Page 175 of Stolen Empire
Then he nods as he meets my eyes and says, "Agreed, but I want clarity. How do we split the profits? How do we handle intel? And if the Radiches retaliate, who moves first?"
I speak before Rolan can.
"Profits split by ledger. We keep records, divide based on who brought what to the table. Intel gets shared immediately, no holding back for leverage. And if they retaliate, we respond jointly. No one acts alone and leaves the other exposed."
Artemy's mouth twitches into almost a smile.
"Those are clean terms I can work with."
He extends his hand, first to Rolan, then to me.
His grip is firm, and when he releases me, I feel the shift in the room.
This is a partnership built on mutual benefit and respect.
It's the kind of alliance that can hold, and I know our father would be proud to know we've resurrected what he and Lyovik started decades ago.
"There's one more thing," Artemy says, moving away from the table.
"A gesture of good faith on my part."
I glance at Rolan, who looks as confused as I feel.
Artemy doesn't explain.
He walks toward the guest wing, gesturing for us to follow, and I fall into step behind him.
My mind is racing through possibilities—money, weapons, more intel—but nothing prepares me for what I see when he opens the door.
A woman is sitting on a narrow bed in one of the guest rooms.
She's small, her frame thin and worn down by years of hardship, and her hands are folded in her lap.
When she looks up, I see Katya's eyes staring back at me.
The same gray-green, the same shape, the same wary exhaustion.
Never in a million years did I think a member of the Morozov family would want to track down and reunite with the mother of Lyovik's illegitimate daughter.
She looks so scared and overwhelmed, and I know the instant Kayta gets to see her, there will be tears.
"This is Anzhela Volsky," Artemy says confidently.
Now his smile is genuine but soft.
"I arranged her transport from Perm at dawn. I thought Ekaterina might want to see her."
The world narrows to that moment.
The woman who raised Katya away from all of this and kept her hidden and safe until circumstances dragged her back into this world is sitting here.
Artemy brought her here, which only displays how he understands the importance of family ties, and perhaps the lengths to which he will go to ensure we're telling the truth.
I hear movement in the hall behind me and glance over my shoulder to see Katya approaching, so I step back, allowing her to enter the room and nodding at the guard who escorted her here, probably at Artemy's command.
The moment she does, her face shifts.
She freezes.
