“Good, it’s half the fat if we share it,” she bubbled.
I lifted my shoulders into a sassy shrug. The seriousness returned to her face when I popped the candy into my mouth.
“You sure you’re okay?” she asked. “Jia you know I worry about you.”
“You don’t have to, and I really hope you’re going to see Tim later.”
She nodded. “I am, we’re gonna go to dinner. I’ll leave when Xander gets back.”
“Or you could go before and get some time to yourself.”
“But, you know I’m going to pass on that so I can make sure I hand you over to the safety of that amazing man of yours.” She quirked a brow. “You won’t get rid of me so easy, plus I brought the sweets and I’m actively making sure you have enough serotonin to bring out the happy.”
I had to laugh. “You are so funny Anya. You really are.”
“I’m serious though. I know it’s been hard. Every time I think about how hard it’s been for you I remember when I felt so helpless. Every time I felt helpless and it was like there was nothing I could do to help you. It’s been three major times now. Your mom’s death, going to Italy with Armand and your father’s death.”
I looked at her and I understood.
We were as close as sisters could be. She was definitely that for me. I’d known her for so long and we’d gone through life together. I knew what she meant about feeling helpless. I knew if the tables had been turned I would have felt the same as her.
I reached over and took both her hands into mine.
“Anya, you may have felt helpless but your presence was what I needed. That was all. That was all I needed, just to have you. You did all you could do for me by just being there. You’re here now.”
She gave me a curt nod. “Thank you, and please humor me a little longer so I can just know you’ll be fine tonight. I rejoice every day that you didn’t end up with Armand. I just wish things could have turned out different all around.”
“Me too.”
Me too indeed.
I wished Pa didn’t die.
The grief that had taken hold of me after was indescribable. No one had ever seen me in that state. What they didn’t know was that I’d gotten like that as a result of everything.
What kept me going was Xander.
He was my good thing that came out of the darkness.
Between him and Anya they helped me find myself.
And, I had to do that part fast because Pa left me everything. Absolutely everything.
My father left me the whole empire that needed my attention. Things to restructure and sort out.
Everything in Vegas, Italy and the other property development businesses in L.A and New York.
Everything: all is assets and people. The knights stayed together and became mine. All except Armand who’d been incarcerated for the last six months. Who I relied on a lot to help me run the place was Frankie.
I put him in charge of everything. When I could I went to The Grand Marchesi probably once every other week. It was just to check in on the place. It was all I could stand to bear since it was weird not seeing Pa around. Or feeling his strong presence.
Frankie became my right hand man, and truthfully he was more like the boss. He did a lot for me. A lot I never knew about and honestly, a lot I didn’t want to know. I asked him and Vinny to clean up and sort out all the dirty dealings.
They’d know what to do and what I meant.
There was enough wealth to take care of everything. I wasn’t going to fall prey to greed and want after more. I guess I was the boss now and had a multi-billion- dollar fortune of countless wealth untold and the people that came with it.
What I valued most of all was my freedom.
