Chapter 71

CZAR

"I appreciate your input, Ziven. But I always have the final say," Magnus De Greco replied. "I am the capo. I will operate this business however I see fit. As a member of the De Greco organization, you should support whatever I want to happen—or do your loyalties lie elsewhere?"

Ziven winced slightly but quickly masked it with a serious expression. Finally, he kept his mouth shut and instructed the other men to put down their guns. I stopped after they did and wrapped a protective arm around my wife.

"Avaline, if your decision is to go with Czar, you'll be breaking your oath to De Greco. You won't be accepted as a soldier again—but I will never disown you as my daughter."

Conflict appeared in her eyes. I loosened my hold on her waist, letting her know that she could still walk away from me. I'll just have to keep pissing off the Islas soldiers then, if it's the only way I can see her.

"Let's leave," she decided. And we did.

She looked puzzled when I brought her home to her apartment.

"Oh right, clothes," she nodded, still confused.

I shook my head. "You'll stay here. All the tension fogged your head, which is why you said that. Just explain it to your dad tomorrow, and he'll take you back as a soldier."

Fuck! Was I convincing her or myself?

"And you?" she asked.

I grinned twistedly. "Leaving."

"Are you going back to Saint Petersburg?" She sounded bothered.

"You've been sending me home for a week now, haven’t you?" I said with a smile. "Don't tell me you'd miss me?"

When pain hit her face, the smile disappeared from mine. I could sense fear, anger, and lies easily, but I couldn't tell what was going on in her mind.

"You're leaving?" Her voice broke despite her attempts at indifference.

"I was kidding, cariño," my voice softened. And I couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasure at the thought that she didn’t want me to leave. "I'll stay in my car."

"I thought we were both going back to Saint Petersburg? Why are you making me stay here?"

I bent down. "You don't have to come with me. I can manage, even if the entire De Greco organization decides to team up against me."

She blinked. A slow smile curved her trembling lips.

"You're too generous for someone who likes things to go his way."

"I'll fall to my knees for only one person, cariño."

Avaline closed her eyes as she soaked in the words. It was the truth. I have never bowed and followed anyone's orders. I never listened to a plea. I never valued another's insights except my brothers' business opinions. To me, only I am capable of doing things right. Only I can manage to be on the winning end.

And while I still consider myself the most capable in the crime business, in other aspects, Avaline could bend my principles however she liked.

"I want us... b-back together..."

Satisfaction and relief coursed through me.

"My almost death made you realize you want me, huh?"

She glared at me. "Stop joking about it, Czar!"

"I don't joke. I'm merely curious," I said flatly. "And there's no need to decide now. I'd give you another week. Maybe you were just shocked that I was almost shot—"

Thanks to my quick reflexes, I caught her when she flung herself at me and kissed me. She tugged at my hair the way she always does when we kiss—the best kind of pain. Her soft hand stroked my jaw as I lifted her off the floor and made her legs hug my torso to pull her closer.

I released a low growl when she stopped and peppered me with small kisses instead. I chased her lips for more but she stopped me with an index finger on my lips. She shook her head and pressed her forehead against mine. This kind of intimacy is still unfathomable to me. But I can't stop doing it with her.

"I want to be with you, Czar," she whispered. "I have always given myself to you. Please don't let me go this time."

"I won't, cariño. I'll marry you again."

She withdrew slightly and avoided my gaze. My brows drew together.

"You don't want to get married?" I asked slowly.

She immediately shook her head and cleared her throat. "N-no... I want to be married... e-eventually..."

I smoothed my hand on the back of her head patiently. "What do you want us to be right now?"

"I want things on my terms this time. Gusto kong magdahan-dahan muna." (I want to take things slow this time.)

I nodded even though it was the opposite of what my brain was saying. You like a person; then you get married—that's the only setup I can deal with. I'm not capable of doing anything between meeting someone and marrying them; I don’t do romance.

"I want you to court me first. Then you'll be my boyfriend. And after that... my husband." With each sentence, her voice grew fainter.

I tipped her chin up with my index finger.

"A vanilla relationship?" Is this what normal couples outside our world do?

Her cheeks tinted with shame. "I know this is silly. This isn't what you're used to. If this is not what you want then—"

"I'll try," I cut her off and nibbled on her earlobe. "For you."

She came with me to Saint Petersburg, and I became her suitor. What I didn't expect was that she'd want her own home instead of living with me.

"Not happening, cariño. You're living in our mansion. End of discussion." I tugged her hand before she could argue.

She stayed at the mansion yesterday after we landed in Saint Petersburg. We slept and woke beside each other. I thought everything was settled—until she asked me to drive her around Saint Petersburg. I thought it was an excuse to spend time with me. Turns out she's looking for a home to rent. And now we're arguing in the middle of the road.

She stood her ground, making herself heavy so I couldn't pull her along. But her struggle was futile against my strength.

"That's not how this works, Czar! You don't get to tell me what to do."

"You are a free woman, cariño. You can do whatever the hell you want. Just live in the mansion with me."

She sounded like she was about to laugh if she weren't so pissed at me. I didn't care. The thought of living separately from her any longer drove me nuts. I might not be able to sleep at night knowing she's just in Pangasinan. She's within reach, yet I wouldn't see her when I come home, and I wouldn't have her beside me when I sleep? I'd go insane.

My nostrils flared at my own thoughts. I'd force apartment rental businesses to stop their operations just so she'd live with me. Maybe I'd tell her bodyguard, Sibley, to distract Avaline for a bit while I threatened those apartment rental businesses.

That's another thing I disliked—Sibley Esquilin's constant presence in Avaline's life. She has sworn loyalty to La Archante, but it seems like her loyalty only belongs to my woman. I didn't even assign her as Avaline's bodyguard, yet she went and did what she wanted. Sibley disobeyed me as a soldier; that warrants punishment. But this once, I'd let her slide because she made sure my woman was protected when I wasn't by her side.

It would have been fine if Sibley acted normally. But it seemed she never took a break. Even when Avaline and I were together and didn't need a guard, there she was. She gave Avaline so much attention that I was tempted to force her out of the picture.

Avaline rose on her tiptoes and pecked my cheek. Some of the tension left my body with that contact.

"Please, Czar, can you listen to what I'm about to say?" She batted her lashes, which made my jaw tighten.