Page 108 of Mayflower

It’s Aleksei, sitting on Sonny’s other side. Aleksei leans over so close to Axavier that his white fedora almost touches Axavier’s head. “Is there a problem?” he asks in the accent that, I feel, he intentionally exaggerates for bigger impact.

Axavier shakes his head and sinks into his chair.

Aleksei lets go and tugs at the flaps of his white tuxedo then lifts his sunglasses and winks at Sonny next to him.

Sonny responds with his signature wink, with both eyes and his mouth crooked to one side. He’s wearing a white kid’s fedora, which he was adamant about getting when he saw Aleksei’s the other day.

Ollie and Junior both squeak as if in triumph. Aleksei gives them an approving glance and proudly leans back in his chair.

A dozen of his guards are standing in various positions at a distance. Archer insisted that they back away from the actual ceremony. Zion is safe, but Aleksei has too many enemies worldwide.

I catch Maddy’s quick smile. She kisses my shoulder and rubs her palm on my thigh.

We legally signed Sonny’s adoption papers the day we got married, only a month after I proposed. The wedding was at the local chapel in Port Mrei. It was supposed to be a small ceremony, with just her father, Sonny, Archer and Katura, Kai and Callie, Ali, Bo, Guff, and Mac. Yes, Mac left the mainland for the first time in years. He only agreed to be flown to Zion after Maddy declared that it wouldn’t be right to get married without him here.

“You can’t stand me up like this, Mac,” I said, guilt-tripping him. So he agreed.

Then Marlow asked if he could come with Ray-Ray. So did Bishop, Ortiz, Candy, Nilanski, and a dozen other people who called and invited themselves. And when Aleksei Tsariuk flew to Zion for the ceremony, of course we ended up having a dozen guards around the chapel and another dozen around the city.

Aleksei—he insists I call him that—had warned me before the wedding. “Do you know the implications of being my son-in-law?”

I didn’t need the psych speech, but he gave one anyway, concluding with, “You ever do anything to hurt Milena?—”

“Point taken,” I interrupted. “I believe I don’t have to prove myself.”

He smiled. “You are my family now, Raven. Remember that. No way out of it.”

Yeah, so that cut-throat accent now belongs to my father-in-law. And I generally dismiss his senseless threats like the one when he found out that his daughter wanted to take my last name. We made a compromise. Now Maddy is Milena Tsariuk-Levi. She still prefers Maddy around her friends. Mayflower is just for me.

Archer insisted on organizing a festival for the Port Mrei residents in lieu of the events. And because Sonny asked, and that was his celebration, too, there was a giant party for all the kids in Port Mrei and the Children’s House.

So, there’s that, a new thing—an orphanage, though we don’t call it that. Callie and Maddy are in charge of family placement and psychological evaluations. Archer is still doing the DNA testing for all Port Mrei residents, matching some of the lost children to their parents, if there are any. Gen-Alpha is pouring a lot of money into Port Mrei to rebuild the community. It’s about time we understood that to build a good company we need to build a safe place for its people.

I suppose that’s how others change us. I used to say, “Fuck you,” to this world. Until Maddy. This world? It’s ours. I want to see it bloom, grow rich and prosperous. Because I want children to grow up smiling. Anger makes you want to burn everything in your wake. Love is like flowers. It needs care, water, and sun. I like flowers a lot.

Back to Sonny. He heard everyone joking about Papa Tsariuk, the nickname Aleksei had acquired on this island. When we signed the adoption papers, he walked up to Aleksei after our wedding and said straight-faced, “I suppose you are my grandfather.”

“Oh, yeah? I suppose so.”

“You are my second one.”

Tsariuk stared him down.

“After Mac,” Sonny said, having spent the last two days taking Mac around the island and showing him everything.

Mac heard the comment and chuckled. Aleksei started a discussion with him about non-profits. Sometime later, Aleksei already offered his support for Mac’s social programs. In no time, Mac will become a new Dalai Lama. Aleksei will boast about yet another charity. But that, my friends, is how the world works. Sometimes, clean money is stored in bank accounts and in secured vaults while the dirty money goes around solving the world’s problems.

And then there’s my wife.

Maddy…

How did I deserve this?

Oh, yeah, I rarely go to my alcove. The sound of the ocean is beautiful but it's missing the sound of her voice. I prefer falling asleep and waking up to see her face. Also, smelling burnt batter at seven in the freaking morning because Sonny is learning to make pancakes. God, I really do hate breakfast, but I'll never tell him that.

I never went out much, but I do now, because turns out Maddy is still a party girl. I love watching her dress up. She likes pretty clothes, heels, makeup, dancing. And she is magnetic on the dance floor.

Kat approached me at Marlow’s party last month. "Raven, I would've never thought that you would get the hottest, richest, and most important girl on this island, or, actually, in the Northern Hemisphere.”

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