniting inside me, searing through my veins and scorching every part of my body. I throw a punch, my knuckle brushing against his chin, making his head tilt sharply to the side. “Watch yourself. I’m still your father and your Brigadier.”

Daniel puffs out his chest and rolls his shoulders, his breath brushing against my face as he straightens to meet my gaze. “Doyou ever think about her? My mother, the woman you loved for thirty years? Do you? Or have you forgotten her already?”

My ex-wife was part of an arrangement between our fathers. Her father served as our family attorney, and after a long trial keeping my brother out of prison, my father arranged a marriage for his daughter as a gift to her father.

Raised in the Coalition, she aspired to be a Brigadier’s wife, yearning for the power, wealth, and status that came along with being Mrs. Volkov. Love didn’t concern her. It was the title she wanted.

Over thirty years of sharing a life, one inevitably develops a certain bond with a partner, but it wasn’t true love. It only resembled the affection between a father and the mother of his children, and I consistently showed her that love until the day she died.

“Your mother was a Brigadier’s wife, but I did not love her, and she knew that.”

Daniel shoves me, but I regain my balance after just a few steps. “Don’t tell me you love that little whore upstairs?” Daniel challenges, his tongue clicking against the roof of his mouth.

Before I can react, Lev steps in between us, his hand firmly pressing against my chest. With a silent warning, he reminds me to rein in my emotions and stay composed.

“Oh, goody, your fucking help is here to save you,” Daniel mocks.

“Enough!” Lev interjects, his tone steady yet laced with tension. “I suggest you leave before things get ugly for you. Your father may not put a bullet in your kneecap, but I’m not your dad, and believe me, I have no problem pulling the trigger.”

Daniel steps back slowly, a confident smirk playing on his lips as if he’s just scored a victory. “One day, I’ll be Brigadier, and I won’t forget your threat,” he tells Lev.

“If you want to be Brigadier one day, you’ll have to learn to stop crying over your dead mommy.” My fists tighten at my sides as I glare at him, challenging him to attack me.

“When I’m Brigadier, I’ll make sure the girl dies if you haven’t killed her yet,” he threatens.

I lurch toward him, but Lev holds my arms tight, preventing me from reaching my son as he walks away. With every step he takes, the weight in my chest grows heavier, pulling me down.

Lev releases me and gives my shoulder a reassuring pat. “Just making sure you don’t kill your son and regret it later.”

My hand runs down my face, causing the tension to ease a bit. “Thanks, brother.”

Downing another glass of Scotch, I recollect myself, the liquor giving some relief from the tension riddling my body. “He’s an ungrateful bastard!”

“He’s still mourning his mom.”

“What did Elise want?” Lev asks, smoothly shifting the subject.

“Petrov is the thief!” I reveal urgently.

“No fucking way!” Lev responds, his eyes widening in shock.

“Gather Nikolai’s men immediately and track down Petrov. I want him found and dealt with by next week, no exceptions!” I assert firmly.

“Yes, Brigadier,” Lev replies, determination in his voice as he storms out of my office.

I pour myself another glass of Scotch and down the entire drink in one go. That’s when I notice the folder Elise was clutching tightly.

I reach out, letting my fingers glide over its surface, compelled to look inside. As I open it, my eyes lock onto something tucked between the pages—a photo—a vivid snapshot of Lexi and me dancing at my birthday party.

Something snaps inside me, a floodgate opening, a primal energy unleashed.Fucking Elise, the woman who collects secrets like trinkets, what are you up to?

I stare at the picture, fixating on it as I sip the sharp burn of the morning liquor.