IvanBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I’m sitting out front enjoying a cigar, something I don’t often do when Tori arrives home. When she gets out of the car, I can see worry etched on her face. She’s upset about something.


    I put out the cigar and catch her as she walks up the stairs. “Hey, what’s wrong?”


    She shakes her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just hungry and need a rest.”


    I frown. “Tori, I’vee to know you better than that. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I can help you fix it.”


    She shakes her head again. “It’s just silly family politics with my sister. I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”


    I kiss her forehead. “I hope it gets sorted out. Having siblings is a blessing in any family.”


    She nods, and I let her go inside, but I wait for Aleks. As soon as hees up the porch, I ask, “What happened?”


    “She was fine one minute, and the next, she was emotional,” Aleksments. “Don’t know what’s wrong.”


    I frown and nce down the hallway she walked down. “I don’t like to see her unhappy.”


    Anastasiaes toward me as I walk into the house. “Father, who I love,” she says sweetly, and I snort, “What do you want?”


    “Come with me,” she says, taking my hand and leading me inside to where Tori sat down in the lounge.


    “Sit,” she instructs me, pointing at the couch beside Tori. Tori nces at me, but I shrug. I don’t know what this is about.


    Anastasia smiles brightly. “Father, who I love,” she teases again. “Whatever are you up to tonight?”


    “Rxing?” I suggest. “That was the n, at least.”


    “You rx too much,” she says with a p of her hands. “I’m in the mood for some good-hearted old-school fun. The three of us are going to the arcade to y games and bowl.”


    I shake my head. “Ana, don’t you have friends to do that with? I’m far too old to be ying arcade games.”


    She widens her eyes and juts out her bottom lip. “Don’t you want to spend time with me?”


    I groan and look at Tori. “See what I live with between the two of you? Fine,” I concede. “Fine! We will go with you tonight.”


    “Thank you,” she squeals and hugs me tightly. “Like, we’re leaving in half an hour.” She prances off, and I shake my head. “Change into somethingfortable. This child can bowl for hours.”


    Tori gives me a sad smile and nods, getting up and kissing my head before she makes her way to the bedroom. Maybe this will cheer her up. I go into the bedroom after her, changing into some track pants and a golf shirt. Nothing fancy, but I’m still presentable.


    Tori side-eyes me, and I smirk. “What?”


    “You have some, um, definition happening in those pants.” she blushes, looking away.


    “Something you can look at all night long,” I tease, going to her and wrapping my arms around her. I kiss her softly, then smack her bum lightly. “Come on, we better hurry, or my child will be most upset.”


    She smiles that sad smile again, and it breaks my heart.


    She’s still subdued when we arrive at the arcade, but I know my daughter, her bubbly personality will make it fun, and Tori will soon have a good time.


    We start by ordering pizza at the bowling alley and getting our bowling on. We y against each other, and Anastasia wins the first round easily against us. I’m surprised. I didn’t realize she’d been practicing.


    Tori just barely lost to me, but every time she threw the ball, it would spin, and she would burst into giggles-it was a lot of fun. In the second round, Tori and Anastasia tied. I may have deliberately made a few gutter balls on idental purpose. In the third round, though, I don’t hold back and wipe them both out on the scoring board.


    “You’re a cheater,” Tori deres as she eats another slice of pizza. “You lulled us into a false sense of security.”


    “I’m strategic,” I say, sipping on my beer. Nearby some guards watch over us, ensuring no onees over and bothers us. Anastasia waves down a waitress, “Can we get another pizza and arge cheesy fries.”


    I shake my head. “Who is paying for all this food?”


    “You are,” she says with a grin. “Because you love us.”


    I chuckle and sip my beer again before setting it down. Once the extra pizza and fries arrive, the girls devour them. I don’t know who is more hungry, but it’s fun to watch. I manage to squeeze in one slice for myself.


    After we’ve paid for everything, we go into the outdoor arcade. The indoor arcade has video games, but the outdoor games have bigger prizes you can win, and I know Anastasia has her heart set on a giant teddy bear. We find the cutest one of the lot, and luckily for me, it’s a shooting game.


    I pay the guy for two rounds and pick up the pellet gun. I make my stance, take aim, and let her rip, hitting the targets perfectly.


    Tori looks at me amazed, and I chuckle, “My father was an avid gun collector, and he always said he’d never raise his kids not to handle guns safely.”


    “It’s unfair if you’re a professional,” the booth owner says.


    I look at him, raise an eyebrow, and Anastasia picks up the pellet gun. “My turn.”


    She also fires off urate shots, missing only two.


    “You won one giant teddy,” the booth owner gloats. I look at him, then grab him and pull him to me, so our faces are inches apart. “I believe I won two.”


    “Of…of…of course,” the man stammers as he sees the guards advancing. “My mistake.”


    He gets the two giant teddy bears, and I take them. I give one each to Tori and Anastasia and then smile. “Let’s go y some more games. I’m enjoying this.”


    “Me too,” Tori says with a genuine smile.


    The rest of the evening is filled withughs, more food, and more games. By the time we get home, we’re exhausted. Leonid is waiting for me on the front porch, so I send Tori and Anastasia in to get ready for bed without me.


    “What is it?” I ask, sure it has something to do with Evgeni.


    Leonid holds out paperwork to me. “I don’t know what makes you think you can trust a Sorvino, but Ivan, you can’t.”


    “I will trust her until she does something that breaks that trust,” I roar at him, now at my wit’s end with this conversation. I rip the papers from his hand and look at them. It’s the contracts.


    “I wouldn’t sign if I were you,” Leonid says quietly.


    “I’ll do as I see fit,” I say coldly. “Now get out of here.”


    He leaves, and I dump the contracts on my office table before getting changed and washed up. Tori is already in bed. She seems to be asleep already. So at peace. I climb into bed behind her and spoon her. I stroke her hair softly, careful not to wake her up because I need to admit this before it makes me explode.


    “I trust you so much. I trust you’ve done the right thing for our family and us. Dammit, I trust you with my heart, something I thought I didn’t have anymore. Vittoria, I love you so damn much.”


    I kiss her bare shoulder and settle down, closing my eyes.