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"Mostly," she admitted. "In some ways, I can’t stop thinking about why he couldn’t have done this sooner. All the time we missed out on while he was using."
"You can’t let yourself get stuck on that," I told her gently. "You’re going to be alright. And so’s he. That’s what matters."
"I know," she replied. "Thanks, Maxim. What time does Olya get in again?"
"Six," I told her. "And she’ll be swinging by the penthouse to visit us after that."
"I can’t believe I’m finally going to get a chance to meet her," she replied, a smile spreading wide over her face. "Your daughter …"
"I know, it’s been far too long," I agreed. I didn’t know how I was going to break the news to Olya that I was involved with someone who was so close to her in age, but I doubted it was going to come up anytime soon; Olya was usually off in her own little world, so distracted by whatever petty dramas were spinning around her she couldn’t focus on anyone else.
I was looking forward to having her back. Though she had no idea what had happened in her absence, finding out what Mina’s father had done to her had made me even more certain that I needed to look out for my little girl. Needed to show her how much I cared about her, the lengths I would go to in order to keep her safe. She had been studying abroad for the last couple of years, but now that she was back, back in New Ruska, I intended to do whatever I could to make sure she didn’t land in any trouble. Sure, she might have been able to handle herself while she was in Hungary, but here, in the midst of the chaos that came from being part of a Bratva family? That was something entirely different.
We arrived back at the penthouse, and, to my surprise, we had hardly made it through the front door when I heard a familiar voice calling my name.
"Dad!”
"Olya?" I blurted out in surprise. She was the last person I expected to be here; she had never been early a day in her life. She stepped out of the kitchen, followed by Damyan, with a glass of wine in her hand, and came over to give me a hug.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her, hugging her back. "And why are you drinking?”
"I’m twenty-one now, remember?" she shot back, rolling her eyes at me and shaking her head. "I can drink if I want to. And my flight got in early, so I thought I would come down here and surprise you."
Damyan and I exchanged a glance; he pulled an apologetic face. The two of us had been discussing how best to break the news of what was going on with Mina to my daughter, but it looked like we were going to have to handle that a little sooner than we expected.
Olya was resilient, though. After her mother, a one-night stand of mine, had all but dumped her at my doorstep as a toddler, she had worked hard to take care of herself, turn herself into the kind of woman she could be proud of. Yes, she had a little more of an ego than she strictly needed, but I was never going to dissuade her of it. She was my daughter; I adored her. I wanted her to believe she could take on anything in the world.
Olya’s eyes slid past me and towards Mina, and she cocked her head to the side curiously.
"And who’s this?" she asked, waggling her brows pointedly.
"This is our friend, Mina," I introduced her, and Mina extended her hand to Olya with a slightly nervous smile.
"It’s really good to meet you," she told her. "Your father has told me a lot about you."
"Oh, no, don’t believe any of it," Olya replied breezily. Mina laughed.
"Anyway, can we go out for something to eat?" she asked. "I’m starving. I’ve been traveling all day …"
"Sure, just let us get changed," I replied. "Damyan, can you make a reservation for us?”
"Will do," Damyan replied, and he seemed as relieved as I felt that Olya hadn’t figured out exactly what Mina was really doing here. I knew I was going to have to explain it to her eventually, but for now, at least, I was more than happy to just let this go.
I headed into the bedroom and grinned at myself in the mirror. My daughter was home. Mina’s father was doing well in recovery. And Mina was happy—that's what mattered most to me right now, knowing all she had been through, that she could finally relax and enjoy herself after the nightmare of what she had endured.
I just had to hope that what lay ahead of her was going to be even better. And that Damyan and I would be able to continue providing her with everything she needed to live out the rest of her life in happiness and security.
Epilogue – Mina
"Well, Jo," I remarked as I smiled at the woman sitting opposite me. "I think you seem like a perfect match for the business. When can you start?"
The woman leaned back in her seat and planted her hand on her chest, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, my God, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that," she replied, laughing. "I can start whenever you want me to. This weekend?”
"This weekend would be great," I agreed, jotting something down on the schedule to make sure we didn’t double-book anything. Jo was to be one of the new bartenders at The Flood, and I had been interviewing for them all week. Only a couple had actually stood out to me as personable and skilled enough to pull off working there, and she was obviously one of them.
I could tell there was something else going on under the surface, too, something she might not have been in any rush to put into words anytime soon. Something that reminded me of myself, when I had first come here—a desperation to make it work, no matter what, a willingness to do whatever it took to get by.
