Page 55 of Married to the Don (Kornilov Bratva Duet 1)

Part of me feels like I should do it anyway. I barely recognize the man sitting across from me.

A curious look crosses Fedor’s face, and I worry for a second that he can somehow read my mind. That he can see the traitorous thoughts running through my head.

Then, I feel a small hand tap my arm. When I look down, Theo is standing next to me.

“Who is this?” Fedor asks, standing up and coming around the desk.

I thought Theo and Fedor were twins before, but seeing them in the same room at the same time … the resemblance is uncanny.

Theo opens his mouth, ready to respond, and I scoop him up onto my lap and tickles his sides, stealing his breath and his words.

“Surprise,” I say in the same tone Fedor used earlier. “You aren’t the only one with secrets.”

Fedor’s green eyes go wide. “He’s yours?”

I tickle Theo harder, hoping he will be too distracted to listen. “Yep. He’s mine.”

“When? How?”

“Well, you know how,” I say, setting Theo on the floor and standing up, a hand on his back to lead him towards the door. “And four years ago, but I just found out.”

The lies come to me easily. Smoothly.

Before Fedor can ask any more questions, Molly rushes in. “Sorry,” she says, the horror painted on her face too real for the situation.

“It’s fine,” I say with a tight smile. “But occupy him until I’m done.”

“He can stay,” Fedor says around me, smiling down at Theo. “I’d like to meet my nephew.”

Now it’s Molly’s turn to catch up with my lie. She does so immediately, nodding as if tucking the information away in her mind.

Our story is growing very complicated very quickly.

“You need to get going anyway,” I say, looping my arm around Fedor’s shoulders and dragging him towards the door.

He starts to protest, but I remind him about the money. “Kent will be looking for his pay now that you’re free.”

He groans. “He can wait. Fuck Kent.”

“Language,” I warn, pointing towards where Theo and Molly are disappearing back into his room.

“Is she the nanny, too?” Fedor asks.

“She takes on many roles.” Very true. Molly is endlessly adaptable. She’s a survivor.

I call Petr and tell him to get the money ready for Fedor to pick up, and send Fedor on his way in a matter of minutes. The second he’s out the door, I pull out my phone and fire off a text.

He’ll be at the office in fifteen. Be there. Follow him. Report to me.

Fedor has been out for a few hours and the shit has already hit the fan.

He has seen Theo. Before, I could have claimed to have fired the maid and had no clue where she was. Fedor probably wouldn’t have even noticed her absence, to be honest.

But now, he’s seen Theo. He thinks Theo is my kid.

I can’t get rid of them so easily now, and I have no fucking idea what I’m going to do.

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