Hak's POV
After leaving Rowan's office, Hak found himself needing space.
Alone.
Away from Graham.
Away from reports.
Away from preparations for the overseas operation.
Away from everyone and everything.
His feet carried him automatically toward his room within the estate. The moment the door closed behind him, the silence became almost unbearable.
Because unfortunately, his thoughts immediately returned to them.
To Rowan...
And Ulyana.
Hak groaned and fell backwards onto his bed before grabbing a baseball from his bedside table.
The ball sailed into the air.
He caught it.
Then tossed it again.
Over and over.
A habit he'd picked up years ago whenever he needed to think or more accurately whenever he needed to stop thinking.
Unfortunately it wasn't working.
Because no matter how many times the baseball left his hand, his mind kept returning to the same place.
The public was obsessed with Rowan and Ulyana. Every social media platform seemed flooded with discussions about them.
Edits, photos, videos, comments...
People adored them together and they have had one date publicly. ONE.
Then there was Nikolai.
The old man approved; that alone carried enormous weight.
Even Ivan and Vadim had seemingly accepted Rowan without issue.
Graham wouldn't shut up about it either. Every second sentence out of his mouth somehow circled back to Rowan and Ulyana.
And the worst part?
Rowan looked happy. Genuinely happy.
Happier than Hak had ever seen him. It was strange and almost unsettling because Rowan had spent years carrying responsibilities most people would never survive. Yet somehow one woman had managed to put more life back into him within a few weeks than anyone else had in years.
The baseball landed back in Hak's hand.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Then there was Ulyana.
That was where things became complicated, because Hak could see it happening, slowly, subtly.
But undeniably, she still cared about him, he knew that but she was starting to draw lines.
Starting to create boundaries between them, starting to protect herself.
And Hak hated it.
Because she was the only woman he'd ever truly looked at, the only one he'd ever imagined a future with, the only one who had ever mattered enough to make him question his choices.
The baseball hit his palm harder this time.
Is it really too late?
The question sat heavily in his chest.
Because if he was honest with himself, he had nobody to blame but himself.
For years he'd drawn the line between them.
For years he'd kept his distance.
For years he'd convinced himself it was the right thing to do. Not because he didn't want her, but because he wanted her too much.
His world was dangerous.
Violent.
Unpredictable.
He lived in the shadows by necessity.
Disappearing for weeks.
Taking assignments that couldn't be explained.
Carrying burdens he couldn't share.
At the time he'd convinced himself pursuing her would only hurt her.
That staying away was the kinder choice.
The safer choice.
Maybe it had been.
But laying there now and listening to the baseball slap rhythmically against his palm Hak found himself wondering if he'd simply been a coward. Because while he'd spent years keeping his distance…
Rowan had walked straight toward her. And now she smiled differently when Rowan entered a room.
The realization made Hak close his eyes.
For the first time in a very long time, he genuinely didn't know what to do next.
The baseball continued its steady rhythm.
Up.
Down.
Catch.
Again.
Hak stared at the ceiling.
If he continued down this path, he knew exactly what it meant.
He wasn't stupid.
He wasn't blind.
And he certainly wasn't unaware of the lines that existed now.
Because this wasn't some stranger pursuing Ulyana.
This was Rowan.
His uncle.
The man who had raised him, the man who had protected him, the man who had never once hesitated when it came to Hak.
That made everything worse.
Because Hak knew he was stepping on toes simply by continuing to feel this way. Yet no matter how many times he tried to reason with himself, his heart simply refused to move on.
The baseball landed back in his hand.
Hak sighed.
Because if he was being honest... he'd given plenty himself.
More than most people realised, the world saw Rowan just as his leader, his uncle, his mentor etc.
But Hak knew there was more to it than that.
Rowan had given him a home and a future.
When nobody else had.
When Hak's life had fallen apart, Rowan had stepped into the gaps without ever asking for anything in return.
And because of that Hak's loyalty ran deeper than most people could understand.
Far deeper than what was expected of a shadow.
Far deeper than simple obligation.
It was loyalty born from love.
From gratitude.
From respect.
The kind that couldn't be repaid, which was exactly why this felt so complicated.
Because for perhaps the first time in his life, what he wanted and what he believed was right were no longer the same thing.
Hak closed his eyes.
And immediately another memory surfaced.
A hurricane.
Heavy rain.
A fourteen-year-old girl glaring at him like she wanted to throw him back into the storm.
A laugh escaped him.
Back then she had been stubborn, bossy and far too brave for her own good, she still is. Yet she'd looked at him differently than everyone else; not as something broken, not as a weapon.
Just… Hak.
And somehow she had continued doing that ever since.
Year after year.
She had changed his life so gradually he hadn't even noticed it happening.
