Epilogue
Two Months Later
Marco
The familiar melody of the church organ hums in the background and, unlike last time, the sound doesn’t send panic racing through my veins or my feet wanting to sprint toward the door. I stand in the vestibule in a navy tux with my wife by my side, trailing my fingers down her bare arms. She’s a glorious sight in a sleeveless, shimmering ruby gown, her beauty so radiant no one has wasted a second on the faint scars crisscrossing her arms.
I’m so damned proud of her.
My half-brother, Luca, on the other hand looks as if he’s a second from spilling the contents of his stomach. Beads of sweat line his brow and his typically tan skin is a pale shade of olive. Dante wears a shit-eating grin, enjoying every moment of his brother’s torture. He slaps Luca on the back and whispers, “This is why I eloped.” But the loud, obnoxious Italian can’t whisper for shit, and I’m certain half the crowd has heard him.
“Just wait until Rose is in the delivery room, coglione ,” Luca hisses back. “Then we’ll see who’s laughing.”
Jia glances at Dante’s wife, her swollen belly peeking beneath the layers of plum ruffles of her maid of honor gown. Something unreadable flashes across those dark spheres, but it vanishes as quickly as it appeared.
“Oh, quit it, you two. Don’t freak Rose out.” Maisy stands beside her best friend and gives her a squeeze. “You’ll be totally fine when the time comes.”
Rose shoots a glare at her husband. “Oh, I better be or there will be hell to pay. And I’ll never let your cock anywhere near me again.”
Maisy giggles, her cheeks burning a deep crimson as Dante scowls. Nico watches his fiancée like she’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen, and the cute redhead probably is in his eyes. I get it now. Maisy finally let him propose about a month ago. My twin was mad about her from the start, but since she’d been recently divorced, she forced him to take things slow.
I can see the anticipation in my brother’s eyes, just waiting for the moment he can walk down the aisle with the love of his life. I never thought I’d see the day.
As I stand there in the huge church once again, I can’t believe how far I’ve come. How far all of us have come. In the span of a year, I met my half-brothers, nearly destroyed their business, bolstered my own, discovered my father hadn’t exactly been the bastard I thought he was, been forced into a business arrangement with the Four Seas and ended up falling in love with my wife.
It’s been a hell of a ride.
I’m still the CEO of Gemini Corp and now Co-CEO of CityZen, not to mention handling our back-alley businesses, the Geminis and the Four Seas. Jia has managed to successfully run both operations with little help from me. The Kings and Geminis are at peace, and the Chinese Triad is as close to peace as possible, and we’ve managed to keep the flagrant killing to a minimum. Squabbles inevitably arise but due to the Kings’ alliance with the Red Dragons and my wife as head of the Four Seas, we’ve reached a sort of status quo.
A temporary cease-fire.
With the next generation of Valentinos and Rossies in the making, one can never be too careful. Supremacy is one thing, but stability is far more valuable in the dark chaos of our world. Especially when there’s so much more to lose now.
“You okay?” Jia’s voice tears me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, just reminiscing about the last time we were here.”
“And how miserable you were?” She lifts a challenging brow.
“On the contrary, I remember it as the day my life really began.”
A smile settles across her delicate features, only making her more beautiful. “I’m glad to hear you say that because there’s something I have to tell you?—”
The wedding march blares, and Maisy appears between us, cutting Jia off. “Come on, we have to take our seats. I absolutely have to get a good picture of the bride as she walks down the aisle. That dress is just so fabulous, Jia!” As she continues rambling about Stella’s dress, created by my wife, of course, she shuffles the four of us toward the pews in the front.
Luca and Dante walk a few steps behind us, slowly making their way to the altar. I’m relieved I’m not on center stage today. I much rather watch the happy couple from the sidelines, my life with Jia firmly in order for once. Everything is perfect.
A wave of oohs and ahhs fill the cathedral, and I turn around just in time to see Stella in a billowing white gown. Jia created something straight out of Cinderella with the endless layers of satin, tulles and lace. I catch a quick glimpse of my half-brother’s face and unexpected happiness fills my heart at the sight of the overwhelming joy in his.
