Page 86 of His Son's Brid
"A big problem that could destroy everything you've built."
"I KNOW." The words come out harsher than I intended.
He sighs, long and weary. "Alright. I'll assign Sergei and two others. Rotating shifts around the clock. She won't notice them—I'll make sure of it."
"Good. Thank you."
I leave before he can lecture me about the danger of this obsession, about how caring this much makes me vulnerable.
Later that afternoon, Luca finds me in the hallway outside his office. I'm reviewing building security upgrades on my phone, trying to find every possible weakness before the Volkovs try again.
"I noticed you increased security around Aurora," he says, casual but with an undercurrent I can't quite read.
Fuck. Of course he noticed. He notices everything.
"Just being cautious after last night," I say, keeping my voice neutral. "Can't be too careful."
"I appreciate it." He claps my shoulder, the gesture warm and brotherly. "You're a good friend, Axel. Taking care of my daughter like this, keeping her safe when I can't be everywhere at once."
The words feel like a betrayal, like knives in my back that I deserve.
I'm not a good friend.
"She's important," I manage, the words sticking in my throat.
"She is." He smiles, genuine and warm. "Thank you for protecting her."
I have no response to that. Nothing that wouldn't be a lie.
That night, I find Leo in the sitting room, sprawled on the leather couch. Empty bottles surround him like fallen soldiers—whiskey, vodka, wine. He's been drinking steadily since the attack, maybe before.
"You need to stop," I say from the doorway.
He laughs, the sound bitter and slurred. "Stop what? Drinking? Existing? Wanting what's mine?"
"Aurora's not yours."
"Isn't she?" He stands, stumbles, catches himself on the couch arm. "You gave her to me. Arranged the whole fucking thing. Drew up the contracts. Announced it to everyone. Now you want to take her back?"
"I'm not taking her back. I'm protecting her from you."
"Sure. Sure, that's what this is." He staggers closer, whiskey-breath hot on my face. "Not that you want her. Not that you'reobsessed with her. Not that you can't stop staring at her every time she walks in a room. Just protection."
"Leo—"
"I see the way you look at her, Dad. Everyone does." His eyes are bloodshot, wild, unfocused. "The way you watch her at dinner. The way you defended her when I made a joke. The way you went fucking berserk when that Volkov grabbed her last night."
"Anyone would have—"
"No. Not anyone. You." He jabs a finger at my chest, nearly losing his balance. "You specifically. Because you want my fiancée. Just fucking admit it."
"You're drunk. Go to bed."
"I'm right though, aren't I?" He's laughing now, high and unstable. "You want her, but you can't have her. Because she's mine. My engagement. My future wife. My—"
I grab his collar in both hands, slam him back against the wall hard enough to rattle the pictures hanging there. "She will never be yours. Do you understand me? Never."
"Why?" He's still grinning, even pressed against the wall. "Because you want her for yourself?"
