Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Dmitry
I stand outside Leo’s study, the weight of the ring box pressing against my pocket. My palms are sweating. I’ve faced worse than this—police raids, negotiations with criminals—but telling my eldest brother that I got my girlfriend pregnant feels like walking into a battlefield unarmed.
I knock twice.
“Come in,” Leo’s voice calls, deep and steady.
The door swings open, revealing the familiar scent of cigar smoke and leather.
His study is as imposing as the man himself: dark wood shelves lined with old Russian literature and legal files, a heavy mahogany desk at the center, and the faint hum of the air conditioner barely cutting through the stillness.
Leo sits behind the desk, his shirt sleeves rolled up, a half-drained glass of vodka beside him. His expression is unreadable as his gray eyes flick up to mine.
I recall the way Leo used to smile sometimes when I was very young. But he doesn’t anymore. Now he looks like a typical Russian patriarch. Stoic, set in his ways, unimpressed, controlling. Except for his handsome face that resembles a Hollywood star rather than an ageing Russian man.
“So,” he says after a beat, closing the file he’s reading. “You’re here about the expense you made to Finley & Co. Jewelers?”
I curse silently. Of course he already knows. Nothing gets past him.
“Yes,” I say. “I bought an engagement ring for Callista. I’m going to propose.”
Leo’s gaze sharpens. He gestures to the chair opposite his desk. “Sit.”
I lower myself into the seat, spine straight, forcing myself to stay calm.
He steeples his fingers. “Start from the beginning.”
I take a breath. “Callista’s pregnant.”
His brows rise, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“We didn’t plan it,” I continue. “But we’re keeping the baby. I love her, and I want to take responsibility. We’ll both finish our degrees before the baby comes, and I’ll make sure she has everything she needs.”
Leo’s face remains impassive, though I can tell he’s processing every word.
When I finish, silence stretches between us. The clock ticks softly on the wall.
Finally, he leans back. “You’re sure you’re ready to take responsibility?”
I nod. “I’m going to be a father now. It’s time I grow up.”
Something in his expression softens. “And this girl, Callista. You trust her? She knows who we are?”
“She does,” I say. “She knows about the bratva, about what we do. And she doesn’t care. She accepts me.”
Leo studies me quietly for several seconds, then nods. “Then you have my support.”
Relief floods through me. Until he adds, “On one condition.”
My stomach tightens. “What condition?”
He stands, moving around the desk. The light catches his features, harsh and angular, the face of a man who has carried power for too long.
“You will take my place,” he says evenly. “You will become the next pakhan.”
For a moment, I think I misheard him.
“Take your place?” I ask carefully. “But you’re already the pakhan.”
Leo crosses his arms, his presence filling the room.
“Not forever. You’ll be taking over my role temporarily, for a few months, maybe even a few years.
I need to do something, and I can’t do it with the responsibilities of running a criminal empire weighing on my shoulders.
So you take my position until I have finished what I need to do. ”
The words hang in the air, heavy and electric.
The smell of smoke lingers. The ticking clock feels louder now.
I sit there frozen, trying to process what he just said.
He wants me to lead. To take over. To bear the weight he’s carried all these years.
And all I can think about is the ring in my pocket, and the woman waiting for me—
the one who’s already carrying my future.
I know I can’t refuse. I need Leo’s support. But I need to know more. This is not like Leo. He would never shirk his responsibilities unless there was a compelling reason.
My mouth feels dry as I stare at him. Leo doesn’t joke about things like this. His voice is calm, controlled, but beneath it, I can hear something else. Something heavy.
“When do you want me to start?” I ask.
Leo exhales slowly, his gaze drifting toward the window where the afternoon light slants across his desk. Dust motes shimmer in the still air, dancing in the faint trail of cigar smoke.
“Within a few weeks,” he says. “You’ll need to get up to speed on the current operations. Aleksei will walk you through the latest security arrangements, and my right-hand man will handle the introductions to our associates. You’ll learn quickly. You always do.”
He says it so casually, as if he’s just asked me to run an errand, not take command of one of the most powerful Bratva organizations in the country.
“And you?” I ask carefully. “Why the sudden need for a break?”
Leo’s expression flickers, the smallest crack in his usually unshakable composure. He leans back against the desk, crossing his arms.
“I’ve always had some loose ends to tie up,” he says quietly. “Things I kept putting off because the family and the business came first. But I can’t keep pushing them aside.”
His tone makes my stomach twist. “What kind of loose ends?”
He looks down for a moment, his jaw tightening. “Matters from the past. Mistakes I made. People I wronged.”
“Leo…” I study him, trying to read the shadows in his face. “You’ve made mistakes before. We all have. What’s different about this one?”
