Nathan’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her eyes land on the paper. He didn’t even think; he quickly grabbed a heavy leather folder from the side of the desk and dropped it right on top of the DNA report, covering it completely.

"What is that?" Viktoria asked, her brow furrowing. She had seen the white edge of the paper before he hid it. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Nathan. And why are you acting so jumpy?"

Nathan felt a cold sweat on his neck. He forced a small, fake laugh and wiped his palms on his trousers. He knew she would hate him, really hate him if she found out he had been sneaking around behind her back to test her son’s hair. To her, it would look like he was a crazy person or trying to steal her child.

"It’s nothing," Nathan said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Just some boring legal papers for the office. Alex brought them over, and they’re full of numbers and tax stuff. It’s stressing me out."

Viktoria stepped closer, her eyes still suspicious. "You’re a bad liar, Nathan Keith. Your hand is shaking."

Nathan quickly moved away from the desk, putting himself between her and the folder. He reached out and gently took her arm to lead her toward the door.

"I’m just tired," he lied, giving her a tired smile. "I haven’t slept much. I think the business with the Russian office is just getting to me. I don’t want to talk about work while Mateo is here."

Viktoria looked at the folder one last time, then back at Nathan. She didn’t look like she fully believed him, but she let it go for now.

"Okay," she said softly. "But don’t work too hard. You’re starting to act a bit strange."

"I promise," Nathan said.

As soon as she walked out of the room with Mateo, Nathan slumped against the door and let out a long breath. He looked over at Alex, who was standing in the corner, looking just as nervous.

"That was too close," Nathan whispered. "If she saw that name on the lab report, she would never trust me again. She’d take the boy and run before I could even explain."

Nathan walked back to the desk and picked up the paper, staring at the 99.9% match again. He folded it small and tucked it into the pocket of his suit jacket, right against his chest. He couldn’t leave it in the study anymore.

"We have to be more careful, Alex," Nathan said, his voice hard. "She can’t know about this yet. Not until I have Natasha’s head on a silver platter."

"I understand, sir," Alex said, bowing his head. "I’ll make sure any future reports come directly to me in person."

Nathan looked at the closed door. He felt a mix of relief and fear. He had the proof he needed, but he was living on a ticking time bomb. He was holding his son, but he was still a stranger to the woman he loved. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

#########

In a large room in another part of the city, Natasha was pacing back and forth. She was very angry, and her face was red. She looked at Marcus, who was sitting at a desk with his laptop.

"Why haven’t you found her yet?" Natasha screamed. She picked up a glass from the table and threw it. It hit the floor and broke into pieces. "It has been days, Marcus! You said you were the best at this. How can you not find one woman and a small boy?"

Marcus did not move. He looked like he was used to her being angry. "I have told you many times, Natasha. She has not switched on her phone. Without a signal, there is no way to track her. If Nathan is hiding her, he is doing a good job of keeping her off the grid."

"She is with him! I know she is!" Natasha hissed. She leaned over the desk, her eyes full of hate. "Fiona is always stealing everything from me. Years ago, she took Nathan away. I thought I won when I sent her to Russia. I thought she would live a lie forever as ’Viktoria’ and I would never have to see her face again."

Natasha sat down in a chair, breathing fast. "I was too soft. I should have just killed her in that morgue three years ago. But I wanted her to suffer. Now, she is back here, and Nathan is probably holding her right now. I won’t let her take him again. This time, I will kill her. And I will kill that boy too. I want her whole life erased."

Marcus looked at her. He was tired of her lashing out at him. He wanted a way to end this without having to do all the hard work himself.

"You want her out of that house?" Marcus asked. "I have a plan. We don’t need to find her if we make her husband do the work for us."

Natasha stopped talking and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Nikolai is sitting in Russia right now, and he is scared," Marcus said. "We send him a secret message. An anonymous tip. We tell him the truth—that Nathan Keith has his wife and son at his house. But we tell him Nathan is holding them like hostages because he has been secretly in love with her for years."

A mean smile started to grow on Natasha’s face.

"Think about it," Marcus continued. "Nikolai is a proud man. He thinks he is a hero. If he thinks Nathan is stealing his wife and son, he will fly here immediately. He won’t call. He will just show up at Nathan’s door with his own men. He will take Fiona and the boy back to Russia where they belong."

Natasha started to laugh. "It’s perfect. Nikolai will do all the work. He will take her away from Nathan’s protection, and Nathan will look like a kidnapper. Nathan will lose her all over again, and he won’t be able to say anything because to the world, she is Nikolai’s wife."

"Exactly," Marcus said. "We let the husband take her back to Moscow. Once she is back in Russia, away from Nathan, we can find a way to finish her there."

"Do it now, Marcus," Natasha ordered. "Send the message. Tell that Russian exactly where his family is."

Marcus turned back to his computer. He typed a quick, secret message and sent it through a hidden channel. "It’s done. Nikolai should have it on his phone in a few seconds."

Natasha looked out the window. She felt happy for the first time in days. "Enjoy your last few hours with her, Nathan. Because your Russian friend is coming to take back what he thinks is his."