Not only that, but by way of my arranged marriage—whether intentionally or not—my father had given me Stefan. When I looked over at my husband I saw a brilliant, beautiful man who had opened his heart to me. A man with integrity, who I trusted implicitly. Our marriage was a gift I would forever be grateful for.
“Thank you, Daddy,” I whispered, dropping a kiss on the page in my hand that now contained a whole world of possibilities.
After the rest of the will was read, Stefan and I had lunch with Michelle before heading back to Chicago.
“How do you feel?” he asked as the car pulled away from my father’s house. What was now Michelle’s house, I reminded myself. Perhaps I’d send her a house re-warming gift.
“Overwhelmed,” I answered. “I’m grateful for everything my dad left me, but I don’t know what to do with it. The cars, the stocks, the real estate.”
“You’ll figure it out,” he said. “I’m just glad he decided his ultimate legacy would be to take care of his family. To do the right thing.”
A lightbulb went off in my head.
“I have an idea,” I told him, before asking our driver to head to the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, instead of going straight to our condo.
* * *
Anja greetedus at the door to her suite when we arrived, Max hanging back shyly behind her. After the raid on KZM, they’d been forced out of my father-in-law’s apartment. Stefan and I had set them up at the Four Seasons until things got settled, but we still hadn’t decided what their next move should be.
“Is everything okay?” Anja asked, frowning with concern. “How did the lawyer go?”
She looked like she hadn’t been sleeping very well, with dark circles under her eyes. I couldn’t blame her. The whole ordeal must be taking a toll on her, and I knew she was doing her best to protect Max from everything that was going on.
“It was good,” I told her as we went into the suite, taking a seat on the couch. I’d brought the thick manila envelope that my father’s lawyer had given to me. Inside it were various legal documents, including a copy of the will and the list of assets I now owned.
Anja settled into a chair across from us, Max dropping onto the ottoman beside her.
We still hadn’t informed him about who his real father was, or the nature of my relationship to him, but I was hoping that would change soon.
“The thing is…my father left me a lot more than I expected,” I confessed. “Not even just money and cars andstuff, but also his condo here in Chicago.”
Anja smiled sympathetically. “It sounds like a lot to deal with.”
“It really is. And that’s why I was thinking you could help me out,” I continued.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m not much for bookkeeping, but I can make some calls, help you figure out how to go about liquidating the assets. What can I do?”
Stefan nodded imperceptibly beside me, and I leaned forward and smiled at Anja.
“Actually,” I said, clearing my throat, “I’d like to give the apartment to you and Max.”
Anja let out a little gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.
“To us? But why? We could never—”
“Because you’refamily,” I said firmly. “And I want you and Max to have a home here.”
Max looked between his mother and me. “Are we going to live here forever?”
“I can’t accept this,” Anja said, shaking her head. “It’s too much.”
“Please,” I begged. “I want you and Max to stay in Chicago. I want to have a chance to get to know him better. To watch him grow up. He’s my—”
I stopped before I accidentally said the word. Anja looked conflicted. Max, seeing that his mother was upset, gave her a hug, looping his little arms around her neck.
“Don’t cry, Mama,” he said.
“I won’t,” she said, hugging him back. “Can you go play with your toys for a little bit?” she asked him. “So I can talk to our friends about some grown-up stuff?”
