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“I guess I take after my father,” I spit.
Xavier opens the door as Guilia sweeps inside. She stops short when she sees me and my father, the diamonds around her neck twinkling in the soft candlelight. “Is everything okay, Laila?”
“Everything’s fine,” I assure her. “Charles here was just leaving.”
“Charles?” Her lips pucker and her cheekbones hollow. When she snaps her fingers, security converges around us.
I really have to start taking notes on how she handles business.
“This is an exclusive event, andyou—” She glares at my father. “—are not on the guest list.”
“I’m here to see my daughter,” he protests.
“You’ve seen her.” I slide next to Guilia. “Now, she’s kicking you out.”
“Laila—”
“Enough!” My voice feels unfamiliar, even to me. Honestly, it’s a little bit terrifying. “I’ve put up with you for longer than I should have. This is my life and my family, and I will protect what I’ve built. If you show up again, I won’t just sic my bodyguards on you; I’ll sic my husband on you. I’ve been holding him back, but that ends now.” Finally, I nod to Xavier. “Show him out and make sure he doesn’t come back.”
As soon as my father is dragged from the premises, I sag against the nearest table. “Thanks, Guilia.”
“For what? You were handling that perfectly well on your own.” She grabs my shoulders and stands me up. “You’re a queen now, and it’s about time everyone knew it.”
I blow out a deep breath, releasing the knot of tension I’ve been carrying around for my father for way too many years.
“Is that your way of telling me we still have a lot to do before the party?”
“Sure.” She spins me towards the dessert table in the back. “Get your yoga-toned ass moving. We have work to do.”
An hour later, Guilia clinks her butter knife against her champagne glass and cuts through the soft chatter in the studio. “Give us a toast, Laila!”
I throw her a dirty look, but she’s all innocent smiles and encouragement. “I told her I didn’t want to do a speech,” I mutter under my breath.
Arsen just pushes me towards the center of the room. “You’ve handled worse than this. I believe in you.”
He has no idea how right he is. I haven’t told him about Charles’s drop-in because I didn’t want my father, once again, overshadowing an important moment in my life.
But as I stand under the overhead lights that have suddenly gone from “soft and cozy” to “piercing and blinding,” I don’t think I’d mind a distraction. There are too many eyes on me, and I don’t have a single thought in my head that I could say out loud.
Then I find Arsen as he takes his place in the crowd. He’s back at our table, Nina balanced on his hip. The two of them brought me a bouquet of flowers when the night started—roses, of course—and Nina is currently making sport of shredding the petals from the stems one by one.
His eyes find mine, and all the fear vanishes.
That’s my husband,I can’t help but think proudly.That’s my rock.
Suddenly, I find myself lifting my flute of champagne.
“This yoga studio has been a labor of love,” I start, my voice wobbling with emotion. “It’s been months of planning, designing, and organizing. But really, even before that, it’s been years of dreaming, hoping, and flailing. Today, finally, my dream has become a reality. And I couldn’t have done it without my friends and family.
“To Guilia, Kira, Polina, Dominik and Gedeon—thank you for all the love and support. To all my guests here today, this wouldn’t have been a celebration without you. And of course, to my husband…” My voice quavers again, but I rally, determined to end strong, “You’ve been my greatest champion through this whole process. I couldn’t have done it without you. Which is why I dedicate this toast to you. Please join me in raising a glass to my husband, Arsen, for keeping me in roses all year round. I love you.”
Then there’s the clinking of champagne flutes, cheers of congratulations, and the general revelry of a night filled with great booze and delicious hors d’oeuvres.
Arsen hands Nina to Polina and meets me in the center of his room, engulfing me in his arms. “Thank you for the shout-out,” he murmurs in my ear. “It was unnecessary, but appreciated.”
I press my lips to his neck. “It was most definitely necessary. All this was possible because of you.”
“I owed you.”
