Page 47 of Bound in Possession

When the screen turns in my direction, Camilla sucks in a breath.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CAMILLA

As soon as Dmitri turns the screen in Maksim's direction, I stiffen, a silent exhale gusting out of my lips.

Maksim immediately turns his heavy gaze to me, but I don’t look up at him. I keep my eyes glued to the glowing device in Dmitri 's hand, studying the lines and the timestamps. My pulse quickens. Looking at those coordinates, a wave of absolute confidence washes over me. I know exactly what I’m looking at.

"Look at the tertiary drop point," I say, my voice steady, carrying a quiet authority that makes both men pause. They frown at me, but I ignore them and step closer, pointing a finger directly at the map on the screen. "Your men are looking for a modern leak, but they're missing the history. This isn't a new strategy. It's a ghost route."

Maksim narrows his eyes, his massive frame shifting as he focuses intensely on me. His expression is unreadable, his jaw tight. "What are you talking about, Camilla?"

"This exact route was engineered by my father, Massimo, years ago," I explain, tracing the path with my eyes.

"He used it for high-value contraband before the city reconstructed the outer bypass. He eventually abandoned it because it became too high-risk for heavy freight, but the security blind spots remained the same. Massimo still owns the old blueprints. He didn't have to steal your current files to give Viktor what he wanted—he just handed him old Caruso intelligence. He’s feeding Viktor the past to create problems for you, all while pretending to honor your alliance."

Maksim doesn't look angry yet; instead, a dangerous curiosity flashes in his gray-blue eyes. He steps fully into my space, his shadow completely cutting off the light from the gym.

"How do you know these routes, Camilla?" he asks, his voice dropping into a low, interrogative rumble. "Massimo doesn't respect his daughters enough to give them a seat at the table, let alone trust them with family trade secrets."

A dark, humorless laugh escapes my lips, the sound echoing sharply against the concrete walls.

"He didn't tell me anything," I say, looking straight into his eyes. "My father is a creature of habit. He always keeps physical paper trails and old ledgers locked away in the safe in his study. He thinks we were just silly girls, completely harmless, so he has always been careless. Whenever he left the estate, my sister Sienna and I would sneak in there. We made a game out of cracking his codes and reading everything we could find."

I look back at the screen, the memories of those dusty, hidden pages vivid in my mind. "Since this was one of the major routes my father used to build his empire at one time, the blueprints were stamped everywhere. I remember the exact coordinates. I know what I'm saying, Maksim."

Maksim stands perfectly still, a dark, murderous expression washing over his harsh features as the reality of my words settles in. The betrayal from my father is subtle, calculated, and entirely characteristic.

"You're giving up your own blood very easily, princess," Maksim murmurs, testing me.

"My father sold me in an auction," I counter flatly, my chest rising and falling heavily. "I owe zero loyalty to a man who treated me like property.”

Maksim stares at me for a long, silent moment. The intense weight of his gaze presses down on me, tracking the defiance in my eyes before he finally tears his look away. He turns to Dmitri, his posture stiffening back into the cold command of the Pakhan.

"When is the dinner?" Maksim asks, his voice cutting through the lingering tension.

"Nine tonight," Dmitri responds immediately.

My brows draw together as I look between the two of them. "What dinner?"

Maksim doesn't look back at me, his focus remaining entirely on his lieutenant. "There’s a Bratva dinner happening tonight. A gathering of the families."

"Why didn’t you tell me earlier?" I ask, a sharp spike of irritation breaking through my voice. We were literally just in bed together, and he's keeping massive political gatherings a secret?

Maksim finally snaps his head toward me, a hard, warning glare in his gray-blue eyes. "Camilla, not now. Behave yourself."

I scoff, but he is already turning back to Dmitri, dismissing my attitude. "Organize a strategy meeting for two p.m.," Maksim orders, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I need to talk to everyone. The inner council, the captains—everyone. This sabotage has to stop."

Dmitri nods, taking a breath to respond. "Understood. I’ll make the calls⁠—"

"I want to attend the meeting," I cut in, my voice ringing out clearly across the gym floor.

Dmitri freezes, his eyes widening slightly as he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

Maksim's jaw clenches so hard a muscle violently ticks. He steps fully into my space, his massive frame towering over me, radiating pure fury. "No. Absolutely not. This is a war council. This is not your world to command."

I don't back down. I step closer until my chest is practically brushing his sweat-dampened shirt, staring right into the storm brewing in his eyes.