His gaze lifts, meeting mine with that same authority that always used to silence me as a child. “This one has followed me for years. It’s time to face it.”
I hesitate. “Is this about a woman?”
For a long time, he doesn’t answer. Then he nods once. “It is.”
The admission surprises me more than anything else could have. I can’t remember the last time Leo even mentioned a woman in his life. He’s always been the example of control and discipline, the kind of man who sacrificed everything personal for the sake of duty.
“I see,” I say quietly.
He gives a small, humorless smile. “Don’t look at me like that. Even a pakhan can have regrets.”
I shift in my chair, thinking about Callista, about her soft laugh, her growing belly, the way she looks at me like I’m her whole world. I finally understand what Leo means. There are some people who get under your skin and never leave.
“You deserve to find peace,” I tell him. “You’ve done more than enough for all of us. For years, you’ve carried everything on your shoulders. Maybe it’s time we carried something for you.”
Leo studies me for a moment, eyes glinting with something that looks suspiciously like pride. “You’ve grown up.”
“Callista changed me,” I admit. “She made me want more out of life. Maybe it’s time you had that too.”
He chuckles softly, shaking his head. “Don’t romanticize it. This isn’t about finding love, Dmitry. This is about closure. At the end of it all, I might come back alone.”
“Maybe,” I say, standing up. “But you’ll never know if you don’t try.”
He looks at me, and for the first time in a long time, I see something human in his eyes. Something raw.
“Thank you,” he says simply.
I nod, slipping my hand into my pocket where the ring rests. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“Come back.”
Leo’s lips tilt into a faint smile. “If fate allows it.”
The clock ticks quietly in the background as I walk toward the door.
I know what’s waiting for me now. A new role. A new title. A new life.
And waiting at the end of it—Callista.
My future. My family. My everything.
Three months later…
The spring air is warm, soft sunlight spilling through the campus courtyard as I guide Callista down the cobblestone path.
Her hand fits perfectly in mine. The gentle curve of her belly presses against her dress, visible now to anyone who looks closely.
Every time I see it, my chest tightens with pride and something deeper, something wordless.
I shift her books to one arm and run my free hand along her belly, tracing slow circles over the fabric. She looks up at me, smiling softly. “You didn’t have to carry all my stuff, you know.”
“I like carrying it,” I say. “Makes me feel useful.”
Her laugh is light and teasing. “You already do enough for me. You’re starting to look like you haven’t slept in weeks. Those dark circles aren’t exactly subtle.”
I shrug. “Running a criminal empire doesn’t exactly come with regular hours.”
Her eyes widen a little, though she’s long past being shocked by what I do. “So it’s official? You’ve really taken over?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “Leo’s gone to take care of something personal. Aleksei helps where he can, but for now, it’s on me.”
She squeezes my hand. “That’s a lot of pressure.”
I glance down at her belly again. “I’ve handled worse.”
Her fingers slide over mine, tender and reassuring. “You don’t have to take care of everything, Dmitry. I can take care of myself.”
“No.” I stop walking and turn to face her. “You don’t have to. That’s my job now. You and the baby come first. Always.”
Her lips part, and she looks up at me with so much warmth it’s almost painful. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Every word.”
She smiles through a small exhale. “Then I must’ve lucked out by getting pregnant with you.”
I lean down, brushing my lips against hers. “No, Callista. I’m the lucky one.”
The engagement ring catches the sunlight when she cups my cheek. The sight of it never fails to send a thrill through me—it’s my mark on her, the proof that she belongs to me in every way that matters.
As we walk again, she talks about her plans, her voice soft and full of excitement. “Once we graduate, I want to take some time off to focus on the baby. But after that, I think I’ll start my own event planning company. Something small at first, maybe focusing on charity galas or luxury weddings.”
I smile at her ambition. “You’ll make it big. You’re too good at what you do not to.”
“I’ll try,” she says. “And what about you? Moscow, right?”
I nod. “Mostly Moscow. I’ll have to shuttle between there and the States to manage both operations. But I’ll make sure we’re always together. I don’t care if I have to fly across the world every week.”
Her eyes shine with quiet affection. “You’d really do that?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
She presses her forehead against my shoulder, murmuring, “I’m excited. For everything. For our baby. For this next chapter.”
I tilt her chin up and kiss her again, slow and deep. “You won’t have to wait long. In a few weeks, you’ll be my wife.”
Her smile widens. “Mrs. Antonov. I like the sound of that.”
I grin, brushing my thumb over her lower lip. “Good. Because once you take my name, you’re never giving it back.”
She laughs, glowing in the sunlight, and I pull her closer as the world fades into the background. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be—between her heartbeat and the future growing beneath my hand.