Page 147 of Savage Empire

Rayna huffs, but remains amused. “I feel like that’s a lie.”

Only a bit of a fib.

“To answer your question, having my children is the greatest thing I have ever done. They’re everything that I love about life personified. I wouldn’t have it any other way. My children are my legacy.”

She smiles, considering my words. “They’re your legacy. Not The Outfit?”

“The Outfit existed before me, and it’ll exist for decades—maybe centuries—after me. My bloodline is what’s truly mine. I created them, and raised them. They’re where my pride lies.”

“That’s sweet,” she murmurs. “And you’ve got grandchildren now. That must be nice. I haven’t met them all, and I’ve spent the most time with Leo, I think. But he’s a sweetie. I adore him.”

“It is nice,” I confirm. “Life has a way of getting away from you as the years go by, but when your family grows, it always seems to settle. I’ll take as many grandchildren as my kids can make. Between you and me, I think Jade is determined to have another soon. Motherhood is where she thrives. She loves every bit of it.”

“I can see that.” Rayna nods thoughtfully. “She’s great with the twins. Dmitri is too, from what I’ve seen. He’s kind of quiet, isn’t he?”

“He is.” My glass twirls in my hand absently. “He tends to do most of his talking with Jade and his children. Occasionally he and Apollo will engage in lengthy conversations, but mostly, he tends to keep to himself. Like you, as of late.”

She tenses, looking down. “You’ve noticed that, have you?”

“Oh, I think you’ll find that I notice everything, Miss Todorov.”

“I hope I haven’t offended you.” She trails off, looking for words of explanation that she can’t seem to find.

“You haven’t,” I assure her. “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.” While I prefer our family remains close, I don’t need my son’s future wife to love me. As long as she cares for him, that is all I need.

“What?” She shakes her head. “It’s not about you. From everything I’ve heard, you’re great. A million times better than my own father ever was. I just, I don’t know, I’m not good at this. And I hate doing things I’m not good at.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.

“I’m not great with change,” she explains further, looking almost ashamed. “I’ll get used to it, eventually. Seeing Yordan thrive around you all helps a lot. He fits right in, and everyone really seems to like him, which is nice. It makes me feel like I didn’t do such a terrible job with him, you know?”

“You did an excellent job with him,” I counter, arching a brow. “Raising a younger sibling is not an easy task. My parents were pretty absent from me and my brother when we were young. Cesar was like my first son, as much as he was like my baby brother.”

“Cesar? Like Jade’s…”

“He’s named after him, yes. He died, just a short while before Jade gave birth. It was an unexpected loss.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right,” I say, voice soft as the reminder of my loss hits me. “Let’s discuss a less difficult topic, hmm? I hear wedding planning is going quickly. Apollo tells me we’re doing a small ceremony here.”

She immediately grimaces, face scrunching in discomfort. “He was supposed to ask you if that was okay, not tell you that’swhat we would be doing. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind tomorrow.”

A chuckle rises in my chest. “He has no need to ask me for my blessing. I have no requirements for his wedding, only that he have one. I have been waiting over a decade for him to take his duty seriously.”

“Are you sure?” Rayna looks hopeful. “I know heirs typically have show-stopping ceremonies and receptions. If you needed that, we could?—”

“The Outfit is in a good state, and Apollo has earned all the respect he could need years ago. I assure you, your small wedding is no issue for me.”

Her shoulders drop, having been held tight with tension. “O-okay. That’s good then. I suppose I don’t need to reprimand Apollo, then.”

“Don’t sound too disappointed,” I joke, the barest hint of a smirk on my lips. “From what I’ve seen, you’ll find something to heatedly discuss soon.”

Her face goes flush. “What a delicate way to refer to bickering.”

“Is it really bickering if you both enjoy it?”

“We don’t always enjoy it,” she mumbles. “Sometimes he drives me up a wall for the most ridiculous reasons. I’m sure you’ve noticed your home has a new ban on a certain fuzzy green fruit.”