Luca Ivanov’s POV

The dim glow of the bedside lamp flickered, casting shadows over Damien’s sharp features.

Luca shivered, his body pressed against the silk sheets as Damien’s lips traced fire down his skin.

Possessive. Intoxicating. Completely consuming.

Damien's grip tightened around Luca’s waist, pulling him closer, deeper.

Their breaths tangled— raw, unrestrained.

“Mine,” Damien growled against Luca’s throat, sinking his teeth into the sensitive skin.

Luca gasped, fingers twisting in Damien’s dark hair.

“Yours,” he whispered back, completely undone.

Damien smirked against his skin, pleased, hungry for more.

But just as he leaned in again—

The bedroom door burst open.

A small figure sprinted inside, unbothered by the scene she just interrupted.

“PAPA! Lucaaaa !”

Both men froze.

Luca groaned and collapsed back on the bed, covering his face.

Damien, still half on top of him, turned his head toward the tiny invader with a murderous glare.

Ava grinned, bouncing on her heels. “Guess what?!”

Damien exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. “This better be life or death.”

Ava ignored him. Like always.

“There’s a parent-teacher conference at my school! And you guys have to come!”

Luca snorted, biting his lip to keep from laughing as Damien’s expression darkened.

“I have to do what?” Damien’s voice was flat.

Ava beamed up at him, completely unafraid. “You have to come to my school! As my parents! Luca and Papa together!”

Luca turned his head to look at Damien, mocking innocence in his gaze. “Yeah, Daddy. We have to go.”

Damien shot him a sharp look, then turned back to Ava.

“No.”

Ava pouted. “Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

Luca grinned, resting his chin on Damien’s shoulder. “We can dress you up real nice. Imagine all the other dads cowering in fear.”

Damien rolled his eyes. “They already do.”

Ava gasped dramatically. “You don’t wanna come? Don’t you love me?”

Damien sighed, defeated. “Ava—”

“I’ll tell all my friends you were too scared.”

Silence.

Damien’s eye twitched.

Luca grinned.

Ava smirked.

“Fine,” Damien muttered. “But if a single idiot parent pisses me off, I’m burning the school down.”

Ava squealed in delight.

Luca kissed Damien’s cheek.

“I knew you’d say yes.”

******** sunlight spilled through the curtains as Luca buttoned up his shirt, glancing at himself in the mirror. Nerves tingled under his skin.

A parent-teacher conference. With Damien.

Why was he even nervous? He wasn’t the criminal in this relationship.

A deep chuckle sounded behind him. Luca felt it before he saw him— Damien’s presence was too intense to ignore.

“Look at you, all proper and nervous,” Damien murmured, stepping up behind Luca, arms snaking around his waist.

Luca stiffened. “I’m not nervous.”

Damien smirked against his neck. “You’re blushing, little mother.”

Luca froze.

“What did you just call me?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

Damien tilted his head, amused. “You heard me. Ava’s mother.”

Luca whipped around, scandalized. “I am not—!”

“Oh? But you’re the one who fusses over her hair, makes her breakfast, and scolds her for staying up late.” Damien grinned, wicked and lazy. “Sounds like a mother to me.”

Luca’s face burned. “That’s called being responsible, you caveman.”

Damien chuckled darkly. “No, it’s called being my little wife.”

Luca nearly choked.

“I am going to murder you.”

Damien’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he grabbed his tie and pulled him closer.

“Oh, but you love it, don’t you?”

Luca pushed against his chest, but Damien didn’t budge.

“Shut up and finish getting dressed, you menace.”

Damien leaned down, brushing a slow, teasing kiss against Luca’s lips.

“Yes, baby.”

******** The drive to Ava’s school was peaceful—until they arrived.

As soon as Damien stepped out of the sleek black car, dressed in his usual expensive black suit, everything changed.

The air in the parking lot grew tense. Parents and teachers froze mid-conversation. A few even took small steps back. Mothers instinctively shielded their children, and some fathers exchanged wary glances.

Luca groaned, already knowing where this was going.

Ava, completely oblivious, hopped out of the car excitedly. “Let’s go! We’re gonna be late!”

Luca sighed and grabbed Damien’s hand, pulling him forward. “Try not to traumatize the entire school, okay?”

Damien raised an eyebrow. “I’m not doing anything.”

Luca gave him a look. “You exist. That’s enough.”

They walked into the school, and as expected, the tension followed them like a storm cloud. The front desk secretary stammered as she tried to greet them, her hands visibly shaking as she handed Luca the attendance sheet.

“W-Welcome, Mr. Ivanov. A-And you must be Mr. Volkov...”

Damien said nothing. He just stared.

She almost dropped her pen.

Luca elbowed him. “Stop scaring people.”

Damien smirked.

Ava tugged at his sleeve. “Papa, don’t make Mrs. Anderson faint. I still need my math grades.”

Luca stifled a laugh as they walked to the main hall, where other parents were seated. Ava skipped ahead, oblivious to the way people parted to let them through, eyes flickering nervously to Damien.

