Page 128 of Koroleva

"Really?"

"Yes, dinner and negotiations?"

"That sounds good, I like both," I admitted softly.

He took my hand and we walked to the table filled with bags.

We unpacked the food and set up dinner.

On the countertop rested a beautiful bouquet of flowers with an envelope sticking out.

"Are these for the cook?" I asked sharply.

"You know they're not." I approached and smelled them.

"Have you cheated on me?" I asked, turning my head.

"No! Why would you say that?"

"Because it's the main reason a husband brings his wife flowers."

"Not your husband," he muttered amusingly.

"And what's this?" I pulled at the white envelope.

"Open it and you'll find out."

He watched me, nervous yet hopeful. His dark eyes sparkled as I read aloud what was written on a similarly colored piece of paper.

"A voucher for a secret destination to get to know each other better." I looked up surprised. "Is this your way of taking me somewhere mysterious, dismembering me, and feeding me to the sharks so no one can ever find my body?" He clapped his hand on the table.

"You've spoiled plan B."

"And what was plan A?"

"Well, in that one, we'd talk while walking under marvelous sunsets, eat off each other's fingers, and make love until dawn found our bodies hopelessly in love," he flirted, cornering me.

"Uuuh, then I'm sure I'll end up dead because I've never fallen in love."

"That's because you didn't know me." His cockiness made me smile.

"Do you really see yourself making someone like me fall head over heels for you?" His pupils moved from my eyes to my lips. "That's a high bet with low chances of success."

"Those are my favorite kinds, ever since I said 'I do,' I knew you'd be a great challenge." He pretended to kiss me, moving in slowly, only to veer off and press his lips against the corner of mine. "Let's eat."

We didn't bring up my nephew immediately. Neither of us wanted to spoil the delicacies. We reviewed the events of the past days, including the unpleasant ones—the shooting, the kidnapping of our men, the discovery that Cheng was Miss Wang, and Adriano.

"I'm willing to have him live with us," I declared, preferring to be the one to lay down the first card.

My husband looked pleased.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'll concede that we talk to him about his real father, but we'll do it under Julieta's supervision; I don’t want it to be another trauma for the boy..."

"That sounds good. And about the surname?" I probed.

"We'll discuss it calmly when we return from the trip; first with the lawyer, and then with Adriano. I understand your need for your nephew to carry your surname, though I consider myself his father at heart. I hope you don't mind me using that term. I'd like for Adriano to understand that he doesn't just have one father, but two."

"You know it’s going to be hard for me to warm up to the kid, even if he's my nephew, given my terrible maternal instinct, right?"

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