Hands shake mine. Respectful nods turn into genuine smiles. It feels almost surreal, like an out-of-body experience. But this isreal. This is what I’ve worked for years to achieve even, if I don’t really want it now that I could have it.
After the formalities are over, I step out of the headquarters. Viktor is waiting by the car, holding the door open for me.
“How did it go?” he asks as I slide in.
I wait until he’s in the driver’s seat before answering, a rare smile cracking my face. “Just as you predicted. They offered me the place as the new Vice President of Pantheon.”
A genuine smile breaks across Viktor’s usually stoic face, a rare sight. “Well deserved, boss. Even if you won’t take it.”
I nod, leaning back in the seat. “I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
We fall silent for a moment. I know we’re both thinking the same thing, how much better this moment would feel if Dmitri were still here. But the idiot chose betrayal.
“Take me home,” I say quietly. I need to see my wife. It’s been ten hours too long since I’ve been away from her.
The moment I step inside the house, the smell of something warm and sweet greets me. I follow the scent to the kitchen and stop in the doorway.
There she is.
Calina stands at the counter, whisking what looks like chocolate batter, humming softly to herself. She’s wearing one of my shirts over her shorts, the hem brushing her thighs, sleeves rolled up. Her hair is tied up messily, a few strands escaping to frame her face. She looks so effortlessly beautiful, so mine.
Since she moved in, this house has transformed. It used to feel cold and functional. Now it feels alive. She’s redecorated every room with small touches, soft throws, fresh flowers, little things that carry her scent and presence.
Even my study, which I once forbade her from entering, now has her touch. My desk has been repositioned, a small bamboo plant now sits in the corner of the room, supposedly to attract prosperity. She even insisted on replacing the harsh overhead lighting with warm lamps because the energy felt "too aggressive”.
She calls it feng shui. Whatever makes her happy, I’m along for the ride.
I walk up behind her quietly and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in, that warm scent that’s uniquely hers.
She turns her head, smiling as she kisses me. “You’re back. How was the meeting?”
I rest my chin on her shoulder, holding her a little tighter. “It went well. They offered me the position of Vice President of Pantheon.”
“And what did you say?”
I only smile and she knows the answer without having to say it. She drops the whisk with a clatter, spinning in my arms with a delighted squeal. “Really? Oh my God, Maxim! I’m so proud of you!”
Those words,I’m so proud of you, hit me harder than any bullet ever could.
All these years, I’ve been trying to prove myself. To my adoptive father,, who only saw me as a tool to continue his legacy. To my adoptive mother who treated me like an unwanted stray. To the world, which looked at me as the orphan who didn’t belong.
I kept fighting, kept climbing, just to hear someone say those words. And now my wife says them so easily, so genuinely, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Something deep inside me cracks open, the lonely little boy from the orphanage, the one who never felt good enough, finally hears what he’s always needed.
I pull her closer, kissing her deeply, pouring everything I feel into it. When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers, voice rough with emotion.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
I watch her for a moment, letting the sight of her settle something deep inside me.
“So what were you doing?” I want to take her upstairs and have our clothes off.
“I’m baking chocolate lava cake,” she says with a soft, almost shy smile. She knows it’s my favorite dessert.
She didn’t have to do this. There are staff for cooking, chefs who could make anything I want on command. But she’s here, sleeves rolled up, whisking batter with her own hands because she wants to take care of me. Not out of duty. Not out of fear. Just… because she cares.
It undoes me every single time.
