Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Leon
Katya took my breath away the moment she stepped out of her bedroom, dressed and ready for dinner.
Her looks are something that can’t really be hidden or understated.
Even in her everyday clothes to run around with the kids, and the light makeup or lack of makeup all together, she could never be mistaken for anything other than a worldly beauty.
But somehow, when she gets all dolled up like this, it’s even harder to deny or ignore.
Leo was the first one to gasp and compliment her of course, wasting no time to shout about how pretty she looks before Bastian and I could even form words.
Our compliments came soon after of course—softer, and more controlled.
My sons knew how to compliment women and girls, mostly due to learning by example from their uncles praising their aunts.
And Katya in return, was quick to call us all her handsome boys—me included.
I probably swelled with confidence just as dramatically as my children, but we were in too much of a hurry for anyone to dwell on it.
Dinner wasn’t a far away drive, but taking young kids to a fancy restaurant opening is a delicate process, and both Katya and I wanted to get there as soon as possible, hoping to leave little room for frustration on the kids’ part.
We arrived only a few minutes ago, and my wife still has my eye.
Her long blonde hair is practically glowing under the restaurant’s warm radiant lighting, and her tight black dress is somehow sophisticated and sexy.
It’s not too short or too low cut, but it’s molded to her body and her small curves so perfectly that I can almost picture how she would look underneath it.
Our table is round, and in the private dining area meant for family and VIPs.
Tonight, that consists of only us, and Gino with his wife and their kids.
The main part of the restaurant is open for our business associates and their families, a test run before our official grand opening tomorrow night.
The food is Italian and French fusion, upscale but not too highbrow.
It’s meant to be appealing to foodies, but also to the general public that feels drawn to upscale dining.
Small talk has already begun in full swing, mostly reintroductions with Katya, and first introductions to Gino’s children. Bastian and Leo have met them, of course, but everyone is still basically new to my wife.
“I heard a funny story about you last week,” Katya comments, her eyes finding Gino across the table.
Leo starts giggling immediately and Katya grins, poking his side.
It’s my first dinner out of the house with her, and my sons have both decided it’s more important for them to sit with her than for me to be by my wife’s side. If it wasn’t so cute, I would find myself being grumpier about it.
Gino sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, realizing what she means immediately. “It truly wasn’t that funny.”
Leo disagrees, laughing harder. His little shoulders shake, and Katya’s eyes sparkle as she watches him crack up.
“I don’t know, it seems to amuse this little one to no end. It’s one way to make a lasting memory, that’s for sure.”
“Ugh, his laugh is just precious, isn’t it?” Maria asks, patting her husband’s arm on the table. “Imagine if you fell tonight? He might make himself sick.”
“Thank you, amate,” Gino drawls, shaking his head. There’s still a loving look in his eyes, despite his wife enjoying his misery.
“You’re welcome, my love,” she replies sweetly. “Katya, you must tell me where you bought that dress. You look gorgeous, as usual.”
My wife’s cheeks flush pink and she smiles at the comment. “My mother bought this one. I’ll have to ask her and get back to you. She always finds the best clothes. My little sister is even more into fashion than she is, actually.”
“Love that,” Maria says, grinning and looking toward her daughters. “My Lily and Rose are obsessed with shopping just like their mama.”
“Rose is only two,” Gino tells his wife, nodding down to the small brunette girl in his lap. “She’s obsessed with everything that you tell her to be.”
Rose looks exactly like Gino, but in tiny girlish form.
Her big features are all his, but her cute brown curls and princess dress are all her mom.
Lily on the other hand, could be her mother’s twin.
Her softer eyes, smaller nose, lips, and chin, are far too subtle to be from Gino’s side of the family.
“I don’t know,” Katya muses, looking between the happy couple. “My little sister Gaia started gaining her fashion opinions pretty early on. She would refuse to wear graphic T-shirts and plain white socks, and she would pout if she couldn’t wear a pretty dress.”
“Sounds just like my Lily.” Maria sighs happily. “She won’t leave the house without her accessories.”
“Gee-ia my cousin,” Leo suddenly chimes, reaching into Katya’s lap to grab her arm and hold it. “Right, Kat?”
Katya grins and lifts his hand to kiss it lightly. “That’s right, Gaia is your family now.”
He grins in return. “Can we send pit-cher to my Rayna?”
“Of course,” my wife agrees easily. “How about we send one after dinner, hmm?”
My son bobs his head. “Yes, okay.”
“Hello, Lily,” I hear Bastian say, his voice gentle and low. “How are you?”
Gino and I share a look as his six-year-old daughter lights up, turning to speak with Bastian easily.
They’re so close in age, and have been slowly developing a friendship for years.
The possibility of joining our families in the future is something we’ve discussed, but never too seriously.
We won’t force our children into a marriage arrangement but I think both of us would appreciate knowing the family of our kid’s future partner when the time comes.
It’s so much easier to imagine letting your child go when it’s to someone raised by a man you trust implicitly.
Lily seems to be easy for Bastian to talk to, since he doesn’t shy away from conversation beyond the polite greeting.
He listens when she tells him about her summer, and replies to her questions when she asks them.
I often refer to my son as shy, but he’s really more timid than anything.
He’s slow to warm up, but he does warm up.
