After Ulyana left, Rowan returned to his study and resumed working through several company files waiting on his approval.
The estate had long since gone quiet.
The dim desk lamp illuminated the room as the ocean waves crashed faintly against the cliffs outside his windows.
Hours passed.
Meeting reports, financial projections, security briefings. Rowan had many tasks to complete.
Yet despite his usual discipline, Rowan found himself rereading the same page repeatedly without absorbing a single word.
His focus simply was not there. Every few minutes, his thoughts drifted back to her, the softness in her voice, the way she had looked at him so attentively while they spoke, the sincerity behind her promise to try her best as his future wife.
Rowan leaned back slowly in his chair and removed his glasses with a quiet sigh.
What unsettled him most was not the engagement itself.
He had already accepted the practicality of it the moment the plan was proposed.
No.
What truly caught him off guard was how naturally Ulyana had entered their dynamic.
There had been no dramatics.
Instead, she adapted almost effortlessly into his world, speaking to Graham comfortably, teasing Hak naturally, cooking beside him in the kitchen like she had belonged there all along.
And Rowan realised something dangerous then.
He had expected respect, cooperation even; Perhaps even eventual fondness but he had not expected to genuinely enjoy her presence this quickly.
Rowan eventually decided to turn in for the night and retired to his bedroom. Yet even after leaving his study, his thoughts remained occupied by Ulyana.
She was incredibly intriguing.
Far more than he had anticipated.
By the time he had showered, changed into more comfortable clothes, and settled into bed, Rowan had already made up his mind.
Completely out of character for him, he picked up his phone and called her.
Vasily Estate
Meanwhile, outside the Vasily estate gates, Ulyana was still speaking quietly with Hak before heading inside.
Her phone suddenly lit up.
ROWAN VOLKOV 🤓
Ulyana blinked in surprise. "Sorry Hak," she said softly as she stepped away slightly. "I need to take this. I'll see you soon."
Hak nodded once, though his expression darkened slightly at the name on her phone.
Ulyana answered the call, "Hello?~"
A brief pause followed before Rowan's calm voice came through the speaker. "Hello, Ulyana. It's Rowan."
Something about the way he formally introduced himself made her smile faintly.
"I just wanted to check that you arrived home," he continued. "And that Hak returned you safely."
Ulyana glanced briefly toward Hak before answering.
"I got home safely thanks to my escort," she replied lightly. "The last seventy two hours have been a little intense though, so I was just about to wind down."
Rowan quietly acknowledged that.
"I understand."
A brief silence settled between them.
Then Rowan spoke again, his tone quieter now, "I was thinking about our conversation earlier."
Ulyana listened silently.
"And I wanted you to know," he said calmly, "that I'm looking forward to our arrangement."
For some reason, hearing him say that made her chest tighten softly.
"…Me too," she admitted quietly.
The line grew quiet for a moment afterward, though it wasn't uncomfortable.
Ulyana slowly wandered through the front gardens of the estate while speaking to him, her heels clicking softly against the stone pathway.
"You know," she said lightly, "you're very formal on the phone."
Rowan let out a faint hum of amusement.
"Is that a complaint?"
"No," Ulyana smiled softly. "I think I like it."
Something about the way Rowan carried himself felt steady.
Intentional.
Even his words sounded carefully chosen.
"I imagine you say that now," Rowan replied calmly, "but in a few weeks you'll probably be telling me to relax."
"That depends."
"On?"
"How tolerable you are."
A quiet laugh escaped him at that. "There she is," Rowan murmured.
"What does that mean?"
"The humour you hide whenever you're thinking too seriously."
Ulyana leaned lightly against one of the garden pillars, "I'm always serious."
"That might be the biggest lie you've told me today."
She gasped dramatically. "You wound me."
"I doubt that."
Ulyana smiled to herself as she listened to his voice.
After a moment, she admitted honestly, "You know… I thought this would feel awkward."
"And does it?"
"A little," she confessed. "But not in a bad way."
Rowan was quiet for a second before answering.
"I think that's because we're both trying."
The sincerity behind his words softened her expression immediately.
"You really are a gentleman," she murmured.
"That sounds dangerously close to praise."
"It is praise."
Rowan chuckled quietly again. "And you," he replied smoothly, "are far more charming than you realise."
Ulyana blinked slightly at that, she quickly recovered, "You're flirting with me already?"
"I'm your future fiancé," Rowan answered calmly. "I'd be concerned if I wasn't."
That made her laugh properly this time.
And hearing it through the phone made Rowan smile to himself in the quiet darkness of his bedroom.
Their conversation continued far longer than either of them originally intended.
What started as a simple check in slowly turned into easy conversation filled with light teasing, soft laughter, and the occasional comfortable silence.
Meanwhile, Ulyana had already changed into comfortable clothes and was halfway through her skincare routine, lazily patting serum onto her face while balancing her phone between her shoulder and cheek.
Truthfully, she had intended to end the call several times already so she could finally take a bath and sleep.
But every time there was a pause, one of them found another thing to say.
"You should prepare yourself, you know," Rowan said smoothly at one point.
"For what exactly?"
"The full force of my affections."
Ulyana laughed softly. "That sounds mildly threatening."
"It kinda is."
She smiled to herself as she walked toward her bathroom doorway.
"Well," she admitted quietly, "I think I've been waiting for this kind of romance."
The line went briefly silent. Then Rowan answered honestly, "Same."
Something about the sincerity in his voice made her pause. To think a man like Rowan Volkov had quietly wanted something genuine felt strangely endearing.
Ulyana leaned lightly against the doorway afterward.
"So," she asked, changing the subject slightly before the moment became too soft, "what do you think about bringing Xeno and Amos to the baseball game?"
Rowan hummed thoughtfully. "That could work well."
"I'll bring Graham," he added calmly. "Then publicly it'll just appear to be a friendly gathering."
Ulyana nodded to herself. "And afterward?"
"Afterward," Rowan replied smoothly, "we split off for our own plans."
The subtle implication behind his tone made her cheeks warm slightly. "You really don't waste time flirting, do you?"
"I'm making up for lost time."
"Making up for lost time," Ulyana repeated softly with a smile. "Well then, I'm anticipating your next move."
Rowan's voice lowered slightly.
"Try not to," he replied smoothly. "You'll be thoroughly surprised by it."
Ulyana laughed quietly. "I'll hold you to that."
"You should."
A comfortable silence settled between them again before Ulyana finally sighed softly.
"As much as, surprisingly, I feel like I could talk to you for hours…" she admitted, "I should probably let you go."
Rowan hummed lightly in acknowledgement.
"I return to the company tomorrow."
"Princess needs her beauty sleep," Rowan teased calmly.
Ulyana smiled immediately at the nickname.
"Exactly."
"Alright," Rowan said softly. "You'll hear from me before the game next week."
"I hope so."
"Hmm. You will."
Something about the certainty in his voice made her chest feel warm.
Eventually, they said their goodnights and ended the call.
Afterward, Ulyana finally showered and prepared for bed, quietly humming to herself while steam filled the marble bathroom. To her own surprise, she felt… happy.
Comfortably so.
But as she settled beneath her blankets later that night, her mind inevitably drifted back toward Hak.
Toward the way he had looked at her in the car.
The desperation in his voice.
The promise to wait. And suddenly the warmth she felt became tangled with confusion.
Because the truth was painfully simple.
Both men were good to her.
Both understood her world.
And both had somehow found their way into her heart for entirely different reasons.
Ulyana closed her eyes with a quiet sigh.
Then eventually drifted asleep feeling more conflicted than ever before.