The King's Executioner | Mafia Dark Romance | Book 2

34. A complete family

Sofia

With our family huddled in the living room, Al and I shared a look before deciding to break the news. Aurelia walked with us with an unhinged mouth since our drive to the mansion. Without a word throughout the drive, all she did was clutch onto her toy.

When we entered, she grasped onto my wrist harder. She remained hidden behind me, constantly checking anyone in the mansion who passed by.

Seeing Valentina walk out of her room, Aurelia tugged the back of my dress and shielded herself.

I wondered how tough might have been the life of a two-year-old girl if even the presence of a woman scared her.

"Who do we have here?" Val had noticed Aurelia's presence. She knelt before me with her head slightly tilted behind me, eying Aurelia. "Hello there, I'm Valentina."

Aurelia spoke nothing and grasped onto my dress harder as I tried moving ahead. My arm coiled behind me onto her back, patting to relieve the unsaid tension I could feel emanating from her body.

"Her name is Aurelia," I said to break the silence while trying to ease Aurelia into the new surroundings.

Val gave me a tight nod before rising. "Aurelia, do you want to meet two beautiful babies? They are twins."

A moment later, her muffled voice emerged. "How old are they?"

"Oh, they are a month old." The pride in Val's voice made me smile. "Barely old enough to understand that I am their mother."

Somehow Val's confidence in introducing her kids eased Aurelia. Leaving her safe heaven behind me, she stood beside me while maintaining her snail's pace towards Val.

She shook Val's hand and like an instant connection between the new mother and her kid, Aurelia smiled, walking with Val to the nursery. Although she peered back at me, when Al and I waved at her, Aurelia's confident smile and her steadfast steps reassured us of her ease.

The rest of the family who watched everything from a distance didn't intervene. I was sure that every man in the Los Zetas Cartel and every woman had their fair share of seeing orphaned children and hearing their heartbreaking stories to know better.

Al held my hand and gave it a tiny squeeze.

"Shall we?" he asked and as much I wanted to shout out from the rooftops about Aurelia, with every passing moment, I grew apprehensive.

What if Maria think it was a bad decision?

What would Valentina say?

Alejandro, who read me with ease, moved us into the hall. He gestured towards the nursery and then me.

"We have an announcement to make," he said. "Aurelia, she is the new addition to our family as we have decided to adopt her."

A moment of silence later, the gathering burst into cheers. Hoots and congratulatory words floated across the hall, filling the place with a happier vibe. Gemma embraced me and swayed me from side to side.

"I am so happy for you," she said. "For the both of you."

With tear-laden eyes, she smiled. I always assumed a strong woman like Gemma never cried. Today, I was proved wrong. We may all be different in ways, but our original mode of functioning while receiving happy news was the same.

Maria, who stood waiting for her turn, tightened her hold over Alejandro and me, patting the backs of our heads. "You both have given me the best gift," she said.