Poker Face ✔

Chapter 73

I released my deep breath slowly.

The funeral was held the day the kids and I arrived in Brooklyn.

We all wore black as we entered the family's mansion that was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people.

The Koleawiskis were there, the Carters, Loris, Jeremiahs, Parkers, Espositos and our extended relatives (my grandfather's kids and grandkids).

Vanessa and John were with their two kids, Christo who was ten and Harry who was eight. Kaitlyn Rose and Michael were there with their five-year-old triplets, Alex, Ella and Jackson.

As a matter of fact, all my cousins over the age of twenty-five were now married with kids. Even those who I could never picture having kids. My cousin Lila was pregnant with her fourth child, her twin brother Tyler had three kids, Even Kyle managed to find himself someone.

Zac was twenty-six and engaged to a girl named Nina brown. My cousin Cotton was twenty-nine years old and married with a kid; geez it seems like only yesterday when I blamed him for the death of my uncle Donny on nocte fractorum.

Everybody had moved on; those kids are grown and are having kids of their own. I'm twenty-eight years old with six-year-old twins. Ten years prior, I had no idea my life would be like this.

I could only imagine what would have happened if I obeyed Uncle Nate's orders that night in 2007; if I had never gone to the Larrunzario mansion against his wishes and met Gabe.

I probably would have never become so disobedient; probably wouldn't have gallivanted around the world looking for my dad as long as I did, and I sure as hell wouldn't have my kids.

I couldn't believe that it had been six years since I had roamed those halls.

Six years since I last sat in that laundry room, or ran on those treadmills, or slept in my bed.

Where did all the time go?

At this point, my father was out of jail on parole. So many of our friends were there, so many people were there to mourn my uncle.

"Remember" I whispered as holding Clementine's hand on my left and Milos on my right "we're in mourning"

"What's mourning?" Clementine asked.

"We're upset" Milo rolled his eyes at her.

We walked through the crowded foyer slowly. Everyone there I recognized. I was only 5'1 compared to everyone there who was about 5'6 - 6'4. So I didn't expect to be noticed.

"Everybody's so big" Clementine realized.

My kids were around people; just not so many at the same time who were taller than the average human.

"Rina!" I heard a familiar voice call.

I shot my head up to find Twenty-six-year-old Chris from across the foyer. He pushed through the crowd in his wheelchair. I immediately ran up and squeezed the man tightly.

It had been six years since I held this little boy that I kept so close to my heart.

"Chris" I squeezed.

I held back my tears by taking a slow deep breath, allowing only one to escape.

"Thank god," he said under his breath has he pulled away.

"These are my children" I choked up as looking at the twins that stood behind my legs. "Milo and Clementine"

"They've gotten so big" Chris smiled whilst tears running down his cheeks.

"Don't cry" I begged him "you'll make me start"

My kids kept close to me fearfully. Squeezing my hands.

"Ta?" Chace questioned as taking short slow steps towards us.

Chace Matthews was now twenty-eight years old. His diamond grey eyes were wide. I could instantly tell that he had a wall up.

"Hi" I gulped whilst nodding. His eyes than wander to my kids who clung on to me, "oh um these are my kids...Clementine and Milo"

Chace flinched in shock. "Kids?" He gasped as raising both brows.

That's when the funeral started; we all entered the backyard where all my dad's sibling stood up and said a few words.

I watched as all my cousins stood up, took rose petals and placed them on the memorial brick wall. Each brick had the person's name, birth date and death date. Aunt Jess was there, uncle Donny, Jason, dad's parents, and now uncle Nate.

It didn't take long for everyone to acknowledge my existence. After the service uncle Jared, Ethan, and I entered his office to discuss the estate whilst the kids played with Chris outside.

"Legally the business belongs to the two of you" Uncle Jared explained.

"Yeah I'm aware," Ethan nodded, "so how do we do this?"

"You two do his job...make sure everything runs smoothly, plan the jobs...you have full access to money and all the contacts" Uncle Jared informed.

"Right" I nodded.

"He uh also left you something" Uncle Jared met my gaze nervously.

"What?" I blinked.

Uncle Jared opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small stack of old papers held together by a single paperclip. I took the stack and read the first page.

Dear Taylorina,

If you're reading this than I am gone; I know you have a lot of questions, you always have. I was never able to answer them so I simply ignored you. I know someone who can answer your questions better than I ever could; guard these pages with your life.

Love always,

Nate.

I flicked through the pages where I found a bunch of names; most being of my relatives but then I found mine; renegade. That's what it said under my name.

These were my great-grandmother Taylorina's predictions; the ones that I had begged for, years prior.

Me and Ethan's names were linked and underneath it said that we get the family business. What interest me was the reasoning.

My family's two fearless renegades, who broke every rule to be happy, feared love yet both had babes - feared rejection and judgment yet left the business despite your reservations.
My future rulers.

Under my name had many dots points made by my great grandmother which included, renegade, bores twins, marries the enemy.

My eyes widened. 'marries the enemy'.

That's how uncle Nate always knew everything.

My uncle Nate knew the whole time that I would leave the family and he was never able to say anything to anyone.

Tears fell from my cheeks as I looked up at my uncle Jared and smiled. "She got some things right"

He shot me a knowing look before nodding slowly.