Chapter 32
Aiden shook his head, a slow, marveling smile spreading across his face as the sheer weight of what she had just told him settled in.
He stared at her, genuinely amazed, silently thanking the stars for gifting him a woman like Anna.
She wasn't just a partner, she was a brilliant, lethal force of nature who moved mountains to protect her loved ones.
?The next three days were pure family time.
With the kids thankfully on a school break, Aiden and Anna dedicated every moment to enjoying each other's company and showering Mia and Leo with all the attention and love they could.
They had all been through so much in such a short span of time, and the kids didn't deserve any of that stress.
?On the third afternoon, the family was curled up together on the massive bed in the master bedroom, sharing lazy, quality time.
Aiden lay back with Mia and Leo giggling as they piled pillows on him, while Anna watched from the headboard, a soft warmth in her eyes.
Sensing it was time for a shift, Aiden caught Marcus's eye near the door and gave him a subtle nod.
?"Alright, you two," Aiden said, gently capturing the kids in a playful bear hug before releasing them. "Go with uncle Marcus down to the kitchen. I think he has some ice cream waiting for you."
?"Yes, Boss. Let's move it, troops," Marcus said, ushering the cheering children out of the room.
?As the door clicked shut, Aiden turned to Anna, a heavy, romantic gaze fixing on her as he slid closer.
But before he could even pull her into his arms, the bedroom door swung right back open.
Marcus walked straight back in, holding an empty tray and looking at Aiden with a face of pure, unadulterated betrayal.
?"It's soo good you're back," Marcus said, crossing his arms dramatically.
"Now you can handle your wife. Because while you were locked up, she was playing CEO, completely ignoring my medical advice, refusing to take her pills, and trying to run a multi million dollar supply chain with three fresh bullet holes in her back."
?Anna's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Marcus, I swear to God..."
?"She didn't even finish her soup, Aiden!" Marcus continued loudly, taking a tactical step backward toward the hallway. "She told me I was incredibly annoying just for trying to keep her stitches from ripping apart."
?"Marcus!" Anna hissed.
?With a lightning fast reflex that defied her injuries, she reached down, grabbed one of her heavy designer slippers from the floor, and hurled it straight at his head.
?Marcus ducked just in time, laughing loudly as the shoe smacked hard against the doorframe.
?"Someone can't have a happy time since they didn't follow the nurse's advice..." Marcus chuckled, but his teasing was cut short with a sudden thud as a fresh orange bounced cleanly off his head. Anna had aimed and fired it straight from the bedside fruit basket with terrifying precision.
?Marcus let out a startled bark of laughter, rubbing his head as the sudden chaos instantly brought the rest of the house back to life. Mia and Leo, who had only made it as far as the hallway, peeked from around the corner and burst into unstoppable giggles.
To top it off, the family's massive guard dog started barking excitedly, catching the playful energy in the room. The dog bounded forward, chasing Marcus down the hallway as the bodyguard made his loud escape, laughing the entire way.
?Aiden barked out a rich, booming laugh, the lingering tension of the past days completely evaporating. He leaned over, capturing Anna's jaw and kissing her forehead as she sat there, huffing and trying to hide her own amused smile.
But outside the walls of the Thorne estate, the underworld was a boiling cauldron of confusion and tension.
?Initially, the criminal networks had been utterly baffled.
They had watched in shock as the Rossi family, traditionally fierce rivals, lent a massive, protective helping hand to the Thorne empire instead of launching a bloody turf war while their king was trapped in federal custody.
But the confusion quickly turned into a frenzy when the truth leaked out.
?Word had spread like wildfire through every hidden corner of the syndicate, Anna, Thorne's woman, was the long lost, true Rossi heir.
?Now, every major player in the underworld was watching with bated breath, eager to see how the cards would fall.
A massive portion of the syndicates was practically salivating for bloodshed, waiting like vultures for a civil war to break out between Enzo and Anna so they could step into the ashes and reap the benefits.
?Inside the Rossi family itself, a deep division had formed. A powerful faction of traditional capos was already demanding that Enzo stand down immediately and let the rightful blood heir take the crown.
?Back in the quiet of their study, Aiden poured himself a glass of scotch and handed a glass of water to Anna, mindful of her medication.
"The underworld is losing its mind, love," he said softly, leaning back against the edge of the desk. "Half of the Rossi capos want Enzo out, and the vultures are waiting for a civil war. What do you decide to do about the situation?"
?Anna took a slow sip of her water, her expression thoughtful as she looked up at him.
"Enzo has proven himself loyal, Aiden. He might think I didn't notice the small things he did while you were away, but I did."
She looked up at her husband. "I saw how gentle he was with Mia and Leo, making sure they felt safe. I saw how he went completely out of his way to put his own elite guards around this house, and how he swallowed his pride,
following Marcus's irritating directives just to keep this perimeter flawless. He protected this family when he could have easily tried to take it. It's time for me to step up for him, too."
A cold, decisive spark returned to her eyes.
