"Right. And you were mad specifically because Roman married our enemy. You said each of our wives cost upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars—expenses from chasing them down, missed business opportunities. Am I forgetting anything?"
"Yeah, you forgot about how our wives made us weak," Roman added. "How our children were a distraction."
Pavel piled on. "That the other families were going to come for us because we were more focused on our families than business."
"You specifically came down here because the bottom line was suffering," Artem added.
They were enjoying this too much, but I'd give them their moment. I'd earned the shaming.
"He had a number, didn't he?" Kostya asked.
"What was it?" Damien asked.
"Three and a half million if you included the lost opportunities from astrategic alliancemy marriage to Nadia took off the table," Mikhail added.
Gregor nodded. "So that means if we include Nadia's non-existent contracts, we're at an average of half a million lost per marriage."
The room went silent. I braced myself.
"Wow," Damien said. "Half a million dollars each. Good thing Uncle Darius was here to make sure the senator did what she was told, right? That arms contract alone is worth two billion."
"Oh no, didn't you hear?" Pavel put his hand on Damien's shoulder. "He was too busy killing his new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. Distracted. Lost the vote. And we had to pay over a million in bribery money to make sure he wasn't arrested for murder."
Kostya tilted his head. “So if we do the math, our wives have each cost half a mil, but his girlfriend just cost us over two billion? Huh, what do you always like to say, Uncle? The numbers don’t lie?”
Then Damien started another slow clap. "Let's hear it for Uncle Darius, the man who has never let emotion cloud his judgment."
The room erupted in cheers.
"I'm getting a drink," I said, standing and moving to the bar cart. I poured myself a triple scotch, pinched the bridge of my nose. My head hung low for just a moment before I turned and faced my nephews, who all wore the same Ivanov smirk. "Fuck you all. But you're right, I affected the bottom line. Good thing I'm planning on winning all your money tonight. That'll even the scales."
The room broke out in laughter, and the conversation shifted. For the first time, I felt like I actually belonged. Like I was really part of this family in more than just name.
I was part of the conversation now, laughing along with inside jokes about their kids and wives. Truly seeing this for what it was.
The others were right. Their families weren't their weaknesses. They were the reason they kept fighting.
Now I understood what Kostya meant when he said his wife taught him how to work to live, not live to work.
Their lives were whole now. Work was still important, but it was no longer the only thing that mattered.
Not for the first time, I wondered if Anna was going to be that for me.
Looking back, I should have known the moment I met her that she was going to change everything. But like my nephews, I was an Ivanov too, a stubborn son of a bitch.
Anna was going to be my everything. And she was going to be what brought me back to my family.
We played a few rounds of cards. I thought about what my and Anna's children would look like. Would they have their mother's musical talent? Or my head for numbers? Would they be neat and organized, or chaotic and eccentric?
It didn't matter. I would love them the same.
And Anna was going to make an amazing mother. Unlike her own horrid mother, she was going to love our children unconditionally. Support their dreams even if she didn't understand them.
"We need to talk some business," I said when there was a natural lull in the conversation.
"Yes, we do," Gregor agreed. "What are we going to do about the senator?"
"I have some ideas," Roman said with a truly terrifying grin.
