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“I don’t have any issues with it, so you have my support to go, but you’ll need to run this by Bash, since it’s his men you’ll be joining,” Anya instructs.
“That’s all I need.” Grayson smiles before looking at me.
I look over to my wife who’s smiling at me expectantly, nodding again.
Chuckling, I reach into my pocket for my phone. “I’ll text him and set up a meeting time so you can plead your case.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Does Liling know about your plans to leave?” my wife asks casually, but her raised eyebrows are a dead giveaway as she looks into her wine glass as if there’s gold at the bottom.
Grayson chokes on his water.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
NICO—Three Months Later
"Happy anniversary, baby.”
I tell my wife as I remove my hands from covering Anya’s eyes.
“Happy anniversary!” the crowd yells, causing my wife to lean back into my chest before turning to me, wide-eyed.
“Oh my gosh! How did you do this?” She beams, grabbing my arm and showing off her dimple as she bounces on her toes.
I chuckle. “It took very little convincing. I just told Ma I wanted a party, and she handled the rest.”
Ma had the backyard decorated similar to our first wedding. With the string lights, the extravagant candlelit centerpieces, and the ambiance created by the greenery and lush gardens.
Since the events went down with Caishen, we’ve all been busy. I figured a surprise party for my wife would allow not just her, but everyone some time to relax together. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary than with family. Our marriage marks the union of three empires.
We all agreed that things needed to change. We were no longer letting just anyone travel in and out of our territories anymore. Our reluctance to avoid stepping on toes is what got us into the position in the first place.
My parents are the first to greet us.
“Marcella, this is so beautiful,” Anya greets my mother with a kiss to each cheek before moving to my father.
“I know how much you love it back here. It was nothing dear. Someone should enjoy this space. Giuseppe and I are usually too busy.”
“Neither of you have jobs. How is that even possible?” I joke, earning an elbow to the stomach from my father.
The Violantes follow and then the rest of the crew joins in to greet us before we all take our seats for dinner. I can tell Ma is going insane without a seating chart, but I know Anya appreciates a more casual approach.
“Salute!” Cesare raises a glass among the guests as they raise their own glasses and toast.
“Ganbei!”
“Salute!”
“I can’t believe it’s been a year.” My wife looks at me, wide-eyed when we get a moment alone. Once we get to the small bridge over the man-made pond, I lift my wife up so she can sit on the ledge, making us almost eye level.
“To my first husband!” My wife beams, clinking our glasses.
“To youronlyhusband,” I growl, pulling my giggling wife closer to me.
“Mine.”
“Always, amore.” I land a kiss on her lips.
