Page 63 of Gilded Shackles
She stands there. Shaking. Not with anger. With the effort of not crying in front of a man who's just accused her of being her mother's puppet.
Something in my chest cracks. Not breaks. Cracks. Like ice starting to give under pressure.
I was wrong. I knew it the moment she said it, but I needed to hear her say it. Needed to see her face when she did.
"Sit down," I say. Quieter now.
"No." She lifts her chin. "Not until you tell me you believe me."
I exhale. Look at her standing there in her bare feet and her silk robe, daring a Bratva enforcer to call her a liar.
This woman. This impossible, reckless, stubborn woman.
"I believe you," I say.
She holds my stare for three more seconds, making sure I mean it. Then she sits.
The silence stretches. Different now. Not the cold kind frombefore. The kind that comes after something breaks open and hasn't decided yet what grows in its place.
"I was wrong," I say. "About the club. About the setup. I should have said it sooner."
She nods. Doesn't say it's okay, because it isn't, and I respect that.
"Now," I say. "Natalia."
Elle straightens. "She's Pasha's mother. The details match. I didn't let her near him, I didn't tell her his name, and I had a guard with a weapon the entire time."
I rub a hand over my face. "You should have waited for me."
"You weren't here."
That lands.
"He deserves to know," she says softly. "If there's a chance she's real, Pasha deserves to decide for himself. I'll make sure she never gets near him without your say. Guest house, guards, background checks. But please don't make this decision for him."
"You think I want to be the guy who keeps a kid from his mother?"
"No. I think you're the guy who's terrified of giving anyone the power to hurt him again."
That hits like a body blow.
I stare at her. She's right. She's always right, and I hate it as much as I need it.
“I was thinking, why don’t we let her stay in the guest house.”
“No.”
“Nik, please. It keeps her close but at a distance. You control this property. You have guards that will keep her from doing anything. This is for Pasha. Not you. Not me. Not her. It’s for him.”
"She stays there. Doesn't cross into the main house without clearance. I talk to Pasha first. If he doesn't want to see her, it ends there."
Elle's shoulders drop with relief. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. If she does anything suspicious..."
"I'll help you throw her off the property myself."
"Good."
