Epilogue
Mila
One year later
I barely slept.
Not because I’m nervous, though there’s a hum of anticipation beneath my skin, but because my heart feels too full to let me sleep. Like it knows something monumental is waiting for me on the other side of the day.
Today, I marry Andrei.
The thought settles into me slowly, warmly, like silk against bare skin.
I sit up in the plush bed of the bridal suite that Andrei booked out for the whole week and take a moment to breathe it in.
The quiet. The soft light creeping through the curtains.
The sense that my life has finally aligned in a way that feels… right.
A year ago, I was his assistant; a clumsy, bright-eyed girl with only hopes to keep her head down and stay long enough on the job. Now, I’m getting married to my boss.
Well, former boss. I no longer work for Andrei, at least not in the way I once did. The moment he discovered my love for writing, he started nudging me toward doing more—being more. And with gentle encouragement and his unwavering faith in me, I’ve finally completed my first book.
Publishing my book had terrified me more than falling in love ever did. And yet…I did it.
My first novel climbed lists I never dared to imagine my name on. It’s a bestseller. The word still doesn’t feel real, even now. But Andrei had only smiled when I told him, pride shining in his eyes like it was inevitable. Like he’d never doubted me for a second.
A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts.
“Nervous?” Natalya asks as she steps inside, already radiant in her dress.
I laugh softly. “Strangely…no.”
She grins, adjusting my veil with careful hands. Somewhere along the way, Andrei’s sister became my confidant, my friend. Family, in every sense that matters.
“You make a beautiful bride, Mila,” she says, her eyes brimming with genuine happiness. “I’m glad Andrei found you.”
I’m about to respond when my papaw walks into the room. Natalya says hi to him and excuses herself.
Papaw is immaculately dressed as always, posture straight, eyes bright with emotion he doesn’t bother hiding. He pulls me into his arms, and I breathe him in like I used to as a child, grounding myself in the familiarity of him.
“It’s time, pumpkin,” he murmurs.
He doesn’t need to say more. I can hear the emotions in his voice—everything he can’t put into words.
The ceremony passes in a blur of light and warmth and quiet gasps. When Papaw walks me down the aisle, my gaze locks on Andrei and doesn’t waver.
He’s waiting for me like the world has narrowed down to this single moment. Like everything else…power, control, history has faded into insignificance.
His eyes soften when he takes my hand from Papaw.
I don’t remember much of the vows, only the way his voice steadies me, anchors me. The way his hands tremble just slightly when he slips the ring onto my finger. The way he kisses me afterward—slow, reverent, like he’s sealing a promise he’s already been keeping.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiating minister declares in a loud voice.
My heart swells with something in that moment, something indescribable and deliciously overwhelming. Andrei drops his forehead against mine, smiling into my eyes.
“Hey, wifey.”
I chuckle, leaning in for a kiss. “Hey, Daddy.”
Andrei
The reception hall echoes with music, laughter, and the low murmur of deals not being made tonight.
I stand near the edge of the dance floor with a glass of vodka I’ve barely touched, watching Mila laugh with Natalya and a few guests. She glows…no other word for it. Not just beautiful…there’s a self-assured air about her that makes her stand out.
Mikhail sidles up beside me, smirking. “Well,” he says, clinking his glass lightly against mine, “look at you. Married. Domesticated. Who would’ve thought?”
I snort quietly. “I certainly didn’t.”
“You swore you’d never do this,” he continues, amused. “Said love was a liability.”
“I was wrong,” I say simply, eyes never leaving Mila.
Mikhail follows my gaze and softens just a fraction. “Careful,” he mutters. “That look might convince people you’ve gone soft.”
I finally glance at him. “Let them think that.”
Before he can reply, someone clears their throat behind me.
I turn around, and straighten instinctively at the sight of Grigori. He looks older tonight like he’s finally feeling the weight of letting his granddaughter go.
“Congratulations, Andrei,” he says, extending his hand.
I take it. “Thank you.”
Mikhail murmurs an excuse and disappears, suddenly very interested in the bar.
Grigori studies me for a moment, then nods toward Mila. “You treat her well.”
His words were a threat and compliment delivered with deceptive simplicity and I know better than to take them at surface level.
“I try,” I say simply, boldly holding his gaze.
His expression shifts, becomes sharper. “I’m retiring.”
That gets my full attention. “Retiring,” I repeat carefully.
“I’m stepping down as vor,” he continues. “Effective immediately.”
My jaw tightens. “You’re telling me this at my wedding?”
He smiles faintly. “Seemed appropriate. Life transitions and all that.”
“I’m not interested,” I say flatly. “Find someone else.”
“You’re already doing the job,” he replies calmly. “You just don’t call it that.”
I open my mouth to argue but stop when I feel a familiar warmth behind me.
My wife. The thought sends a rush of excitement coursing through me.
She steps beside me, slipping her hand into mine. I don’t look at her right away afraid of what I’ll see.
“I heard,” she says softly, her grip tightening reassuringly on mine.
Grigori inclines his head. “Then you understand what I’m asking.”
She nods. “I do.”
I turn to her then, frowning. “Mila—”
She squeezes my hand. “Let me finish.”
