Page 136 of The Diávolos: Part Two
“I’m so curious, Evan! Give me a hint,” my wife pleads.
“We’re close,moró.I need you to be patient for just a tad longer.”
A few minutes later, I bring the car to a stop and exit, helping her out of the passenger seat.
There’s a symphony of sounds in the air, and Angelica tries to look around despite the fabric still around her eyes. “Where are we?”
I don’t respond and simply lead her by the hand to the front door of the building before us.
“You can remove the blindfold now,” I tell her.
She excitedly takes it off and stills. People are walking in and out of the establishment, and a doorman comes toward us.
“Mr. and Mrs. Vasilakis, welcome. Let me take care of your vehicle.” I nod and give him the keys. Angelica stands next to me, confused.
“Look up, angel.”
When her eyes reach the sign above, they immediately grow misty.
The Iris Boutique Hotel.
“W-what is this?” she asks, her voice trembling.
“I bought this hotel for you. In honor of your mother,” I reply, putting my arm around her shoulders and squeezing her against me.
“Are you serious?” Angelica tries to fight back her tears.
“Dead serious. I know how much you wanted independence before all this, something that was all your own and that would mean you would never be dependent financially on any man ever again, and I figured you’d be perfect for the role.”
She’s full-blown crying now as she hugs me back. “This is perfect, Evan! I can’t believe it. Thank you.”
An indescribable warmth envelops me. It’s as if my heart expands whenever I make Angelica happy.
“That’s not all.”
“What? There’s more?”
I pull her into the hotel and toward the front desk. The woman behind it, Alyssa, smiles at us. “Mr. Vasilakis! Nice to see you again. I see you’ve brought my new boss,” she says, beaming at Angelica.
“Yes, indeed.” I look at my wife. “When you’re ready, Alyssa will show you how everything works. She’s the general manager here.”
Angelica’s face lights up. “Nice to meet you, Alyssa. I can’t wait to get started!”
I wasn’t sure if she would embrace the idea of running a hotel, but this place has been in Cebrene for years and the owner was finally selling. My financial advisor always tells me when new properties appear on the market, and when he showed me this little boutique hotel, I thought of Angelica.
I pull her to my side and kiss her forehead. “Now, don’t take up too much of my wife’s time. I’ll still need her at home,” I tease, not taking my eyes off Angelica as she pokes me in the stomach.
“It’s not the time to go all alpha male. You did this to yourself.”
“I’m just kidding,angeloúdi mou. Worst case, if I miss you too much, I’ll book a room and you can give me a tour.” I wiggle my brows.
“Evander!” she reprimands, and I just laugh.
For the past few weeks, we’ve slowly been getting back to how we used to be, before I decided to fuck everything up, and I truly believe I’m the happiest man alive. It’s a slow process, but Angelica is opening herself up to me more and more.
Alyssa watches our exchange with hearts in her eyes. “Here’s your key card for the night,” she says with a wink.
Today is our one-month wedding anniversary, and I wanted to celebrate in a special way.
