I grimace. “Of course. Xena always sees the big picture.”
“It’s her gift,” Christo agrees. “When I proposed, Xena lost her shit.”
I nod in understanding. My ex-fiancée certainly knows how to play the long game.
“Mariana was afraid of Xena and everything to do with the mafia. She wanted to back out of theengagement a few times, but I convinced her I’d take care of her. Ironically, if I’d stayed with her, Iprobably would have given up my birthright. Mariana wouldn’t have wanted to be the boss’s wife.And I woulda done it, too, you know. I would have given everything up for her. Xena could havewaited and everything would have worked in her favor. But she wasn’t going to take that kind ofchance.”
It’s easy enough to see where this story i