The teacher—Mr. Sullivan, a mild-mannered man in his forties—looked up and visibly paled.

Damien tilted his head slightly, watching the teacher like a predator inspecting prey.

The poor man cleared his throat, forcing a smile. “Ava’s parents! W-We’re honored to have you here. Please, take a seat.”

Luca sat down calmly, but Damien?

Damien leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs, drumming his fingers against the table. His mere presence sucked the warmth out of the room.

One of the other parents whispered too loudly, “Isn’t that Volkov? From the—”

His wife elbowed him hard.

Damien smirked.

Luca pinched the bridge of his nose. This was a disaster.

The teacher started talking about Ava’s grades—how she was excelling in literature but needed to focus more on math. The usual.

But halfway through, Damien suddenly spoke.

“Who’s the top student in math?”

The teacher blinked. “Uhm… I believe that would be Caleb Parker.”

Damien nodded. “Have his family contact me. I’ll buy them. Exchange Ava's grade with him.”

Luca choked on air.

Ava facepalmed. “Papa, you can’t buy people.”

Damien gave her an unimpressed look. “That’s incorrect. I can buy anyone.”

The teacher looked like he wanted to run.

Luca turned to Damien, whispering harshly, “We are in a school, not negotiating a business deal. Stop making people think we’re criminals!”

Damien looked genuinely confused. “But are we criminals??.”

Luca kicked him under the table.

Damien smirked, completely unbothered.

Then Damien's phone rang and he goes to pick it.

******

Damien’s POV

The air outside was crisp, but Damien’s mood was anything but cool. His grip on his phone was tight as he stepped out of the overly decorated school hall, the sound of chattering parents and excitable children fading behind him.

“Talk,” he commanded the second his associate picked up.

“The shipment arrived at the docks, but we had to neutralize a few curious eyes.”

Damien exhaled slowly. “And?”

“No threats. But I heard Mikhail’s men were sniffing around the area last night.”

Damien’s jaw clenched. “Tighten security. If even one of his rats gets close, I want his corpse floating by morning.”

“Yes, boss.”

He hung up, rolling his shoulders as he turned back toward the school building. As much as he hated these pointless events, seeing Luca and Ava’s faces light up had been worth the headache.

But as he stepped inside, his sharp gaze locked onto an infuriating sight.

Across the hall, Luca stood near the snack table, laughing softly at something. And beside him, standing too damn close, was a man in an expensive suit—grinning, leaning in, and clearly flirting.

Damien’s mood turned murderous instantly.

He stalked toward them, silent as a predator.

“…You’re studying law?” the man—some generic-looking bastard—asked, smiling at Luca.

Luca nodded, sipping from his drink. “Yeah. My two last years left.”

“I’m a lawyer myself. If you ever need help, I could mentor you. Give you some tips,” the man offered smoothly, his eyes lingering on Luca in a way that made Damien want to break every bone in his face.

Luca, completely oblivious, smiled politely. “That’s nice of you.”

That was it.

Damien stepped between them, his towering presence sucking the warmth from the air.

The lawyer stiffened, stepping back instinctively as Damien’s cold, wolfish grin stretched across his face.

“Nice of him?” Damien mused darkly. “That depends on his intentions, doesn’t it?”

Luca blinked up at him, confused. “What—”

“Who the fuck are you?” the lawyer asked, trying—and failing—to sound confident.

Damien leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to something low and venomous. “I’m the one who decides if you wake up breathing tomorrow.”

The lawyer paled, stepping back. “I—I was just talking—”

“No,” Damien corrected, his tone dripping with amusement. “You were flirting. With my man.” He tilted his head, smirking. “That’s a mistake.”

The lawyer swallowed hard, looking between them. “I—I didn’t know he was taken.”

“He’s not just taken,” Damien murmured. “He’s mine.”

Luca groaned, tugging Damien’s sleeve. “Damien, stop being dramatic—”

But Damien ignored him. He took another slow step forward, his voice a whisper of lethal intent.

“Next time you even think about talking to him, I’ll make sure your own law firm won’t be able to find your body.”

The man backed away so fast he nearly tripped over a chair before practically running out of the hall.

Luca sighed, rubbing his temples. “You scared him.”

“Good,” Damien said, smirking. “He was annoying.”

Ava appeared beside them, frowning. “Did papa make someone cry again?”

Luca crossed his arms. “Yes.”

Ava sighed. “You need therapy.”

Damien just grinned, pulling Luca against his chest possessively. “Why? I feel great.”

Luca muttered something under his breath, but the way his ears turned pink told Damien all he needed to know.

This day was turning out better than expected.

***** After an excruciating hour of teachers stuttering through presentations and parents sneaking terrified glances at Damien, the conference finally ended.

As they walked out, Ava sighed dramatically. “Well, that was a disaster. I’m never bringing you guys again.”

Luca patted her head. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve ever said.”

Damien just chuckled, completely unfazed.

“I think it went well.”