And they say villains don’t get a happy ending…
Jia
I can barely keep still from the excitement. I had hoped to tell Marco the news the moment we stepped into the church where we’d been married only a few months ago. I thought it would be the perfect place, but we’d been surrounded by Rossies and Valentinos since we arrived.
After the ceremony, I rush Marco down the pathway to the car where Rick awaits with the back door open. For once, I actually pray for traffic on the way to the reception at the iconic New York Public Library so we’ll have more time alone. Maisy told me the venue was chosen because it was the location of the first event the billionaire bachelor had taken Stella to when their love story began.
I slide into the backseat and wipe my sweaty palms on the sides of the silk ruby gown I designed for the wedding. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I crafted a dress for myself without sleeves. A dress that would show my scars to the world. But I walked through that church with my head held high today, with my love at my side, the man who makes me stronger. I never would have had the courage to do that without him.
I only hope I have the courage to confess the truth now.
A part of me wants to believe Marco will be thrilled, but the other part is petrified it’s too soon. As it is, we both have so much on our plates…
“Are you going to tell me already or should I force it out of you?” Marco’s warm breath tickles the shell of my ear as he wraps an arm around my bare shoulders.
I whirl at him, nearly bumping his nose. “Hmm?”
“You said you had something to tell me earlier, and that vein in your forehead has been twitching since we left the penthouse.” A smirk teases up the corners of his lips as he takes my hand. “So please tell me what’s going on, spitfire, before I start to worry.”
His big hand envelops mine, the feeling of safety and protection mirroring exactly how I always feel when I’m with Marco. Together we can do anything. And let’s be honest, anyone would be a better father than Bà . Only a few months with Marco and I’m certain he’ll be the absolute best because he, too, knows what it’s like to have a father who failed miserably.
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt. I guess Yéye was right, and he’d be back to meet the new heir before long.
Marco’s eyes grow large and round, and I prepare for the oncoming rage, but instead, his smile only splits impossibly wider. “I knew your all-natural method would do nothing against my Italian super sperm.”
I choke on a nervous laugh as he pulls me into his lap. “Yeah, well maybe the fact that we didn’t exactly adhere to the no-sex-during-ovulation rule had something to do with it.”
He chuckles, the happy sound relieving some of the blossoming tension.
“So you’re not angry?”
His hand cups my belly, his warm palm moving tentatively over the barely-there bump. “Why would I be angry, spitfire? I told you a while ago I wanted it all with you. I’m not stupid enough to think this wouldn’t happen with the constant fucking. If I’d been really concerned about it, I would’ve put on a condom.”
A relieved sigh slips out as I press my lips to Marco’s. “God, I love you. ”
“Not more than I love you.” Then he slips his hands beneath my dress and clutches my thighs. “So if this baby is coming in nine months, we better make sure we get in all the orgasms we can now.” His thumbs brush my bare pussy, and a groan rumbles his chest. “Mmm, damn, I love it when you don’t wear panties, wifey.”
“Only for you, honey.” I offer a sweet smile as I drag his zipper down and free that enormous cock. The one I was so terrified of at first and now can’t seem to get enough of.
He lifts my hips and I easily settle down on top of him, that thick head hitting all the right nerves when he thrusts deep inside me. I let out a moan as I rock against his hardness, rubbing my clit to his shaft.
“Promise me nothing will change when we have this baby,” I rasp out as the orgasm begins to build. There’s something about pregnancy that has me horny as hell, every touch magnified, my senses on high alert.
“Nothing will change,” he murmurs as he bounces me harder on his cock. “Except I’ll probably love you even more, seeing your belly full with my child. Dio , it’s going to be so fucking hot.”
I toss my head back and laugh, the onslaught of sensations overwhelming. “I’m so lucky Yéye chose you to be my husband, Mr. Rossi.”
Marco stops his mad thrusting and fixes that enigmatic gaze on mine. He’s never looked more sincere, more serious than in this moment. “No, Mrs. Guo-Rossi, I’m so lucky that he chose you for me .”
Read on for a special sneak peek of Ruthless Guardian , the first story in the Ruthless Heirs series where you’ll meet the next generation of Kings!