It had never been a choice, he had never gotten the chance to figure out if he wanted to do something else.
Now he was pretty much free to do whatever he wanted...
"What time will you be going for cooking classes tomorrow?" Caspian asked as he approached the bar.
Asher’s second-in-command gave him a polite nod, his demeanor casual.
"Morning," He gave an answer, taking the bar stool Caspian patted for him.
Caspian’s eyes sparkled, "I’ll also do morning so we can be in the same class. I should get your number..."
Jael watched them chat familiarly, he wished he could be surprised by their unlikely friendship, but so much had changed in the past few months that it wasn’t even surprising.
"Are you interested in drinks?" He offered to the both of them, getting up to man the bar.
"Is there soda?" Caspian immediately asked.
Jael paused for a second, "I’ll check."
In a few moments, he had a shot glass of soda and ice served up, for all three of them.
"So..." Caspian drawled after a few minutes of idle chatting. "When is the meeting going to be over?"
Jael glanced at his watch, "Anything from a few minutes to a couple hours."
Caspian got to his feet with a sigh, already bored. He downed the rest of his drink and wandered off to explore the casino.
He had never been in one before so it was the perfect distraction.
"Was there alcohol in the soda?" Davian had to ask as they both watched Caspian hang upside down on a stripper pole.
"No. Shit, I should probably stop him." Jael muttered, getting to his feet.
Davian didn’t catch the smile on his face as he took another sip of his drink. He thought he would miss being a Mafia King but instead, he got the chance to actually live again.
"Caspian, stop running around..." Jael’s exasperated voice drifted into his thoughts, and Davian found himself getting to his feet to get a better look.
Eventually, the three of them wandered around the slot machines, Caspian looking at them curiously.
"Ever played it before?" He directed at the other two.
Their responses were simultaneous.
The slot machines were flashy but didn’t hold Caspian’s attention, they soon stopped at a card table where he happily took a seat.
He didn’t care for the casino rules, treating the cards like the usual store-bought packs.
Davian hadn’t played cards either but he got comfortable on a seat, interest lighting up his gray eyes.
"I’ll get the drinks," Jael muttered, making good his word before taking his seat.
An hour later, the door to the private room opened to the sound of Caspian’s happy laughter.
The Omega had a huge pile of chips in front of him while Jael and Davian both wore dark expressions, clearly ticked off about losing.
Nikolai hung back as Asher and Lake hurried over to join the lively conversation.
He had nothing to complain about Lake, dealing with Davian had always felt robotic, if anything the Omega actually gave a shit about his Mafia House. He also had some pretty good unorthodox ideas.
All of that drifted away at the sight in front of him, he should probably be ticked off that they were treating his casino like an arcade but he could barely focus on that.
Nikolai never cared for what others did but the faintest pang of jealously stung the empty cavity in his chest.
He knew he should be more worried about Asher and... Lake forming an alliance but he couldn’t see past the warmth being shared generously, right in his casino.
"You’ve got to pay to stay," Nikolai forced himself to walk up to them, his displeasure evident on his face.
This drew the attention of everyone, five pairs of eyes turning to him.
"I’m not running a charity. If you don’t like it, you leave." He doubled down when the silence stretched on.
"We planned to get ice cream after the meeting," Caspian rose to his feet, "Do you want to come along?"
Nikolai almost responded before he realized that the question hadn’t been directed at him.
Lake sought out Davian’s eyes before replying, "That sounds like fun," He said dryly, sticking close to Caspian. "I’ll email you both the report from the meeting," He tagged on as they started for the door.
Nikolai watched them all drift out with a wry expression. He didn’t even eat ice cream but shit, he wanted some too.
He ignored how his casino dimmed when their voices faded away despite the blinding lights, taking out a cigar.
He had put his casino on hold for too long after all, it was time to open the doors back up and allow his loyal patrons to access their choice of poison.
Nikolai had been distracted for a moment there. He had always envisioned Asher and Davian as people cut from the same cloth as him, but deep down, he knew that was a lie he told himself.
There was no reason to cling to a fantasy that would never be his reality. Love scorned him. He could barely find someone he could tolerate, and it was much harder to find someone who could do the same.
The harsh smoke of his cigar clawed at his throat but he didn’t even flinch, turning around to head to the third floor where his office was located. The night was just beginning.
He could already hear the casino coming to life as he made his way up the stairs, a furrow between his brows.
As he got to the lavish room that was his office, his expensive leather shoes sinking into the plush carpet, he brought out his phone again to make another call.
"Boss?" A voice answered, patiently waiting for orders.
"Get me ice cream," Nikolai muttered, his voice gruff.
There was a short spell of pin-drop silence before he caught himself. "Uh... right away, boss."
Nikolai hung up before the regret could catch up with him, sinking into his throne-like chair in the center of the room.