Chapter 35 Selene
Chapter thirty-five
Selene
Two Months Later
I stare in awe at the blue Aegean Sea, flowing calmly in its space a few feet away from the pathway where I stand.
The sun swims low in the sky, casting golden hues that strike the horizon.
God, it’s beautiful. Even though we’ve been here for two days, I still can’t get over the beauty of this place.
Greece.
Soft breeze whooshes around me, blowing my hair into my face, but before I can hold it back, Cortez beats me to it.
“I got you, Princessa,” he murmurs into my neck, one hand snaking tightly around my waist to rub my belly.
Placing my hands atop his, I lean into him, melting into his warmth.
“I know.” I giggle like a teenager on a first date, a familiar wave of peace washing over me.
Our little vacation to Santorini is something I didn’t know I needed. Over the past two months, I’ve been very engaged in the financial aspect of Cortez’s mafia business.
I had moved back into the mansion after his apology.
Shortly after, he proposed that I work for him as an accountant since he’s expanding the mafia even more and wants someone from the family whom he can blindly trust. Of course, I would never turn down an opportunity to be useful, so I first underwent vigorous training with his mafia’s now former CFO before assuming the position as the chief accountant for the Marino Mafia.
He said he didn’t want to overwork me, and that’s why I have multiple accountants helping me out…
and the chance to opt out if the stress becomes too much.
So far, my job has been going well. The undercutting has completely stopped now, too.
Cortez’s strategy worked. We even found out Reform’s main agenda beneath the lies of giving everyone equal chances to grow and making crime untraceable; once they infiltrated the whole market with cheap products and made everything decentralized, they’d create a backdoor, pump prices, and control everything.
Thank God Cortez succeeded, although it’ll take some time for the mafia to regain a full financial footing because of the low-priced drugs still in circulation.
Luca, too, is free, but he’s in rehab for now because of the forced substance abuse that the syndicate put him through. Cortez and I visit him from time to time, and the doctors say he’ll be fine in no time.
I’ll forever be grateful to Cortez for helping him…and me.
It’s such a pleasure, finally feeling like I’m breaking out of the tight cage of sexism that Dad had put me in. But I won’t lie, as my pregnancy progresses, I get exhausted faster. Cortez must have noticed that, hence the vacation.
I inhale deeply when I feel Cortez’s hand work lightly around my lower back. A smile tilts my lips as I arch, giving him space to massage me better. Nothing prepared me for this much back pain as a result of the pregnancy. Thank God, at least my nausea has vanished.
Cortez slides his fingers soothingly across a spot, and I smile. I’m enjoying this journey—carrying a life inside me—and how Cortez strives to make everything easier.
“You know you don’t have to work,” he grunts.
I roll my eyes with a chuckle. Even though he’s being so intentional about his growth, there are some things that just will not change about this man.
One is his constant nagging to stop working, and the second is how he threatens to tear apart anyone who looks at me the wrong way.
I mean, it does sometimes feel a bit over the top.
“If I take your advice of not working at any little inconvenience, how can I build resilience?” My feet scrabble against the cobblestone as I turn to him, cocking a playful brow.
He shrugs. “You don’t need to build resilience…” He says the last two words with a hint of sarcasm. “I want to pamper you, protect you and provide for you.”
“I know,” I smirk, tapping his shoulders. He simply stares at me, longing and adoration shining in his eyes. Then he places a kiss on my forehead, the softness sending my heart rate into a surge.
“Enough sightseeing now. We still have a dinner date,” he breathes when he pulls away, intertwining our hands as he tugs me up a path.
The soft hum of the private vehicle whirs at a distance behind us as I follow.
He’d hired it since the beginning of the vacation, just in case I got tired and didn’t feel like walking.
My sundress flows at my ankles as we walk up the pathway. In no time, we get to an isolated terrace, surrounded by lines of beautiful trees. But that’s not what catches my attention. It’s the beautiful arrangement that does.
There’s a table, clothed with beautiful white fabric, and two chairs on opposite ends.
A beautiful golden lamp sits in the center, shining light on the long, golden platter in the center. And a tall bottle of wine complements the setup.
Strings of golden light illuminate the arrangement from above, casting a striking glow on the rose petals that concentrate at the center of the table before spreading downwards in two straight lines to form a pathway that starts just where I stand.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper. He smiles, his hand falling to my lower back as he guides me through the rose path.
