Chapter 260 LIKE THIS.

Chapter 260 LIKE THIS.
\~~~RAINA.

The nausea hit me the moment while we walked away from the jet ski dock.

I paused mid-step and Luciano noticed immediately.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I am fine,” I said quickly.

Then I wasn’t.

Because the next second, I bent slightly over the railing and regretted every life decision I had ever made.

God, this was embarrassing. I vomited so badly, and behind me, I heard Luciano shift.

“Raina.”

“I… am fine,” I managed to say, even though my body was clearly betraying me.

A staff member rushed forward immediately. “Mrs. Moretti… are you alright?”

I waved my hand without looking up.

“I’m fine.”

Luciano exhaled slowly beside me.

“You are not fine.”

“I am.”

Another wave hit me.

Yeah, I was not, in fact, fine.

Luciano’s hand came to my back immediately, steadying me.

And somehow, even while trying not to die of embarrassment, I noticed how calm he was.

Like this was just another problem to solve and not a total disaster.

Just… me being mildly human.

When it finally passed, I straightened slowly.

Luciano was still watching me.

The staff member looked terrified.

“I think it’s the jet ski,” I said quickly.

Luciano tilted his head. “You think?”

“Yes.”

“You are telling me,” he said slowly, “you survived that race just fine… and now the victory is what took you out?”

I narrowed my eyes.

“It is called an adrenaline crash, excuse me.”

“It is called you refusing to admit you lost balance mid-race.”

“I didn’t lose balance.”

“You almost fell off twice.”

“Almost doesn’t count.”

He looked at me for a long second and then shook his head slightly.

“Come on,” he said.

“I am fine.”

“You are not winning this argument.”

“I am always winning arguments.”

“Not this one.”

Before I could protest further, he took my hand.

“We are going back,” he said.

“I can walk.”

“You just tried to fight the ocean and lost.”

“That is not what happened.”

“That is exactly what happened.”

The staff member immediately nodded like his life depended on it.

“Yes, sir.”

Traitor.

\---

By the time we got back to the villa, the nausea had mostly passed.

Mostly.

Luciano didn’t let go of my hand even once which was annoying.

And… also not annoying.

I refused to admit that part out loud.

“You are overreacting,” I said as he guided me inside.

“I am not.”

“I just got dizzy.”

“You got defeated by water.”

“I did not get defeated.”

“You vomited.”

“I did not…”

I stopped mid-sentence.

He raised a brow.

“…I did not vomit,” I corrected quickly.

He stared at me and I stared back then he nodded slowly.

“Right.”

“Right.”

“Adrenaline crash.”

“Yes.”

“Not defeat.”

“Not defeat.”

“Good,” he said.

Then he kissed my forehead like the conversation was closed.

Which was extremely annoying.

Because it worked.

\---

By evening, the entire incident had been reduced to what Luciano called… 

“Your dramatic loss to the ocean.”

And I had called it, 

“Temporary imbalance.”

We did not agree but we were no longer arguing about it either.

Which, in our marriage, counted as progress.

\---

The resort had arranged dinner on the beach.

Candles lined the sand in a soft curve.

A table sat close enough to the water that the waves almost reached it.

The sky was beginning to turn gold.

Luciano led me there quietly and there were no guards in sight.

We didn’t come with our phones either as we had agreed on a no interruption date and just us.

I sat down slowly, watching the setup.

“This is suspicious,” I said.

Luciano sat across from me.

“What is?”

“This.”

He glanced around.

“It is dinner.”

“It is too perfect.”

He smirked slightly.

“Are you suspicious of romance now?”

“I’m suspicious of anything that requires effort from other people.”

“You’ve gotten so weird.”

“I am in your world now, I should be.”

Luciano poured me a drink after a while of silence and I watched him as he did.

“You are quiet,” he said.

“I’m just observing.”

“Observing what?”

I didn’t answer.

He leaned back slightly. “You’re not going to collapse again, are you?”

I glared at him. “I did not collapse.”

“You sat down on the floor near the dock.”

“Gosh, you’re such a bully. It was just a strategic rest.. 

He hummed like he didn’t believe me.

Then, after a pause, “Better?”

“Absolutely.”

“Good.”

Silence settled between us for a few minutes and Luciano broke it first.

“Do you ever think about what comes after this?”

I frowned slightly.

“After what?”

“This.”

He gestured loosely between us.

“Everything.”

I looked down at the table for a moment and then back at him.

“No.”

“That was fast.”

“I don’t have time to think about imaginary futures.”

His gaze didn’t move from mine.

“You have time now.”

That made me pause because he was right.

For the first time in a long time, I did.

The waves moved gently behind him as I leaned back slightly in my chair.

“I used to think surviving was the goal,” I said quietly.

Luciano didn’t interrupt.

He never did when I spoke like that.

“But now,” I continued, “it feels strange not having something to fix.”

His expression softened slightly. “You can still fix things.”

“I know.”

Then I added, “I just don’t want everything to always need fixing.”

That earned a quiet nod from him.

Then, after a moment, he asked,  “What would you do if you weren’t COO?”

I almost laughed.

“That’s not a real question.”

“It is.”

I looked at him properly now. “I don’t know. Painting? I honestly bless the day you thought I was worthy of running your company alongside your sister.”

“Our,” he said.

“What?”

“Our company. Don’t say your.”

I laughed and nodded my head. “Right. Our.”

“So, you love working there that much?”

“Oh, you have no idea. It’s my… my place of solace?”

“You’re so weird, ain’t you? People hate working, and here you are finding comfort in it.”

“Perhaps it’s because you believed I could pull it off? It was hard while I was with my… parents.” I cleared my throat.

This was the first time I was talking about them since everything.

Luciano didn’t end up executing my father. He had sent him and my mother, after seizing their assets, and had exiled them.

They would have no contact from the real world and would be confined to a place and space till whenever.

“They made it seem like… a chore? Not only that, it was as if they expected me to compete with Talia. I just didn’t wanna do it then. But, now… I’m glad…” my voice broke.

Why am I getting sentimental all of a sudden?

It’s not even like I missed them or anything.

It’s just weird suddenly realizing that Luciano was the only family that I have now.

Only him.

He leaned forward and fondled my hand. “You’ve done so so well by yourself, I am so proud of you.”

I smiled and nodded my head. “You tell me. What would you do if you weren’t the Pakhan?”

“There can’t be other options. I am made for this.”

“You’re too arrogant,” I rolled my eyes and we both laughed.

“Tell me.”

“I’d be bored,” he said simply.

I blinked. “That is your answer?”

“Yes.”

“That is depressing.”

“It’s honest.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“That means you don’t have hobbies.”

“I have you.”

My brain paused for half a second.

Then I frowned. “That is not a hobby.”

“It occupies my time.”

“That is not…”

I stopped myself because arguing would lead nowhere.

Instead I shook my head.

“You are impossible.”

“You said that already.”

“I will keep saying it.”

“Good.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly then he reached across the table again and took my hand.

“I like you like this,” he said quietly.

“Like what?”

“Here.”

I looked down at our hands and then back at him.

“And where is here?”

He squeezed my fingers gently.

“Mine,” he said.

God… me too.