Page 77 of Daddy Brigadier

As I lean back in the chair, my jaw is tight, keeping what I know to myself—for now.

“War is coming,” Andrei declares, his Russian accent becoming more pronounced with his anger. “We are under siege by our own fucking people.”

He gives me one final glance, as if hoping to find a signal that I might reconsider. I turn my gaze away. “Petrov is becoming more audacious. He continues to underestimate us.”

My thoughts shift to his intentions regarding Lexi.

Nikolai leans forward, his arms firmly on the table, his piercing gaze surveying the room. “Fucking thief!” he growls. “When we find him, I’ll make sure that we hit hard enoughfor the kill,” Nikolai laughs, aware that his legacy thrives on instilling fear and destroying anyone who stands in his way.

“Have we found Petrov yet?” Andrei questions, his eyes focused on me and his voice tinged with disappointment.

“Not yet. He’s hiding underground,” I reply.

He examines me intently, his eyes probing for any signs of weakness like a doctor seeking a viable vein. “Maybe you’re not looking hard enough, Brigadier.”

A wave of unease creeps down my spine at Andrei’s questioning of my loyalty. “You think I’m not trying?”

“You’ve grown weak, old man. You couldn’t even bring yourself to kill a little girl who kidnapped you,” he snickers, his words land between us like a grenade with a pin pulled.

I close my eyes, forcing the image of Lexi away. I need to focus, to get my head back in the game.

He studies me, his head tilted ever so slightly. “I think it’s time for a change.”

There’s an unsettling chill in his tone that grips me—a stark sense of finality. A decision has already been made.

Right then, my son Daniel steps into the conference room, lingering at the open door with a tight grip on the handle, clearly uncertain about taking a seat.

I slam my fist on the table. “You can’t do this!” I snap, knowing Andrei’s purpose of bringing him here today.

Andrei stands and strides to the window, gazing out over the city while deliberately dismissing my tantrum as if it never happened. He then turns back to me, a smirk playing on his lips, his eyes distant, almost reflective.

My blood runs cold, and my hands tremble under the heavy weight settling in my chest. The realization that the Pakhan no longer needs me.

“I have served the Bratva for over thirty years,” I roar, loud enough so everyone hears me.

“And we thank you for that,” Andrei replies, pacing the room, visibly agitated. It’s a side of him I rarely witness and hope not to see again anytime soon.

“Look around the room, Brigadier. A new era is dawning in the Bratva. It’s time for you and your generation to hand over the reins. Happens to all of us in time. Even you know that.”

My gaze shifts first to Dmitri and Nikolai, both in their twenties and already making their mark as leaders. Finally, I glance at my son Daniel, still standing by the door, poised and ready to take his place.

Andrei halts his pacing, stopping in front of me. We lock eyes, two predators asserting dominance. “Valentin, you’re dismissed!”

Words from my own godson that I never imagined I would hear.

I leap to my feet, the chair clattering to the ground behind me as I strike the table relentlessly with my knuckles. “I was leading the Bratva long before you were ever born, you bastard!”

Surveying the men in the room, I find that the family I considered mine now turns against me as formidable foes.

“You can’t get rid of me this easily, motherfucker!” I grab the chair I was sitting in and hurl it against the wall, then I charge toward Andrei with my fist raised. But Nikolai seizes my arms and shoves me back. I stumble, and when I look up, a gun is leveled at my face.

I quickly regain my composure, straightening my tie and suit jacket while sweeping my hair back with my fingers.

My son grabs my arms, pressing his finger into my sleeve to hold me back. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

I walk out without saying another word, the door snapping shut behind me. The decision weighs heavily in my chest, unyielding. I find myself in the hallway, transformed intosomeone else from the man who entered just a short while ago. I am no longer in control of the Bratva.

I scan the room, acutely aware that the Savin Corporation employees heard every word. They look at me, heavy with unspoken judgment.