For some reason, my knees feel wobbly. Unlike other places we’ve been to, this is more intimate, just us immersed in the beauty of nature.
He pulls the chair out for me, and I sit. Then he walks around the table to take his seat.
The hair on my body rises from the heat of his stare as I open the platter to see grilled sea bass, asparagus, and potatoes, all garnished with fresh oregano and slices of lemon.
Beside it, a bowl of something creamy, fluffy bread, and an overly decorated salad rest deliciously.
My mouth waters and, like other times, I’m left wondering what the meal is called here in Greece when Cortez’s voice reaches me.
“Lavraki.” He clears his throat, tugging the platter closer, then picks up a fork and knife to debone the fish.
I nod, staring at how his biceps strain deliciously against his rolled-up long-sleeved shirt. A breeze lightly blows his hair into his face, and it takes restraint not to push it back in place.
Once the deboned piece of fish is served, I dig in. It tastes just as flavorful as it looks.
I’m halfway through eating when I notice he has barely touched his food. My eyes narrow on his loose grip on the fork, and when I hold his gaze, I see tentativeness evidently swimming in his eyes.
My guts twist.
“What’s wrong?” I swallow, my throat tightening for reasons unknown to even me.
He doesn’t answer immediately…just drags his gaze over me, then he slowly pushes his chair back and stands. I drop my fork.
“I had a whole speech planned.” He shoves a hand in his hair. “But fuck it, just…”
Before I can say anything else, he brings out a dark blue velvet box from his pocket and sinks to one knee. It feels as if the world is going to stop. My heart starts beating faster. I blink, staring at him in awe when he opens the box to reveal a large diamond ring.
Clearing his throat, he continues. “Selene,” he rasps, his gaze locking onto mine. “You’ve been the only thing that makes sense to me in this chaotic world of mine. In a world where all I know is blood and violence, you’re my peace…my relief.”
Tears stream down my cheeks, but I’m too fixated on the man before me to bother. I feel it all. Love, adoration, desire…
“Each time you talk, I’m in awe of you. And each time you smile, you make a piece of my dark world brighter.
” He smiles lightly, love shining in his eyes.
“I have you now, but that is not enough. I want to have you forever. Selene Vasquez, will you be mine for the rest of our lives? Will you marry me?”
The world, indeed, stops. The sea stills. And I don’t hold back the tears that rush down my cheeks as I stand up and stretch my hand out to him. “Yes,” I whisper, fierce and sure. I’d say yes a thousand times.
He slides the ring onto my ring finger, removing the previous one, and when he stands to his full height, our lips are pressed against each other’s.
The breeze twirls around us as he tightens his hands around me, pouring his emotions into the kiss.
I push my hand into his hair, kissing back with much fervor until I hear the sound of clapping, followed by a familiar voice.
“?Mi nina preciosa! (My precious girl!)” My heart almost beats out of my chest when I look at the entrance to see Nana.
She’s standing in a long, flowy gown, her hands to her chest. Her brown hair is pulled into a tight bun, and her bright green eyes are fixed on me.
I dart a surprised look at Cortez, who smiles and steps out of the way. As I run to Nana, I feel my feet getting wobbly from relief and excitement at the realization that she is indeed alive.
Everything feels like a dream. The proposal…her appearance.
A strangled sob wracks my throat when I pull her into a tight hug. “Nana.” My voice is a soft whisper. “You’re alive…”
She rubs soothing circles on my back, murmuring into my hair. “I am, dear.”
“They didn’t get to you?” I murmur against her neck.
“Los Hierros wasn’t after a lonely old woman like me.
Your dad killed the don’s brother and his nuclear family.
So they wanted to repay the favor. I was visiting a sick friend in Portugal when the attack happened, and when I heard, I just stayed back.
” She gently pushes me back to cup my cheeks, tears glinting in her eyes.
“I didn’t want to come back because…you and your brother were my world, and when I heard you both had…died, I couldn’t bring myself to come home. It didn’t feel like home anymore without my family, without you. And coming back to nothing felt heavier than disappearing altogether.”
Her eyes dart to Cortez behind me. “Your fiancé found me.” Then she returns her gaze to me, wiggling her brows. “I must say, though, he’s full of fire.”
I laugh, joy nearly splitting my heart in half. “God. I missed you, Nana.”
***