"Sylvia, won’t you co et my uncle? I’m sure Aiden must have told you about him," Roderick said, pausing by the living room.
"Yes, he did," Sylvia replied, folding her arms. "But aren’t you forgetting sothing? Your uncle has every reason to be upset with . The only reason I co here every day is to check on Layla."
"Excuses, excuses," Roderick muttered with a teasing smirk. "Either way, be good to my uncle." He adjusted his jacket, clearly ready to leave.
"Why does it sound like you two are always at each other’s throats?" Lucius’s calm, steady voice drifted into the room, catching both of them off guard.
"Uncle, she always starts it!" Roderick said imdiately, his tone half-whining, half-playful.
Sylvia rolled her eyes so hard that Lucius almost laughed. Roderick noticed, chuckled under his breath, and walked away, deliberately ignoring her glare.
"You two should really consider being friends," Layla remarked gently, her gaze settling on Sylvia.
"That’s not going to happen," Sylvia said. "I’ve brought fruits for you."
"Aren’t you going to greet , Sylvia?" Lucius questioned. "Don’t ignore . I’ve returned for good this ti. I’m not going to leave anymore."
Sylvia finally t his gaze. "I didn’t know how to even talk to you." Then, biting her lower lip, she crossed the distance between them and hugged Lucius. She caressed his back while he gently patted hers before parting.
"Don’t ever leave Layla. I get it you needed ti for everything. But I’m glad you returned before the delivery," Sylvia answered. "I’m getting married. Just the way you and Matteo wanted to always settle down with soone nice. Give your blessings on my wedding. It’s after two days," she pronounced and took out the invitation card from inside her handbag.
"Oh my God! What? You and Aiden are getting married?" Layla exclaid, her eyes widening in shock before a laugh of pure joy escaped her. "He didn’t tell a thing, even though we work together every day! Where is he?"
"I’m here," Aiden said as he stepped into the house, brushing a bit of grease from his hands. "The car engine stalled right in front of the house, so I stopped to check it."
Lucius walked straight to him and pulled him into a firm hug. "Congratulations on your marriage," he said warmly.
"Thank you, Boss," Aiden replied with a smile that reached his eyes.
Layla, still giddy with excitent, turned and hugged Sylvia tightly. "Congratulations, Sylvia! I’m so happy for you."
"Even though we’re getting married in two days," Demitri’s voice rang out from behind, where he stood beside Nora. His eyes lit up as they landed on Lucius. "Lucius, welco ho!" He quickly crossed the room and embraced him with heartfelt relief. "It’s so good to see you back safe. We’ve missed you more than you know."
"Boss!" Roger’s voice called from the far end of the room. "Why didn’t you call ? How could you return without telling first?"
Sylvia, smiling softly at the reunion unfolding around her, guided Layla back to the couch and helped her sit down again.
"Your boss didn’t even tell ," Layla said with a mock glare. "You should scold him for that."
Lucius chuckled as Roger suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. "I missed you so much," Roger murmured, his voice thick with emotion, eyes glistening. "Every single day I prayed for your safe return."
"You still cry like a baby. How old are you now?" Lucius teased lightly.
Roger pulled back, wiping quickly at his eyes. "I’m just... emotional, Boss. This was the first ti you left without ."
Layla smiled knowingly. "It’s true. Roger was miserable the whole ti. He never stopped complaining about how unfair you were to leave him behind and not let him accompany you."
"I’m not going anywhere this ti," Lucius said firmly, crossing his arms. "Besides, this matter was supposed to be handled by alone. But tell , aren’t you planning to marry Varya, just like these two are ready to wed their girlfriends?" He cast a glance at Aiden and Demitri, raising an eyebrow.
"I was waiting for Varya to arrive," Roger explained, his gaze shifting to Aiden and Demitri. "But she’s tied up with a sudden work. The three of us had planned long ago to marry on the sa day."
Layla’s eyes widened. "Wait... are we really going to attend all three weddings the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes, Layla," Demitri said, his bright smile lighting up his face. "It’s been the plan from the beginning. And honestly, we can’t wait any longer to be united with our ladies through the sacred bond of marriage."
"Well, that’s wonderful!" Layla exclaid, her excitent bubbling over. "A triple celebration for all of us and it’s going to be unforgettable!"
"But how are we supposed to make all these arrangents?" Lucius asked. "We’ve only got today and tomorrow. Everything needs to be handled quickly." His brows furrowed in worry.
"Don’t worry, Boss," Roger reassured him. "We’ve already prepared. For months we’ve been working toward this day. We knew the mont you returned, this news would reach you, and we’d need to be ready for everything."
"And we are ready," Demitri added with conviction.
Lucius exhaled slowly, so of the tension easing. "So, that makes the best man for all three of you," he remarked with a wry smile. His eyes then drifted to Sylvia. "And as for you, do you want to walk you down the aisle to your groom? If Matteo were here, he would’ve done it."
Sylvia’s lips tightened. "You’re not my brother," she reminded him.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"Luca will walk down the aisle," said Sylvia. "I want you to be Aiden’s best man because you’re his only family."
"Yeah, you’re right. Luca is your cousin," he murmured. "Aiden, you won Sylvia’s heart, which is like winning a war."
"Well, Aiden is the only one who never give special treatnt like all of you used to. He was just normal with . He would be truthful to . That’s why I fell in love with him," Sylvia expressed her thoughts toward Aiden, who smiled at her.
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