“Damnit, I need to take this,” Gino mutters suddenly, looking down at his phone with a furrow in his brow. His chair scrapes backwards as he stands up and he gently lowers Rose into his wife’s lap.
“You said no work tonight—”
“I’ll be right back, I promise.” He kisses the top of her head and heads toward the door before she can protest further. If he’s taking a phone call in the middle of dinner with me, Maria will know it must be important.
“Sorry about that,” Gino’s wife says, smiling tightly. “He’s normally good about putting work away for family time.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Katya replies, gesturing with a wave of her hand to brush off the explanation. “We have a couple of busy men. They make time, but things come up, it’s okay.”
Maria looks reassured by Katya’s response, her shoulders dropping slightly. She seems more worried about appearing rude in front of my wife than actually upset about Gino needing a moment away from the table.
The two of them fall into an easy conversation when Gino peeks his head back into the room and nods for me to join him. Neither of our wives notice him before he disappears again and I withhold a sigh.
“I’ll go check on him and the kitchen,” I tell the table, standing up casually from my seat.
Looking unsuspecting is a skill that I’ve developed over many years of living this life, and it’s started to feel more instinctual than performative.
It’s a mask that easily slips into place.
“Keep chatting, the guards will stay in place and I won’t be far. ”
“Leon saves the day,” Maria jokes, lifting her wine in salute. “Do pull him back in here before I decide that I’m angry with him, will you?”
Katya muffles a laugh behind her hand.
“You got it.”
Gino is just hanging up his call when I find him. His body language is tense, his broad shoulders pulled back into a straight line. His eyes meet mine, and it’s then that I understand whatever is wrong, is personal. Eyes speak even before lips do, communicating mood and tone with striking accuracy.
We’re left alone in the alcove, the sounds of the public and private dining rooms muffled behind oak doors on either side of us.
It provides some semblance of privacy for a conversation to be had without prying ears, and yet he doesn’t open his mouth to report to me until I’m merely a foot away from him.
“You’re going to be pissed.”
Not a good way to start off a conversation.
“How pissed?”
“Honestly? I don’t fucking know.” Shoving his phone in his inside jacket pocket, Gino releases a long breath. “There’s pictures going around from your wedding, and from tonight.”
I blink, knowing there has to be more information.
The underground society’s gossip network could rival any celebrity and paparazzi relationship.
Pictures go around of our family constantly.
We only step in when a line is crossed, like a couple of years ago when Melani and Emilio were on vacation and someone tried to distribute pictures of them in a state of undress on the beach.
No one has tried anything like that since we made an example out of the situation.
“Pictures aren’t news, Gino. Get to the point before our wives are pissed that we left for too long.”
“They’re pictures of Katya with Leo specifically.
People are starting to compare her face and your face with his.
He’s always glued to her, and with the hair…
” Gino groans, likely wishing he didn’t need to report this to me.
“People are saying that Leo is hers. That you had an affair with her and Leo was the result of that. Some people think that you knew about Cleo being sick early on, and you started the affair when she started to decline. Other people are saying—”
He cuts himself off, shaking his head.
“Say it.”
“They’re saying that you fell for Katya and poisoned Cleo so that she could take her place. That maybe she was sick, or maybe she wasn’t. Either way, people think Leo was never adopted, but just living with his mother while you got rid of your wife so you could all be together.”
My stomach rolls and for a second, I think I might throw up.
My son’s past is a tragic one, but it’s nothing like this vile web of lies being spun.
If I had an affair with Katya before Cleo died, I would have certainly never been able to keep my resulting child away for years after the fact.
And even suggesting that I would have Cleo murdered to get rid of her. People are fucking loathsome.
“What the fuck?” My fists clench hard, my blunt nails digging into my palms.
“I know,” Gino grimaces. “I knew I had to tell you right away but shit, if you can help it, you gotta forget about it for now. We can deal with this bullshit tomorrow, but tonight our families are here and—”
“I know,” I cut him off, voice gruff and strained. “I don’t want Katya to know. She’d be devastated to know people are talking about her in such a way. She only wants to make everyone’s lives better and this would—No, I can’t tell her until it’s handled.”
“Agreed.” His head dips firmly. “I can see how much she cares for the boys. She would feel terrible that people are talking like this, especially since it concerns the kids.”
“I’ll text Apollo and tell him that I know.”
“Who do you think called me?” Gino shakes his head. “He knew you might be around your wife and wanted you to hear it alone first to decide what to do. He’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Of course he heard about rumors in my territory before I even did,” I reply, trying not to sound bitter.
As annoying as his superior information can be, it’s always useful and he never tries to lord it over me like we’re in some kind of unspoken competition.
“Fuck, all right. How pissed do I look?”
“Well, your neck is pretty fucking red,” Gino says bluntly.
“But you’re controlling your features. Just blame the flush on the whiskey and go with it.
Say it was hot in the kitchen and apologize for the white lie later on.
It’s not just Katya’s night you don’t want to ruin, you don’t want the boys to sense anything is wrong.
Maria and I always say that little lies for the kids’ eyes are the only ones we’re allowed. ”
A good rule of thumb, I muse to myself.
“All right, let’s go. I need to distract myself before I decide I’d rather leave to go cut off some heads.”
“That’s the spirit.”