“No fucking way, Lev,” I growl before he can even make the suggestion.
“What?” he asks. “She’d be a good fit.”
“If I wanted a pretty woman with no personality, I’d buy a fucking statue.”
“You don’t have to talk to the poor girl,” Lev points out. “Just marry her, pop out a couple of kiddos, and give her a comfortable life.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re starting to sound like my father now. Not a good way to try and convince me of anything.”
Lev purses his lips. “I guess that didn’t work for you the first time.”
“It did not. And I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”
“Jhené is different, though,” he points out. “She’s young and…”
“Stupid?”
“Adaptable,” Lev corrects diplomatically. “She’s not going to expect much from you, apart from a cushy life. That you can give her.”
“She’s a child.”
“She’ll be fertile.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Fucking hell, Lev. You’re disappointing me right now.”
“If you don’t have children—”
“I have a younger brother,” I remind him. “If I don’t have children, then the Bratva will pass to Yulian.”
“You’d really do that? Hand the Bratva over to Yulian?”
“Why do you sound skeptical?”
“I’m not skeptical about you doing it. I’m skeptical about Yulian running this whole show.”
I smirk. “You don’t think he’s up to the task?”
“He might grow into it,” Lev muses. “But I don’t know. He’s a good man, Anton. I just don’t know about leading an entire Bratva. Running several businesses. Managing colleagues, clients, suppliers, allies, enemies. It’s a delicate balancing act. I’m not sure Yulian has the patience.”
“It’s the plan for now. I’m not getting married any time soon, Lev,” I say. “My wife hasn’t even been dead a year. I’ve sworn off marriage indefinitely.”
My attention is diverted a second later when Jessa reappears on the screen. She’s swapped her white t-shirt for a blank tank top and pulled her hair up into a high bun at the back of her head.
She looks…
“Oh boy.”
“What?” I ask.
When I turn to Lev, he’s looking at me with raised eyebrows and a sympathetic expression.
I frown. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Is she gonna be a problem?”
“I already told you, I’m just having a little fun. I’ll get bored of her soon.”
“You sound confident,” Lev says. “So why don’t I believe you?”