Page 16 of Keeping My Enemies Closer: Pt. 2

“I still have a few more weeks to go, Viktor,” she said, her voice that of a mother trying to talk some sense into her child.“It’ll be fine.”

“If you think that I’m going to let you kidnap-”

Aurora put her hand up to stop him.“I am not kidnapping anyone.I’ll leave that up to you guys to figure out.However, since she’s a woman, I’d feel better getting the answers from her myself, and not only for Zoya and her mother, but for me also.It was my auction that she compromised, remember?”

“Baby, you can’t-”

“Viktor, you act like I’m going to have to do anything strenuous,” she said, interrupting him again.“Once she realizes who has her and why, she’s going to sing like an opera diva.”

“Aurora, no,” he said, and he wasn’t fucking around.“Just no.”

My sister-in-law arched a brow.“Do you really want to torture a woman?”

“As opposed to my pregnant wife doing it?”he retorted.“I’ll manage.”

Aurora went to stand up from her chair, and all three Korolev men reached for her to help her, and once she was steady on her feet, she slapped the folder against Viktor’s chest, and he had no choice but to take it.

As if they were the only two people in the room, Aurora said, “I was the one who gave my word that nothing would happen to Zoya, and even though it wasn’t at the hands of Korolev, it happened because she got involved with us, and I am not about to let that go, Viktor.”

Just then, my brother’s face softened, and I knew why.Aurora had said that Zoya had gotten involved withus,claiming herself as a Korolev once again, and that always weakened my brother.

“The auction also falls undermyauthority, and that is not anything that I am taking lightly,” she went on.“So, even if you want to ignore how this does involve me, the last thing that I’m going to let people think is that pregnancy has made me soft somehow.In fact, I’d love for everyone to know that I am still able and willing to put in the work, even at eight months pregnant.”

“You’re fucking insane,” my brother said, but you could also hear his love for her in every word.“You are so out of your damn mind, baby.”

“Make the plans, snatch that bitch up, then come get me,” she ordered.“If I wasn’t pregnant, we wouldn’t even be discussing this, and you know it.”

“And what the fuck am I supposed to tell your father and brothers when they find out that I’m letting you torture people while ready to give birth?”he drawled out.

Aurora let out a lyrical laugh at that.“My father and brothers know who I am, so they won’t be surprised in the least.”

“Iisus Khristos,”my father muttered, and I couldn’t help but smirk at him taking The Lord’s name in vain because I knew that, deep down, he admired the hell out of his daughter-in-law.

“Let me think about it,” Viktor sighed, already relenting.

Knowing that she’d won, Aurora looked over at me, asking, “How’s Zoya doing?”

“She’s doing her best,” I answered with a shrug.

Aurora gave me a terse nod as she added, “Well, call me if you or she needs anything.”

Honestly, what better sister-in-law could I have asked for?