Page 100 of Secret Heir

“You know nothing.” Nikolai cuts me off. “You heard fragments of a conversation eight years ago that you’ve spent nearly a decade twisting in your mind to justify your cowardice. You’ve convinced yourself it was about protecting your son when really it was about protecting yourself from a life you were too weak to handle.”

The words are like acid, burning through every defense I have.

“Enough.” Maksim stands, his voice hard and his eyes flashing anger. “You’ve made your point, brother.”

“Have I?” Nikolai turns to his brother. “Because it doesn’t seem like I have. You’re still looking at her like she’s telling the truth. Like she’s some innocent victim instead of a manipulative woman who’s using your feelings to turn you against your own family.”

Maksim scowls. “She’s not manipulating me.”

“Isn’t she?” Nikolai steps closer to Maksim. “Think about it, brother. Really think. She shows up after eight years, and just oh so conveniently is pregnant with your child. She gives you just enough affection to keep you interested but maintains distance and keeps secrets. And now, when you’re finally falling for her again, she tells you this elaborate story about Alexander—my most trusted man, your biggest competition for influence in the organization—being a traitor.” He cocks his head to the side. “Doesn’t that seem convenient?”

“That’s not—” Maksim starts, but Nikolai keeps going.

“She’s isolating you and turning you against the people you trust. She’s making you doubt your own judgment. Classic manipulation tactics.” His voice softens slightly, and for the first time I hear something like concern. “I know you loved her. I know you never stopped looking for her. But love makes us blind, Maksim. It makes us see what we want to see instead of what’s really there.”

Maksim’s jaw clenches, and I can see him fighting to control his temper. “I’m not blind. And she’s not manipulating me.”

“Then prove it.” Nikolai crosses his arms. “Prove to me that you’re thinking clearly and this isn’t just about getting the woman you love back into your bed and your life.”

My heart is in my throat. Maksim has to believe me, right? He wouldn’t believe anything Nikolai is saying. Right?

“I won’t investigate Alexander based on this,” Nikolai says flatly. “I won’t insult a man who’s been nothing but loyal based on the accusations of a woman with every incentive to lie.”

My last hope—that Nikolai would believe me and would protect us from Alexander—dies right there.

Maksim is quiet for a long moment. “Then don’t investigate. But do me one favor.”

Nikolai raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Don’t tell Alexander about this conversation. Not yet. Give me two weeks to prove she’s lying or telling the truth. If I find nothing, I’ll drop it. But don’t mention this to him until I’ve had time to look.”

My stomach drops. Prove I’m lying? I look at Maksim, betrayal flooding through me. After everything—after I finally told him the truth, after he said he believed me—he thinks I might be lying?

Nikolai studies his brother, suspicion clear on his face. “Why?”

“Because if she’s lying, I need to know.” Maksim’s voice is measured, and each word feels like a knife to my chest. “I need to see it for myself before I can move forward with her. And if I’m investigating, I don’t want Alexander knowing and treating her differently. It’ll muddy my judgment.”

I can’t breathe. Can’t process what I'm hearing. He doesn’t believe me. After everything, he still doesn’t⁠—

Then I see it. The way Maksim isn’t looking at me. The careful neutrality of his expression. The specific words he’s choosing.

He’s lying to Nikolai.

Maksim is framing this as testing my credibility instead of Alexander’s loyalty. He’s giving Nikolai exactly what he wants—proof that Maksim isn’t being manipulated—while buying us time to build a real case against Alexander.

It’s brilliant, actually. And it means Nikolai won’t warn Alexander. We’ll have two weeks where Alexander doesn’t know we’re coming for him.

But it also means I have to sit here and listen to the man I love tell his brother he thinks I might be a liar. I have to keep my face devastated while Nikolai smirks at me like I’ve already been exposed.

Nikolai considers this for a long moment. I can see him weighing the request, looking for the trap.

Finally, he nods. “Two weeks. You investigate your woman, prove to yourself she’s manipulating you, and we move on. But I won’t have you poisoning our organization with baseless accusations, Maksim. If you can’t prove she’s lying within two weeks, you end this obsession with Alexander. Understood?”

Maksim nods curtly. “Understood.”

“And one more thing.” Nikolai’s eyes are cold again. “If I find out she’s been spreading these accusations to anyone else—to other members of the organization, to outside parties, to anyone—I’ll handle it myself. We can’t have someone going around claiming one of our top lieutenants is a traitor without proof. It’s bad for business.”

I nearly whimper. The threat is clear. If I talk, Nikolai will make me disappear.