Chapter 26 #2
He stepped forward. "Years ago, the Russian Mafia and the Italian Mafia were enemies." He paused, making sure they were listening. "Eventually, your mothers and I and your uncle met. We fell in love, and everything changed."
He glanced at me with a small smile before continuing.
"I killed the Russian boss at the time and took over until your uncles Alex and Niccolo took control. I married your mother, and Matteo married your aunt Yana. Two Russians became part of the Italian Mafia."
His jaw tightened slightly. "The Council did not accept that." The room remained silent. "Some people still believe Italians and Russians cannot be together. They judge people based on where they come from, who their parents are, and the blood running through their veins."
His eyes softened as he looked at all of them. "But you need to understand something. There is nothing wrong with you. Nothing." His voice became stronger. "You are my children. You are loved. You are wanted. And nobody will ever change that."
"So they don't like us because we're different?" Dean asked quietly.
Matteo stepped forward. "Yes, son. Sadly, some people judge others before they ever take the time to know them."
"But he said we didn't matter." Kalani's voice cut through the room, anger clear in her tone.
Adriano's expression hardened slightly. "Baby girl, that man is scared." He looked at her directly. "He knows your father is coming for everything he has built. He knows his power is slipping away, and scared people say cruel things to try and hurt others."
He looked around the room. "Yes, there will be people in this world who judge you because of who your parents are. Because of your blood."
He placed a hand over his heart. "But you have something they don't." A pause. "You have a family that would move mountains for you."
Mili smiled softly while holding Lia in her lap. "You guys are special, you know that?"
Ales tilted her head. "Why?"
Leena smiled. "Because you are the only ones that we know of to exist with both Russian and Italian Mafia blood running through your veins. Nobody before you has ever had that."
She looked around at the kids. "That makes you different. But different does not mean bad."
"It means you are something new." Giovanni stepped forward. "Embrace who you are. Your father, your uncles, and all of us will do everything we can to stop Aldo."
His voice became firm. "But you also have a responsibility. You need to believe in yourselves. You cannot let people like him decide your worth."
The room fell silent. I looked around at every single face. The confusion and fear was still there. The questions they were still trying to process. My heart began beating faster.
Because I didn't know what they were thinking. I didn't know if they believed us.
For a mother, this was one of the worst things that could happen.
Having someone look at your children and decide they were less than nothing...that they were trash because of something they had no control over...made every protective instinct inside of me come alive.
I wanted to do things to Aldo that I knew would make even Adriano question me.
The anger was overwhelming.
I felt Adriano gently tug on my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him and saw the concern written all over his face. His eyes dropped to our hands, and I realized I was still clutching onto him like my life depended on it.
"Sorry," I murmured, slowly loosening my grip. His expression softened, and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't apologize."
Those two simple words almost broke me. Because he understood. He knew exactly what I was feeling. The fear. The anger. The helplessness of watching someone try to make your children feel like they weren't enough.
Leena cleared her throat softly, bringing everyone's attention back.
"Look, I know it's been a long night. Why don't everyone get upstairs and get ready for bed?
" she said with a warm smile directed toward the kids.
"If you have any more questions, or if you just want to talk, you can come to any of us. Anytime."
A few groans filled the room, but no one argued. Slowly, everyone started getting up and making their way out. The older kids naturally stepped in, helping guide the younger ones upstairs. Even after everything that happened, they were still looking out for each other.
That was my children. That was our family. I let out a heavy sigh as the room finally started to empty. Turning back toward Adriano, I leaned into him and rested my head against his chest.
Immediately, his arms wrapped around me. His fingers slowly ran through my hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "They will be okay, amore," he whispered.
I closed my eyes, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "They are strong kids." I nodded slightly, lifting my head to look at him. My hand came up to his face, and I kissed the palm that was holding my cheek. "I know," I whispered.
And I did. Because they were Basilios. But more importantly...they were ours.
I turned back toward the conversation happening between the other adults. Yana was unusually quiet, standing a little farther away from everyone else.
Matteo was too caught up in a conversation with Gio, Leena, and Mili to notice.
I watched as Yana turned to walk away, and something in me told me to follow. "Yana," I called softly.
She glanced back at me before opening the door leading outside. I followed her into the backyard, watching as she made her way toward the small gazebo surrounded by patio tables.
The house was tucked away in the woods, far enough from the city that the light pollution barely existed. The sky stretched above us, filled with countless stars.
Yana sat down with a heavy sigh. "Gia, just sit." She looked at me with a slight smirk. "Stop following me around like a puppy, please." I couldn't help but chuckle at her comment before sitting beside her.
For a few moments, neither of us said anything. We just stared up at the sky, letting the quiet settle around us.
Then her voice broke through. "Is it our fault, Gia?" I turned toward her, confusion crossing my face.
"What's our fault?"
She looked down at her hands, picking at her fingers. "Falling in love with the enemy?" My heart sank slightly.
"I mean..." she continued, her voice softer. "We never thought about this. We never thought about what could happen because of our choices. We never thought about how it would affect our kids, or how it would affect us."
She paused, shaking her head. "We didn't think, Gia. We just..." Her hands moved forward, finishing the sentence she couldn't bring herself to say.
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "Yana, we didn't have a choice."
She looked at me. "The moment those drop-dead gorgeous Basilio men walked into our lives, we both knew we were done for."
A small smile tugged at my lips. "We couldn't have possibly known this would happen."
A laugh escaped her, and she shook her head. "You're right. They are very горячий." She smiled slightly. (Very hot.)
I laughed softly.
"But I don't know..." Her voice faded, and I knew there was still something weighing on her. Before I could respond, footsteps approached from behind us.
"Well, I think the right person to talk to is here." We both turned and saw Matteo walking toward us. Yana immediately groaned and dropped her face onto the table. "I was hiding from the giant..." she muttered.
I covered my laugh with my hand. "Good luck," I whispered before standing up.
As I walked back toward the house, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Matteo sitting beside her, already trying to figure out what was wrong.
Despite everything...they had each other. And maybe that was what mattered most.