Until one day she had become woven into every important memory he possessed. Every holiday, every celebration, every achievement, every failure, every home he had ever considered home somehow included her.
The realization hurt.
Because perhaps the cruelest part wasn't that he loved her, it was thtat he genuinely understood why Rowan was starting to fall for her too. Hak groaned and rubbed both hands over his face.
"Great."
Now he was sympathizing with his competition.
That was a new low.
Still, when he thought about Rowan's expression whenever he looked at Ulyana…
When he thought about the way Ulyana smiled around Rowan…
His chest tightened.
Because despite everything and everyone, he wasn't ready to let go.
Not yet.
Maybe that made him selfish, maybe it made him unfair or maybe it made him an idiot.
But after spending years convincing himself he had tim, Years convincing himself there would always be another day. Hak wasn't sure he could walk away without at least trying.
The baseball stopped spinning in his hand.
Hak stared at the ceiling, then finally muttered to himself: "…This is going to end badly."
He wasn't sure whose heart would break first.
- -
Eventually Hak had enough of his own thoughts. There was only so much contemplation one man could do before it became self-inflicted torture.
With a sigh, he pushed himself off the bed. He still had things to discuss with Rowan before they departed overseas.
Might as well get it over with.
Hak left his room and made his way through the estate toward Rowan's office.
The halls were quiet and most of the staff were already preparing for the evening.
As he approached the office door, he noticed it wasn't fully closed; just slightly ajar.
Hak slowed his steps, then looked inside.And immediately wished he hadn't.
Ulyana was awake now.
She was still stretched out on the couch, though she'd shifted onto her side. Her hair spilled over the cushions while she absentmindedly played with a loose strand between her fingers.
Meanwhile Rowan had abandoned his desk entirely. Instead, he was sitting on the floor beside the couch.
One arm resting against the cushions, looking up at her while she spoke. Neither of them seemed aware of anything else around them.
There was no dramatic display, no grand confession, there wasn't even any kissing. Nothing Hak could point at and justify being bothered by.
That was the problem.
They looked natural and comfortable. Like they genuinely enjoyed simply existing in the same space.
Ulyana laughed softly at something Rowan said.
Rowan immediately smiled, and there it was again. That look.
The one Hak had never seen on Rowan before. Like contentment.
The sight made something twist unpleasantly in his chest, not because Rowan was happy.
Hak wanted Rowan to be happy, he genuinely did.
But standing there now…
It felt like he was watching two pieces naturally fall together.
For the first time since this entire mess had started, Hak wondered if he was the one standing in the wrong place.
His hand remained on the door handle for a moment, then slowly he let go.
There was nothing left to discuss that couldn't wait.
Not right now.
Not while they were looking at each other like that.
Quietly, Hak stepped back from the doorway.
Neither of them noticed, and maybe that was for the best. With a final glance toward the office, Hak turned around and headed back down the corridor, past the grand staircase, past the foyer, past the estate doors.
A few minutes later he was climbing into his vehicle.
The engine started.
The gates opened.
And Hak left the Volkov Estate without saying another word.
- - -
Graham's POV
Graham had spent most of the afternoon on the far side of the estate handling matters that would never appear on any official company report.
One of the men involved in the warehouse incident had finally started talking.
Not because he wanted to, but because Graham had become exceptionally good at convincing people that cooperation was in their best interests.
The captive had confirmed several suspicions and provided additional information regarding the former underling who had defected from their organisation.
The traitor remained at large, but now they had leads, several of them.
It was enough progress to justify updating Rowan before they departed overseas.
With a tablet tucked under his arm, Graham left the underground facilities and headed toward the main estate. The contrast was always amusing.
One side of the estate housed gardens, guest suites, and luxury. The other side housed interrogation and investigation rooms.
Such was life.
As Graham approached Rowan's office corridor, he immediately noticed something unusual.
Hak.
Standing outside the office. Not entering but not leaving... just standing there.
Graham slowed his pace.
That alone was strange since Hak was not a hesitant person.
In all the years Graham had known him, Hak had always been decisive. Dangerously so.
Yet now he stood motionless beside the office door.
Then Graham heard it.
Laughter.
Faint.
Warm.
Coming from inside the office.
A woman's laughter, followed by Rowan's.
Graham raised an eyebrow.
Interesting.
Hak remained there for another moment before his shoulders subtly lowered. Not in defeat, not quite but it was something close.
Then without knocking, without entering, without saying a word Hak turned around and left.
Graham watched him disappear down the corridor. Now that was interesting, because suddenly several observations from the past few weeks began rearranging themselves inside Graham's mind.
He continued walking until he reached the office.
The door was slightly open.
