Chapter 8 Don't let Roman find out
••Roman••
The study smells like cigar smoke and old grief.
The same room Adrian once sat in, laughing over battle plans, scolding me for being reckless, promising that one day Russia would be mine too.
Now it’s quiet. Too quiet.
Theo stands near the window, tall, sharp-eyed, and silent as ever. My father’s most trusted bodyguard, my right hand, and the only man I’d trust with both my life and my secrets. Years ago, he took a bullet meant for me. Ever since, he’s spoken little but seen everything.
He was flipping through a file with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Mildred sits on the edge of Father’s desk, her heels tapping against the polished wood, eyes red but proud — a soldier’s sister.
“Theo,” I mutter, rubbing a hand down my jaw, “tell me something good before I break something.”
He looks up, lips twitching. “Good news? We’ve got men planted inside the Valerio network. Two dockhands, one accountant, and a driver. The bad news is the Valerios are smarter than we gave them credit for. Their Communication’s tight, movement restricted, seems like someone’s covering their tracks.”
My fist tightens around the glass in my hand. The whiskey trembles, not me.
“Someone killed my brother,” I say quietly. “And I’ll burn through every last man to find out who.”
Mildred lets out a shaky breath. “Roman… it doesn’t bring him back.”
I turn toward her, seeing Adrian’s reflection in her eyes — that same warmth. “No, it doesn’t. But it makes the world remember his name.”
She looks away, blinking fast.
Theo clears his throat. “There’s talk that the Valerios are reaching out to our suppliers. Trying to choke us off from the port routes.”
Of course they are. The docks are the veins of our empire. Control them, and you control Russia’s heartbeat.
I lean back in the chair that once belonged to Adrian and feel the weight settle on my shoulders like iron.
“This wasn’t supposed to be me,” I say, more to the room than to them. “He was the heir. I was the shadow. Now I have to stand where he stood and pretend the crown doesn’t crush me.”
Mildred slides off the desk and comes closer, her hand finding my shoulder. “You’re doing fine, Roman.”
Her voice breaks slightly. “He’d be proud.”
For a moment, I let the words sink in.
He’d be proud.
If only I believed it.
My gaze drifts to the window. Outside, snow falls in slow spirals over the courtyard.
And I think of her.
Luciana Moretti.
The Sicilian princess with eyes sharp enough to cut glass and a mouth that doesn’t know fear. She had every reason to hate me. To despise the replacement, the man who inherited her dead lover’s role.
I understand the rage that my father feels, so he wants us to take down the Valerios as soon as possible with support from the Sicilians. In return, I'll have to put up with spending the rest of my life with my brother's bride to be– a woman I never once liked, for duty's sake, for revenge.
Theo’s voice pulls me back. “Orders?”
I take a slow sip of whiskey, eyes still on the snow.
“Double the surveillance on the Valerios. Anyone moves near the docks, I want to know before they breathe.”Theo nods and leaves the room.
Mildred lingers a moment longer. “You’ll get them, Roman.”
I don’t answer. Not right away. I stare at the glass in my hand, the reflection fractured, distorted just like everything else now.
“I have to,” I murmur finally. “For Adrian. For Sem'ya. And for her.” (family)
When the door shut behind her, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
The silence returns.
And in it, I swear I can still hear my brother’s voice.
Don’t let them see you bleed, Rom.
So I don’t.
Not long after, Theo entered. “Sire, the Don asked to see you in his office,” he said, then stepped out again.
I nodded quietly.
As I walked down the hallway to his office, I wondered what my father wanted this time. He usually did not call for me unless it involved a duty or another task he needed done.
I knocked on the door.
“Come in,” his firm voice replied.
He sat behind his desk, eyes scanning the files scattered across the surface. Papers covered almost every corner, like he had been at it for hours.
“You asked to see me,” I said as I stepped inside and closed the door.
He did not answer at first. His attention stayed on the document in his hand, and for a moment I wondered if he had even heard me. Then he cleared his throat and finally looked up.
“Princess Luciana will be coming here next week to finalize the wedding arrangements,” he said. “Make yourself available that day. I don’t want any excuses.”
“Yes, sire.” My eyes held his, trying to read the tone behind his words.
He leaned back slightly. “Good. I expect everything to go smoothly. This union matters to the family.”
“I understand.” My voice stayed steady, even though my chest felt tight.
“That will be all.”
I bowed slightly and stepped out of his office, letting the door click shut behind me. The weight of his words still settling in my mind.
I walked down the hall slowly, replaying everything. My brother was gone, and now I was expected to stand beside a woman who didn’t even want to look in my direction.
Halfway down the corridor, I stopped.
I had forgotten something.
Theo had given me a document earlier that morning—a short report about a possible disturbance near the docks. Nothing major, but still something the Don might like to know. I sighed and turned back, deciding it was better to drop it off now than face questions later.
I reached the door and lifted my hand toward the handle, but froze when I heard his voice.
My father rarely used his low, sharp tone unless the matter was serious.
“Yes… I understand,” he said, his voice firm. He was on the phone.
A short silence followed.
Then his next words hit me like a punch to the chest.
“Make sure Roman never finds out.”
Never find out what?
My father’s tone didn’t sound like he was discussing wedding plans or business. It sounded like a warning. A command. Something hidden beneath the surface.
I took one silent step back, then another, careful not to make any sound. The air felt heavy, pressing against my chest as a hundred thoughts rushed through my mind.
Was it about Adrian? About the accident? About Luciana? About me?
I didn’t know. I only knew one thing—my father was keeping something from me. Something important.
I turned away from the office door, forcing my steps to stay steady, even though my pulse was racing.
Whatever he was trying to hide…
whatever truth I wasn’t meant to know…
I had just stepped into the middle of it.