Salina huffed as she stepped out of the car, alone. Her plan- very loosely- was to meet Laurent in the courtyard that they'd visit when she was little. Around them were older buildings that had long been left to rot now.

She sniffled when she saw her father sitting on the bench in her view. Swallowing deeply, Salina wrapped her arms tightly around herself. A dress reached her calves as it swished against her skin, moving while she approached Laurent. Her hands shook lightly.

Hearing her footsteps, Laurent stood and immediately she slowed down. Her feet hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Mon ange," Laurent sighed and tried to get closer as his arms lifted up.

"Stay there," Salina demanded. "I shouldn't even be here," she kept her voice even while looking at her father. He looked horrible, bags were under his eyes and his clothes hung off his frame as if he'd been losing weight. "You look like shit."

Laurent scoffed humorlessly, "Well that happens when someone realizes how badly they've messed up. I've missed my daughter."

"You didn't miss me all those years before when we lived in that house like strangers."

Once again, Laurent tried to move closer to her. Side stepping, Salina kept the same distance between them as she maneuvered around him. Now he stood in the center of the field and she was closest to the bench he sat on before.

"I never should have agreed to the arrangement, sending you off to that monster. I'm sorry, I understand your upset with me for letting him take you."

"Watch your mouth about him," she snapped before inhaling deeply.

Salina fought the urge to roll her eyes at the way he was spinning the narrative. She couldn't let him get under skin. That would ruin everything. Instead she settled for glaring at her father.

"You sold me off like a piece of property. And when you didn't get the price you wanted in return, then all of a sudden you missed me. So much that you'd put me in danger to get me back."

As if he wasn't expecting her to know about his part in the gala attack, Laurent's eyes widened. "I-I am so sorry, ma belle. I never meant for that to get so out of hand. It wasn't my intention. The McCaffrey's took it too far."

"You took it too far when you tried to have me stolen!" Salina spat. Her father pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "You know I would never knowingly put you in danger."

"Yeah god forbid the merchandise get damaged," her dark eyes rolled. "I risked a lot coming here and you can't even be fucking genuine. You never gave a shit about me, I don't know why I ever thought you did," Salina's voice shook with emotion.

All she wanted was for her father to comfort her, for the relationship to suddenly turn around and be what she craved all along.

But now she stood with the man who had her kidnapped and he didn't even resemble her father. Only a stranger.

"I gave you everything!" Laurent practically barked at her. "I gave you everything I had left in me after your mother left and it was all a waste after this arrangement."

"Why wasn't I ever enough by myself, huh?" Salina suddenly croaked. The two stared at one another, "I keep going back to it in my head. Was it because mom left and you blamed me-"

"Never-!"

"Then was it because I'm a woman, did you want a son after all? That would explain why you preferred Drake all these years."

"Salina how could you even ask me these questions you know I love you-"

Salina balled up her fists up, lifting them up to her face and shoving her perfectly styled hair all over the place. "You don't!" She shrieked finally over his lies. "You don't, you don't and you never did," her voice cracked with sobs.

Her self control left her, shoving against his chest once and then twice. Laurent didn't stop her, taking it as his own eyes stung with unshed tears. She pounded her fists against his chest, "You never even liked me," she cried softly.

Unable to take it any longer, his arms wound around her. Salina struggled but felt his shaky breaths, momentarily she halted and let him hug her tightly. Tighter and longer than she can ever remember being hugged by him.

"How could I not like you?" Laurent rasped. "You're the best thing I've ever done. You're all a man could ask for in a daughter... you're brilliant Salina. You're independent. Everything I have to strive to be you are naturally, I love you so fucking much mon ange. So much," her father murmured against her hair.

Salina's fingers twitched against his coat, gripping it slowly and breathing in his familiar scent. Her eyes squeezed shut as her head pressed against his chest. It was like time stood still around the both of them and everything was erased- just for a moment.

For that single moment, Laurent was a good father and his daughter felt truly loved by him. A million thoughts of family dinners and quality time spent together passed through Salina and Laurent's mind.