And unfortunately for his desire to stay uninvolved—He saw exactly what Hak had seen.
Ulyana was curled comfortably on the couch, her shoes had long since been abandoned somewhere in the office, her hair spilled across the cushions.
Meanwhile Rowan sat on the floor beside her.
Not because there weren't perfectly good chairs available, it was simply because he wanted to be close.
The pair were completely absorbed in their own conversation.
Ulyana was speaking.
Rowan was listening. Actually listening.
Something Graham knew was rarer than most people realised.
The sight would've been amusing if it wasn't causing several problems to rapidly form inside his head.
Slowly, Graham leaned back from the doorway.
Because all at once his suspicions finally crystallised into certainty.
Hak had feelings for her. Not a crush, not temporary interest, not curiosity... feelings. Real ones.
And unfortunately, Rowan was already halfway down the same road.
Graham closed his eyes briefly. "…Fantastic."
A love triangle.
Between a man who would burn down cities for the people he cared about and a man who would sacrifice himself without hesitation for those same people.
And a woman both of them cared deeply for.
What could possibly go wrong? The answer arrived immediately.
Everything.
Graham quietly stepped away from the door.
Neither Rowan nor Ulyana noticed him, he intended to keep it that way.
The security briefing could wait another hour.
As he walked back down the corridor, Graham found himself mentally sorting through every possible outcome, most of them weren't ideal, a few were outright disasters and not a single one looked simple.
With a tired sigh, Graham adjusted the tablet beneath his arm.
This was going to get messy.
Ulyana's POV
Ulyana dreamed.
It wasn't a particularly exciting dream: no dramatic events, no grand adventures...just peace.
She found herself wandering through the gardens of the Vasily Estate.
The sun was warm.
The flowers were in bloom.
And she was holding someone's hand.
For a moment she couldn't quite make out who it was.
Then the man turned toward her.
Oh.
It's Rowan.
Dream Rowan smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
The dream shifted.
As dreams often do.
Suddenly they were laying in the grass together beneath one of the large oak trees.
Laughing.
Play fighting.
Arguing over something entirely ridiculous.
She couldn't even remember what it was about.
Only that they both seemed happy.
Genuinely happy.
The sound of their laughter echoed through the dream.
And somehow, that was the last thing she remembered before waking.
Slowly, Ulyana opened her eyes.
For a few moments she remained caught between sleep and wakefulness.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Content.
Rested.
Then her vision focused.
And she found Rowan sitting on the floor beside the couch.
Watching her.
Ulyana blinked.
Then blinked again. "…Were you watching me sleep?"
Rowan didn't even attempt to deny it."Mmm."
The casual response immediately made her face heat up.
"Rowan!" She covered her face with both hands.
"Why?"
A soft laugh escaped him. Then gently, Rowan reached up and moved her hands away from her face.
"Because you're beautiful."
Ulyana immediately groaned. "Stop…"
"Why?"
"Because that's embarrassing."
His smile only widened. "Don't be shy, Angel."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop smiling. Then after a moment she looked at him thoughtfully.
"I had a dream."
"Did you?"
"You were in my dream."
Rowan immediately looked amused. "Oh really?"
"Mhm."
"What was I doing?"
He clearly thought she was teasing him.
Ulyana propped herself up on one elbow. "We were walking through the gardens at my estate."
Rowan's eyebrow lifted. "Very romantic."
"I'm serious."
"Continue."
Ulyana gestured for him to shush. "Then we were laying in the grass."
"Still romantic."
"And play fighting."
"Adorable."
"Rowan."
"I'm listening."
She laughed before finishing the story.
"We were just happy."
For a moment Rowan simply looked at her, then a smug expression slowly appeared.
"Oh..."
Ulyana immediately recognised that look.
"No, no,no, no,no,no,no."
"Oh yes."
"No."
He leaned back slightly. "So what you're telling me is that I'm appearing in your dreams, I'm you dream man now."
She threw a cushion at him.
Rowan caught it effortlessly. "This is getting serious, Angel."
"You are so annoying."
"You must like me far more than you've been letting me believe."
Ulyana stared at him.
Then burst out laughing. Actually laughing, the kind of laugh that made her shoulders shake.
"Rowan."
"What?"
"I've been painfully obvious."
He looked genuinely amused. "You think so?"
"Yes."
She started dramatically, "I literally called you because I couldn't sleep."
"Fair."
"I let you drag me around all day doing errands."
"Also fair."
"I fell asleep in your office."
"Very fair."
Ulyana shook her head while laughing. "At this point, if I become any more obvious, I'd have to make a presentation."
That finally made Rowan laugh too.
And as their laughter filled the office, neither of them seemed particularly aware that the evening was growing later.
Or that Rowan's departure was growing closer.