She faces Grigori again. “I know what the vory are now. I know what the bratva is capable of.” Her voice doesn’t shake. “And I also know who my husband is.”
My chest tightens.
“He doesn’t crave power,” she continues. “He draws lines. He enforces rules. He protects people who don’t have the luxury of protection.” She looks up at me then, eyes steady. “If someone has to sit in that seat, I want it to be you.”
Grigori watches us both closely, then smiles, a slow, satisfied tilt of his thin lips.
“You see?” he says. “This is exactly why.”
I exhale slowly, weighing the past against the present. Against her.
“I won’t be like my father,” I say at last.
“Good,” Grigori replies. “We’ve had enough men like him.”
The silence stretches.
Then I nod. Once.
“I’ll take the position,” I say. “On my terms.”
Grigori’s smile turns genuine. “Of course.”
He steps away soon after, leaving us standing there with the music swelling around us.
Mila turns to me, searching my face. “Are you upset?”
“No,” I say honestly. “Just…surprised.”
She chuckles, resting her forehead against my chest. “Well, he’s a man full of surprises.”
I kiss the top of her head, holding her a little tighter. “Wanna get out of here, solnishka?” I whisper against her ear.
She turns, eyes bright, a knowing smile curving her lips. “Already?”
“The reception is winding down,” I murmur. “And I’m done sharing you.”
She lets out a quiet, breathless laugh, slipping her hand into mine without another word.
Outside, the night air is cool and crisp. The car waits at the curb, the driver already stepping away as I open the door for her. Mila gathers her dress and lets me help her in, her fingers brushing my wrist in a way that sends a familiar, possessive heat searing through me.
Once I’m inside, I raise the privacy screen and I turn to her, taking her face in my hands, thumbs brushing over her flushed cheeks. “Fuck, I’ve waited all day to have you to myself.”
Her breath catches. She smiles, holding my gaze as she leans close and brushes her lips lightly against mine.
“Me too, Daddy,” she murmurs against my lips with a soft moan, her hands flattening against my chest as she presses her body against mine.
“Damn it,” I murmur, sealing my mouth over hers with a possessive groan. I slide my hand up her throat, pressing gently as I deepen the kiss. She moans into my mouth and I lose it.
Without breaking the kiss, I grab her by the waist and move her onto my lap so she’s straddling me. She groans into my mouth as her damp pussy presses deliciously against the length of my already hard cock.
I can only be glad for the stretchy dress she has on.
Sliding the thin straps of her dress down her shoulders, I lower my mouth to one puckered nipple, moaning when she buries her fingers in my hair.
I run my tongue slowly around her areola then flicked it across the tip.
She arches her back, pushing more of her breast into my mouth as I cup her other breast with my palm, squeezing and sucking slowly.
She braces her hands on the roof as I tease her, her hips rocking against mine, making me impossibly harder.
I trail my hands slowly up her thighs, under her dress, groaning low in my throat when I realize she’s not wearing anything under her slinky little dress. I grab her ass in my palms and push her hard against my cock.
“Oh, Daddy,” she moans, bringing her hands to my head. She lifts my face, kissing me as we grind against each other, dry humping in the small space.
She shifts slightly, slides her hands between us and grips the top of my pants, tugging hard and slowly popping open my button fly. She wraps her hand around my cock and squeezes, sliding up and down as my hands move over her breasts.
She leans closer and rubs her clit against the head of my cock, moaning into my mouth as her body clenched in anticipation.
“I want you, Daddy,” she murmurs breathlessly. “Please…
“I see you know how to beg Daddy for what you want,” I say, sliding my hands over her hips. I shift, positioning her over the tip. “What you want, you get…”
I slam into her and she out a strangled cry, back arched, hands braced on the roof of the car as her muscles grip me tight. Then, she starts to roll her hips impatiently, moving up and down in a way that sends pleasure coursing through my body in immeasurable waves.
I throw my head back with a growl, letting her ride me. “Hmmm…faster, solnishka. Go faster.”
She moans, bouncing faster on my cock, her pelvis coming down against mine harder, the sounds of our skin slapping against each other filling the car as she rides me harder and harder.
“Ah, fuck…” I growl, squeezing one of her breasts hard in my palm. “Yes…yes!”
I slide one down over her hip, replacing my hand with my mouth on her breasts.
I slide my fingers across her stomach to where we’re joined.
Her body shakes as I start to stroke her clit rhythmically.
She grips my shoulders and slams herself hard down on my cock.
She comes hard and fast, her pussy walls clenching sporadically around my cock, gripping me tight.
“Yes, baby, come for me,” I murmur, taking over the pace, grabbing her waist and pulling her down hard against me. Her body clamps around me like a vice as she moves with me, meeting my strokes and coming all over again, coating my cock as I fuck her harder.
Suddenly, my muscles lock, my body drawing taunt as a powerful orgasm crashes through me. She squeezes tight around my cock and kisses him hard, our teeth hitting as I groan into her mouth and come again.
She collapses against his chest, dropping her forehead against mine with a breathless laugh. “God, I love you.”
“I love you too, my sunshine,” I say, capturing her mouth in a deep, drugging kiss.
~The End
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