HIS ITALIAN WIFE( HIW BK 2)

CHAPTER ONE I let out a weary sigh. Right now, I should have been at home watching an episode of friends with Vivian because my little Francis would be sleeping but instead I was spending my Friday night working my ass of.  Working in my club was certainly tiring but I needed the profits so I can finally pay off Andrew all the money he used in getting this club up and this club would officially be mine. Who knows? Maybe in future, I could actually open a few more clubs.   “Lana?” I looked up from my open laptop, gazing into the young man who had just entered my office.   “Connor,” he had quickly become one of my favorite waiters.   “We have a problem,” he announced, his face appearing a little squeezed.   “What happened?”   “Your father in-law,” Oh crap! Not this again. For the past three months since Devon literally threatened him into agreeing to divorce his wife, he had been spending his days drinking himself to death. Which is so ironical if you ask me when the man had been sleeping around with almost anything in a skirt when he was still married to his now ex-wife.   “He is not my father in-law,” I grunted. At least not yet. Well, Francis was now three years and two months old and up till now, I keep hoping Andrew would propose but nothing had happened so far. Shaking the thoughts off my head, I marched out of the office with Connor coming after me.   “Its only eleven fifty-nine and he is already drunk,” I grumbled as I hurried through the crowds, smiling politely at them.   After a million forced smiles, I made it to the bar counter where he usually sat but much to my disbelief, he was nowhere to be seen. Confused, I leaned over the counter where Mourad, one of my bartenders was serving out drinks.   “Mourad,” He looked up, a smile enveloping his face.   “Lana,” I had literally insisted all my trusted workers call me by my first name.   “Did you see Mr. Kim around here?” I questioned.   “Mr. Kim? No, he never came in today. I think the angel of soberness and reason must have visited him” he joked and I had to smile a little at that.   I turned around with the intention of finding Connor but what met my gaze was something I had not seen coming.   “Happy birthday babe,” Andrew, dressed in dark suit and wearing the most charming smile, said. He could never have looked hunkier or…tastier.   “Birth-Its not yet my birthday,” I muttered as a matter of fact.   He smiled instead, winked at the DJ and before I knew it All of me by John Legend and my all-time favorite song, floated through the thin air, filling the club. By now, he had pretty much gained the attention of everyone who was sober enough in the club.   “Its midnight babe and that makes you twenty-eight,”   “It can’t be possible. I mean I could not have possibly forgotten my own-crap! I forgot my own birthday,” I cussed. How could I have forgotten my own birthday?   “Yes and now,” He paused, retrieved a blue tiffany box and suddenly went down on one knee, “Will you marry me Lana Badoni? Will you be mine and spend the rest of this unpredictable world by my side?” A ruby ring met my gaze and I could never have swooned more than I did now. This wasn’t really happening. f**k!   “What took you so long?” Tears were gathering at the slit ends of my eyes.   “Is that a yes?” He questioned.   “Yes, it’s a definite yes!” I literally screamed out in excitement as he slid the ring onto my finer, stood up and pulled me into a sweet you-are-mine kind of smile.   When I pulled back, all the people I had grown attached to, were clapping for me. Gosh! I had not even seen any of them coming into the club. From Devon to his newly engaged fiancée and my new best friend Vivian. Greta and her husband also wore the same happy smiles. Mum was smiling at me while she held her sleeping grandson on her arms and I could have sworn she looked like she could cry any second. Even my soon to be parents in-law were present, obviously faking teary smiles because they could not really stand each other. Vincent was out of the country but even if he was here, one thing was for sure; he’d never come here. He could never forgive me for what happened with Rose. Nick…was not here either. I felt a tiny bit of sadness in the back of my gut but I swallowed it down, choosing instead to be actually happy for myself. Moments like these never come twice.   “Hope I’m not late for the party,” I froze as the familiarity of the voice hit me painfully hard.   “Rose?” I questioned, my voice barely audible in my own ears. She cat walked to where we were standing, looking elegant in a silver number, her hair up in a ponytail with an attitude to match.   “Hello Lana. It’s been a few years,” she smirked.