Page 166 of Hidden Empire

“This is horrible dinner conversation,” I huff loudly. “Can we talk about cute little babies or rainbows or something?”

“Speaking of babies,” Cassio interjects, finally looking up from his plate. “Where exactly are the two of you planning to raise these Moretti-Morozov twins of yours?”

“Oh shit, yeah,” Matteo chimes in. “Morozovs are West-Coast, aren’t they?”

Armani drops his fork. “You’re going to move?”

“Um,” I bite my lip, looking up at Dmitri. “I’m not sure?”

“You haven’t thought about it?” Dad asks, looking worried.

“I’ve spoken to my father,” Dmitri speaks up, still remaining calm. He’s not worried, and so I try not to be either. “He wants to retire within the next six years. Until then, I’m able to live here and fly back when needed. Jade and I still need to discuss what she wants, but I meant what I said about keeping her Moretti side alive. If she wants to remain in this house or minutes away, I’m willing to make that work.”

“We can stay?” I whisper, hardly believing it.

Dmitri smiles. “Within the next six years, I can go wherever you point me to, Krasotka. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

“You’re always welcome here, sweetheart,” Dad adds.

“Ivan and Dmitri too?” I ask, double-checking.

He chuckles. “For you? Of course.”

“And Anatoly?”

“Anyone you want.”

“I’m moving to the fourth floor with Cassio,” Nico announces, rolling his eyes. “I did not sign up to hear twins screaming the house down in the middle of the night, thank you very much.”

Matteo snorts, tossing a bread roll at Nico’s chest. “You’re already losing the favorite uncle race, and they aren’t even born yet.”

“How will I live with such a travesty?” Nico drawls, yawning.

Not sure I would want to compete with nine people for that title, either.

Changing the topic, Apollo speaks next. “So that threat you went to take care of, I assume that’s all sorted?”

Dmitri’s smile vanishes, but he nods. “Yes. It was my mother, and yes, she’s dead.” He says it so matter-of-a-factly that I can’t tell if he’s hurting. I squeeze his forearm anyway, letting him know that I’m here for him. “She wasn’t the one who was trying to target Jade, though; she just wanted me dead.”

There’s an uncomfortable shift at the table, but at least it isn’t an angry one.

“She’s been dead to me for years, so I don’t much care to discuss her any longer. There still lies the issue of Bruce and Kim, I’d like to help with that.”

“Karina,” I correct under my breath.

“What, baby?” Dmitri asks quietly.

“I’ll explain later,” I tell him, patting his hand.

“We’ll take all the help we can get,” Dad tells my husband, his pride far less important than getting me justice. “We can discuss it tomorrow.”

I give him a grateful smile and thankfully, the mood is able to lighten up again as we all continue to eat. I still don’t know what happened to Dmitri’s little sister, and I’m not going to pry. If I ever get to meet her, I don’t want her to think her story was told for her. If Dmitri could kill his own mother to avenge her, I know it has to be something awful. As someone who can sympathize with that, I don’t need details to know I wish her nothing but the best in her recovery. However long it takes.

When dinner comes to a finish and the night comes to an end, no one questions it when Dmitri, Ivan, and I all go to my room to sleep. We have a lot to sort out, and Ivan will definitely have to get his own room soon, but for tonight, we just allow ourselves to relax. All of the horrors and hardships are muted, and we simply exist together.

It’s perfect.

Chapter 45

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