"You know I can't let you go back to him. You're leaving with me. You knew that, right Selly?"

It was like a shot through her heart when the words fell from his lips. Those thoughts were sucked back down into the deepest depths of her mind, forgotten so easily.

Her eyes slid shut, a sigh forced it's way through her lips as if it was punched from her gut. He released her when she pulled away and took a few steps back. Her knees buckled when they hit the bench and Salina slumped back against it. Anxiety and fear made it's home in her stomach at the thought of Laurent taking her away from Dominik.

She knew this was the end of the line for them, the end to this spiraling saga. The end of the Beaumonts as they know it.

There was no going back for them.

Laurent was reaching for his gun in the back of his pants, fully intending on using it to force Salina into leaving with him. That way he could get exactly what he needed from Dominik Ivanov. But he didn't want to have to use it on her. Not on his baby.

He hesitated when he saw the tears in his daughter's eyes, his chest ached and tore with the urge to comfort her.

But when her glassy eyes flickered up to his own, Laurent faltered for a different reason. Instead, now he paused at the loathe in her gaze.

"Who said you were leaving here?" she rasped as she leaned back against the bench, she wiped under her eyes so there was no wetness left on her face.

His blood ran cold at her detached tone of voice. Salina's eyes zeroed in on the red dot trained on Laurent's forehead.

"Salina..."

She cut him off herself, "I heard you were running out of options back at home. You weren't leaving the house. Some people thought you were going to do yourself a favor and end it there. But you're too selfish to make it that easy."

Laurent flinched when he heard footsteps behind him, whipping around and seeing the last person he thought would betray him.

"Drake- what the fuck-"

"Enough is enough, uncle. I couldn't stand by it anymore."

Salina leaned forward, bracing her hands against her knees. "All those guards you had posted around the park are dead by now. Did you really think Dominik would be dumb enough to attack you in your own territory? Drake came to him a few days ago- letting him know that you rigged the entire estate with explosives- which is fucking crazy by the way."

Salina shook her head in disbelief, "Even the cops told him you were acting suspiciously. Are you that far gone that you'd rather die taking him down with you? And are you that stupid to think he wasn't already two steps ahead of you?"

Laurent was at a loss for words, face growing sweaty and his eyes frantic. Soldiers began filtering from thin air, all of their guns trained on him. Whoever was sniping purposefully shined their red dot in his eye, making him squint and register that he was pinned down.

If it wasn't for the situation, Salina would laugh knowing it was Dima with the rifle pointed right at her father.

"Leading you out like this was my idea. I knew it'd be would be the only way to get you out," Salina sighed quietly.

The morning before she had met with Vivienne, Dominik sat down to tell her his thoughts. They both came up with the plan together after Drake reached out himself. To her cousins credit, it was the only thing keeping him alive right now.

It was her idea to lure him out of the house by tugging on his heart strings and playing the part of the idiot daughter looking for reconciliation.

Laurent looked green, terror flooded from his pores so much that Salina was sure she could smell it off of him.

"How could you do this..." he choked out.

"You drew the line in the sand a long time ago."

Shaking his head, Laurent sneered, "You're just like the rest of them. Kneeling down for him- I thought I taught you better than that."

"On the contrary," a baritone voice rumbled from behind Laurent. Everyone stiffened at the sound, Dominik's smirk shooting shivers of fear down all the men's spines. Salina's eyes flickered over to him, her brow ticking up at his dramatic entrance.

"I was just kneeling for her last night, Laurent. It's my favorite past time as her husband. You could learn a thing or two from me... maybe that's why your wife left in the end. Couldn't keep her satisfied, huh?" Dominik snorted and watched Laurent whip around to face him.

Drake came to stand besides Salina as instructed. She glared sideways at him as her husband wrapped things up.

"Anything you'd like to add, Beaumont?"

Dominik rose his brow at the older man, with his other hand he waved a finger as a signal to the majority of the soldiers surrounding them. Salina watched all of them file out in an organized synchronicity. The only soldier left was someone she recognized, the doctor that treated both her and Dominik after the gala.

