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“You do have some gall, don’t you?” he asked.
“Some,” she agreed.
“Why would you ask for this?” Semyon inquired.
She straightened her back slightly, reaching out for Dmitri’s hand, feeling his warm fingers grasp hers as she said, “Because Dmitri and I are going to be bonded.”
Semyon took in their clasped hands, then the expression on her face. His gaze moved to Vasili, then Dmitri. Back to her, where he lingered, unable to form words, it seemed. Then he rose to his feet and promptly left the room.
She’d known it would rattle him, but she hadn’t expected him to lose his composure. She let go of Dmitri’s hand and rose to her feet, excusing herself before she followed in her father’s footsteps. Just as she’d always done. Her whole life she’d walked behind him, watching him, wanting to be just like him. Had he expected that would last forever? She had learned so much from him.
“Father,” she said, catching up with him where he’d stopped by one of the windows in the entrance hall, looking out over the large driveway.
“I remember when they planted those trees,” he said, nodding to the alley of trees lining the drive up from the large gates of the estate.
“He’s my true mate,” she redirected the subject back to the matter at hand.
Semyon glanced at her, letting out another small huff.
“What would you know of it?”
She swallowed the blow to her ego, knowing that he was right.
“I realize the past twelve hours haven’t exactly proven me all that apt at choosing a mate for myself,” she said. “But this is different than Gregor. I chose Gregor…” She trailed off, not wanting to offend her father.
“Yes?” he asked. “Why did you choose him?”
“To appease you,” she finally admitted. “To finally bind myself to someone. To bear you grandchildren so you could begin thinking about retirement. You’ve earned it.”
He smiled then, a glint of intelligence in his gaze that made her regret how she’d worded it. He knew her too well to buy it without comment.
“You’ve earned it, you mean? Waiting patiently in my shadow all these years. And you were going to bear your mate sons and rule through them, was that the plan?”
“Notthroughthem. That sounds manipulative.”
“But you would raise them,” he remarked. “You would make yourself indispensable. Your advice, your ideas of how to run things?”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I did think I might get to do that.”
“Why?”
“Because…” She searched for the words. “Because it’s the only way I could see to be a part of it.”
“It?”
“The family legacy. Our name, father, and what it stands for. What we want it to stand for.”
“You’re too soft,” he shook his head.
“No,” she disagreed. “I’d keep to tradition. I’d just cut out the unnecessary stuff. The needless intimidation of employees, for one.”
“That is necessary. If we don’t make them know we’re there, watching the streets, they’ll run amok thinking they can do whatever they want. Sell whatever they want. Without checking with us first.”
“There are different ways of drawing a line, dad,” she said.
He shook his head again.
“These men will eat you alive, do you understand that? This is why I haven’t stepped down yet. You’re clever. You have a head for this, but you don’t have the heart for it.”