"I think it's time we end this."
Anna reached for her phone, dialing Enzo. The moment he picked up, she went straight to business. "Enzo. Call a mandatory meeting with every important figure, capo, and elder in the Rossi syndicate. Tonight."
"Anna, the tension right now is thick," Enzo warned over the line. "They are pushing for answers."
"They'll get them," Anna replied flatly. "And I'm bringing Aiden with me. It is non negotiable. Tell them to be there."
The Rossi syndicate's boardroom was suffocatingly tense.
Massive oak tables were lined with hardened capos, old school elders, and heavily armed enforcers.
The room was split cleanly down the middle, half the room murmured their fierce support for Anna, demanding a return to the true bloodline, while the other half fiercely defended Enzo, who had kept the family wealthy and powerful for years.
?The heavy double doors swung open, and a sudden, dead silence fell over the room.
?Anna walked in, her posture straight and unyielding despite her injuries, radiating her chilling aura. Right beside her was Aiden Thorne, looking every bit the ruthless mafia king, his presence commanding and dangerous.
Enzo sat at the head of the table, his face a mask of calm, though his eyes scanned the room warily. Anna sat right beside him, with Aiden opting to stand directly behind her, his looming presence sending a silent, incredibly powerful message to everyone in the room.
?"We are honored by the presence of the true bloodline," one of the older, grey haired capos said, standing up and bowing his head slightly to Anna. "But we must have order. Enzo has done well, but if you are back, the crown belongs to you. We must decide who commands us."
?Another capo slammed his hand on the table. "Enzo has bled for this family! We can't just cast him aside!"
?"How do we know if she's truly a Rossi?" someone yelled from the back of the room, the accusation hanging heavily in the air.
?Arguments instantly erupted at the challenge, voices raising as men reached toward their jackets, tempers flaring to a dangerous peak.
?Enzo didn't flinch. With a cold, deliberate movement, he tossed a thick medical file onto the center of the oak table.
It landed with a heavy thud, open to reveal official DNA and blood test results confirming her identity.
That silenced them instantly, the skeptics staring at the paperwork in stunned realization.
?"Enough," Anna said.
?She didn't shout, but her voice cut through the lingering murmurs like a silver blade. The room went completely cold, every eye snapping back to her. Aiden had his arms crossed, a dark, fascinated smirk playing on his lips as he watched his woman effortlessly command the room.
?Anna stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the council. "I am not here to watch you bicker like children, nor am I here to start a war that lets the vultures outside profit," Anna stated, walking to the center of the room.
"You want a solution? I have one. We are forming a permanent, unbreakable alliance between the Thorne empire and the Rossi syndicate."
Murmurs of shock rippled through the capos. Enzo's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing in surprise. He hadn't expected this. Aiden's eyes flashed with a sudden, intense heat, completely caught off guard but intensely intrigued.
?"In our world, the only way to truly cement an alliance of this magnitude is through marriage," Anna continued smoothly, her voice echoing flawlessly off the high walls of the boardroom.
"And that is exactly what we are doing. My blood belongs to the Rossi family. But my heart, and my future, belongs to Thorne. A marriage between myself and Aiden Thorne... if he'll have me."
?Anna paused, turning her head slightly to look at Aiden with a challenging, wicked spark in her eyes.
?Aiden just smirked, his gaze burning with absolute devotion and dark amusement. "As if you had any doubt, love."
?Anna smiled softly before turning her sharp gaze back to the stunned council, her voice regaining its absolute authority. "The marriage will legally and bloodly bind these two empires together. Combined, we will be the largest, most untouchable force the underworld has ever seen."
She stopped, resting her hands on the back of a chair, looking directly at the rebellious capos.
"Enzo has been running this family the right way, with honor and unmatched intelligence. I am one hundred percent behind my cousin. He stays exactly where he is, running the Rossi syndicate as its head. If anyone in this room, or outside of it, dares to go against him...
you will have me to answer to."
?"And me," Aiden chipped in, his deep voice carrying a dark, promise of violence that made the entire room freeze.
?Enzo slowly leaned back in his chair, a look of profound, stunned gratitude washing over his face, quickly replaced by a proud, triumphant smirk as he looked at his capos.
Beside her, Aiden's dark eyes burned with a fierce, possessive pride. He hadn't known she was going to announce their marriage to the entire underworld tonight, but hearing her claim him so completely in front of her own bloodline made a savage twist of satisfaction coil deep in his chest.
?One of the older elders cleared his throat, looking hesitant. "Anna... this is a massive shift. We will need to vote, we must...."
?"You mistake my presence here, Elder," Anna interrupted, her eyes turning into chips of ice as a dangerous, beautiful smile touched her lips.
"I wasn't asking for your permission. I was merely informing you how it will be."
?Anna stared at the stunned faces around the room, her gaze sharp.
?"Any questions?"
?You could have heard a pin drop because of the suffocating silence. Nobody dared to breathe, let alone speak.
?"Good."