"Ivanov- are you really going to rid yourself of an ally over a simple arrangement? Over a woman? Has your father taught you nothing?"

Salina clenched her fist tightly, glancing at her husband sharply who slid his eyes to her own. While doing so, he snatched the gun from Laurent's belt.

"That's funny... You should be giving me condolences rather than mocking me." Dominik grinned slyly. All three of the Beaumonts had a flash of confusion shoot through them, but Salina didn't let it show on her face.

"Soon enough Salina and I will be the last of the Ivanovs in power," he laughed openly at the announcement of his parents death. "Well besides Salina and I's baby, whenever she'll give me one. Andrei and Irina... they're death sentence has already been written so there's no point in wondering about what my father thinks. He'll be dead by the end of the night."

Salina fought away the shock that tried to creep it's way onto her face. This is the first she's heard of this part of the plan. Killing the Ivanovs... it's so crazy that only Dominik would be the one insane enough to pull it off.

"Ivanov... Dominik... You can't take your wife's father from her... she'll never forgive you-!"

"Will you forgive me baby?" Dominik asked abruptly, giving her a dopey smile.

"I think I can find a way," she shrugged noncommittally. He shot her a wink before looking back at Laurent. "Does that cover it all?"

"Wait-"

"Yeah I think that's it," Laurent didn't get another word out before Dominik dropped his gun in favor of his knife. Before Salina could even flinch away, the knife was pressed to her fathers throat. Her head turned just in time when she heard the blade slicing through her fathers throat.

The choked sounds of blood filled her ears, she sucked on her cheek to fight back any emotions that might bubble up from her stomach. She heard his body drop.

Sucking in a deep breath, Salina stepped away from Drake immediately. As soon as she did so, she heard a single shot. Her brown eyes slid to her cousin slumped on the ground. Dead.

That same doctor rushed forward at Dominik's command.

"Doc...Make sure he doesn't die. I cut enough to where you'd have some leeway with time if you get started now. My guys will be here in five, they'll take over. Leave the other one for clean up later," Dominik waved to Laurent's body as he glared at man sternly.

Salina's eyes shut tightly, she remembered the offer Dominik made to her when he laid out his plan.

"We don't have to kill him, baby..." Dominik promised her. "You don't have to worry about my reputation."

"Yes I do," her lip quivered.

"How about this, hm beautiful? We don't kill him- we just make it look like we did?"

"My Salina," Dominik purred as he cradled her face. Turning her away from her fathers body while the doctor worked on stopping the bleeding. He didn't get his artery, the bastard would live. And he would rot in a cell that Dominik would keep locked away. That way Salina didn't have to live in guilt and his reputation was in tact with everyone but a very select few thinking Laurent is dead in the ground. Not that he really gave a damn about the reputation at this point for Salina's sake.

Like the perfectly healthy married couple they are, the two came to the perfect compromise.

His lips pressed to hers harshly and greedily. Murmured promises to 'never make her do anything like this again' were rushed between them. "Are you alright my sweet girl?" he rushed between the meshing of their mouths. Salina could barely nod as he was holding her head, but she was able to give him a shaking 'yes'.

"I feel a little bad about Drake though," she sighed as his tongue trailed over her jaw.

"Don't- he was a pussy. And he was useless after this. A liability," Dominik pulled away to lift her up. Dima and Aleksei came forward, the cousins all made eye contact. "Make sure this is all taken care of?"

"Got it, boss."

Dominik nodded and turned back to Salina who buried her face in his shoulder, "You did so good, my жена. I'm so proud. You'll never have to do anything like that again. Never."

"Okay," Salina kissed his collar softly. "Thank you, Domo."

"I love you, I'd do anything for you. You own me."

Salina shivered at the seriousness in his tone. "I love you," she cooed while raking her fingers through his hair.

•••

are my daddy issues screaming thru the pages lmao??

anyways here's the surprise i was planning but didn't tell anyone lmfao

go check out the super link in my bio for my socials and some important sites explaining what's going on in the world♡♡