Page 194 of Vicious Games

She walked me through every form, every child services visit, and every obstacle that came our way. With Selene and Vincent Romano supporting the process—turns out their names carry a lot of weight in this city—it wasn’t long before Darius was living with me in our new apartment.

Life after that…has been pretty sweet if I so myself.

As I step off the stage, diploma still clutched tight in one hand, I slip back to my seat just in time to watch Enzo and Lucky take their turn.

Enzo walks like he’s done this before—cool, calm, every inch the valedictorian. He accepts his diploma with a nod and a subtle smile that earns him quiet admiration from the crowd.

Then it’s my Lucky’s turn to take center stage—unpredictable, magnetic, entirely himself.

He strolls up to Sister Margaretta, takes the diploma, and leans in to whisper something in her ear. Whatever he says makes her cheeks flush crimson, causing him to give her one of his trademark smirks. A beat later, he turns to the audience, sticks out his tongue, and throws up a rock-and-roll sign.

The crowd loses it.

And before anyone can blink, he’s leaping off the stage, making a beeline toward me. He lifts me clean off the ground, twirling me until I’m dizzy with laughter.

“Put me down,” I giggle, swatting his shoulder. “It’s not over yet.”

“Oh, I know,” he says, grinning as he kisses me. “But it’s been an hour since I last kissed you, and I was starting to get antsy.”

I roll my eyes and laugh.

“What did you say to Sister Margaretta?” I ask, curious.

“You’ll see,” he says cryptically.

Sister Margaretta returns to the podium, her voice ringing out clear over the field one last time.

“And now, with pride and great joy, please join me in congratulating the graduating Class of 2025!”

The crowd erupts into cheers as a thousand caps fly into the air.

And then—boom!

Two loud pops echo across the field as hidden cannons fire from either side of the stage, launching a storm of glittering confetti and fluttering white slips of paper into the sky.

The entire crowd goes wild.

Laughter spreads like wildfire as people scramble to grab the notes drifting to the ground.

I pick one up and read it out loud, “Thou Shalt Not Flunk College.”

Another floats into my hand and I read that one too. “Blessed Are The Party Animals.”

Someone nearby hollers, “Mine says, ‘Go Forth and Make Money. Amen!’”

I look over at Lucky, who’s grinning like a cat who swallowed the last communion wafer.

“One last prank, huh?” I say, raising a brow.

He shrugs, completely unrepentant. “You know me. Either go big or go home.”

I roll my eyes, still laughing as he slips his arm around my waist.

We’re surrounded by chaos—flying caps, and what I hope is biodegradable torn paper, and a whole lot of people shouting, hugging, and celebrating.

But somehow, in this exact moment, it feels like everything is exactly how it was always supposed to be.

Me in Lucky’s arms, while the rest of the world falls in joyous chaos.

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