Stepan
Sergei Belova signs his name at the bottom of the page without looking up.
He sets the pen down, pushes the document across the table toward Roman, and leans back in his chair.
Everything about his posture says he'd rather be anywhere other than here, but he showed up like he promised, along with Filipp and a smattering of guards, who were told to wait outside.
Roman picks up the pen and adds his signature beneath Sergei's and it's done.
Officially, we have an alliance with the Belova name, not to outshine our Radin family businesses, and as such, a peace deal.
It's taken a long time to get to this place of agreement, including some concessions on trade routes and holding Sergei back from his desired attacks on other families in the region, but it's done.
The public-facing businesses are aligned.
Sergei's distribution network feeds into ours, our supply chain backs his, and the contracts sitting on this table make it official.
It can't be unwound by a petty disagreement or squabble.
Though, in our world, a handshake and blood oath would've sufficed, but Sergei is a tough cookie to negotiate with.
"I trust that you'll honor the agreement," Sergei says, eyes flicking to mine.
Funny how he's ignored Timur and Kazimir who've both been a part of all the negotiations.
He seems to think Roman runs the place and I'm his second.
Though, part of me knows that's only because of what's happened with Marina.
Roman caps the pen and tucks it into his jacket pocket.
He glowers at Sergei, not fond of his doubts.
If Roman is anything, it's faithful to a fault.
The man once let his wife go after stealing from him based on a letter written more than twenty years earlier, saying he owed a debt. Roman keeps his word.
"You don't have to worry about us keeping the contract intact. What you need to worry about is that you've got a problem with the Orlov side," Roman says. "Their finances were tangled up with yours before Orlov died, and now they're pulling threads."
Sergei glowers at him, but Timur's been monitoring Sergei's accounts for weeks. None of this is a surprise to any of us. We wanted to know what we were getting into bed with, and if Sergei doesn’t control this, we'll end up being forced to go to war with what's left of Orlov's family.
We will, of course, consume them, but fighting isn't our preferred method of business.
"Here's what you need to understand," Roman continues.
He folds his hands on the table and leans forward, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"We're allies now. That's what those signatures mean.
If the Orlov organization has a problem with you, they have a problem with us.
If they come after your accounts or your territory or your people, they're coming after the Kuzin empire, and nobody in this region can survive us. "
Sergei's glare remains plastered on his doubt-riddled face, but he doesn’t understand yet. He will, someday. He'll come around and realize that Marina is right. This is the best thing that's happened to his organization in a long time, and he's better off having sided with us.
"We're stronger together," Roman says.
"I appreciate the clarity," Sergei says. He leans forward and takes the glass of vodka served to him when he first came in and finishes it in one swallow. His hand shakes as he sets it down, then pushes away from the table.
Roman stands and buttons his jacket. "I'll have Timur send copies tonight.
Yegor's got a direct line if you need me.
" He shakes Sergei's hand, nods at me, and walks out, and my cousins follow him out the door.
I asked Ro ahead of time for this moment alone with Sergei—with many promises that I wouldn't touch a hair on his head.
And I've been anxious to get this part over with.
When he starts toward the door, I say, "Sergei," and he stops, turning back toward me.
"I want to talk about the wedding," I say as I stand and button my suit coat.
This isn't your average "speak to the father" moment.
In our world, arrangements like this don't happen with the man asking for his father-in-law-to-be's blessing.
His scowl tightens, but the mention of his daughter gets his full attention. "Go ahead."
"Marina and I would rather have your cooperation than not," I begin, taking a hesitant step toward him. He's been against this from the beginning, but allowing his daughter to make her own choices doesn’t seem to be something he's ever been good at.
There's still plenty of resentment when he looks at me, but it's cooled from where it was a week ago. The fact that he's even willing to sit in the same room as me without armed men between us is progress I'm not going to take for granted.
"I have one condition," he says thoughtfully, and his chin lifts fractionally. If there is only one condition, we're more than halfway to winning the battle.
"Alright."
"If you're going to insist on this foolish display, at least have the decency not to shame her.
" He says it bluntly, and I scowl at him.
I would never shame her. "I want you to wed within the month.
My daughter isn't going to stand in front of every family in this city visibly pregnant at her wedding.
I won't have people whispering about her.
Whatever you and I think of each other, we can agree that she deserves better than that. "
It's not an unreasonable ask. It's actually the most fatherly thing he's said to me since this whole mess started, and I can hear it underneath the gruff delivery—he's not trying to control the situation anymore. He's trying to protect her reputation, and potentially, his own at the same time.
"I can do that," I say. "Marina would want the same."
When he turns again to walk out, I call after him, "You know, she loves you."
Sergei pauses, head dropping. He doesn’t turn around as he opens the door, but he grumbles something incoherent at me. It's the reaction of a man who is deeply ashamed of his behavior. Marina's father knows what a piece of trash he is and he can't even face up to it, even if she forgives him.
I watch him walk out and run a hand through my hair.
It's finally over, all the stress and worrying.
My job to dismantle the Orlov-Belova alliance is finished and it's been successful, more so than I ever thought.
I have a new wife to go home to and a baby on the way, and life is fuller than I ever dreamed possible.
And if being married to Marina is even half as eventful as our dating period, I'm in for a bumpy ride.