Chapter 314: Mafia Family
I guess you could put it that way.
"How do you think the next heir will be chosen after our generation?" Hayden asked.
Is he referring to the next heir that will take over after either him or Harvey?
"Well, it’s got to be either your first son or Harvey’s first son depending on who succeeds the boss, right?" I asked after some thought.
If the first son rule applied, then that would probably be how it would go down.
"Half correct," Hayden said before his eyes snapped opened.
I watched as the bright blue spheres of his eyes glanced over in my direction and then he grinned a little at me.
"Half?" I asked, curiously. What did I get wrong?
"Succession is kept in only one line of the family. So, either, the next boss takes over first before he has a son. Then when he has children, the first son will become his heir. However, if the next boss hasn’t taken over and a son is born first to another line in the family, the succession line could be changed," Hayden explained calmly like this didn’t have anything to do with him at all.
I cocked my head to the side as his words bounced around in my brain as I tried to digest them and their implications. What does that mean and how does that apply to us? Hayden chuckled a little at my confused and struggling expression before he continued to explain it to me in plainer terms.
"Confused? Well, let’s say that we have a son. It would be all well and good for the boss and the gang, right? I’ll be the next boss and then our son will take over after that. Smooth," Hayden said hypothetically.
"Aha…" I murmured with a nod to show him that I still understood up to that point.
"But what if, Harvey and I want to change our minds? What if, Harvey wants to come back to life and take over as the next boss just like he was always supposed to?" Hayden asked hypothetically.
If Harvey wanted to take over the gang but Hayden already had a child to succeed, then…
"It would be impossible. If I have a child first before Harvey does, the line of succession would shift from Harvey’s line to my line to ensure the survival of the gang because Harvey is childless. Of course, the boss doesn’t know that Harvey is alive, so he thinks that it’s only natural for me to have a kid. To him, there’s only one line left now…" Hayden explained.
"Wait. So, if you have a son before Harvey does, then Harvey cannot come back? He can’t return to the gang as the next boss?" I asked to make sure that I understood correctly.
"Not just that, Malissa. Before you think of Harvey, think of yourself. You, me, our son, whoever that may be, we’ll be stuck here. I’ll be the boss and you’ll be my wife and our son will be the next heir," Hayden said before he flashed me a sad smile.
My mouth dropped opened and I had to cover it with my hands. I had always wanted to understand what Hayden was thinking but now that I understood, I finally realized that his thoughts were much more complex and forward-looking than I could ever have imagined.
While I was simply worried about what I felt or what he wanted regarding our marriage, he had already thought way ahead to its implications for us and our family as well as the implications that our marriage would have on Harvey and the future of the gang.
He was right. I didn’t understand anything at all. How could I be so narrow-minded?
If we get married and we decide to build a family now, then we would be resigning our lives to live as the family that led the gang forever. Did I want that? Did Hayden want that?
"Are you fine with your husband being a mafia?" he asked in wonder.
"…I guess…" I replied softly.
He told me that I had to decide before and this was what I had decided when I wanted to keep in touch with him. I wanted to see him and be with him and I was fine with dating him. However, now that we were talking about our future and forming a family and all that, I started having my doubts. I didn’t quite know how to react because I have never thought this far ahead before.
"Are you fine with your son being the next mafia boss? You want him to be gangster?" Hayden asked.
I knew that he wasn’t asking to tease me or bully me. He was truly serious. Am I fine with it?
"I…" I mumbled before I shut my mouth and glanced down in embarrassment.
I had no idea what I wanted. I wasn’t sure if I was fine with it, but it wasn’t like I was dead set against it either. Sure, mafias and everything related to them scared me before. They probably still scared me now but I had gotten a little used to being a part of their world, although, I did not understand everything about it. However, no parent would teach their son to be a gangster.
"What happens if we have a daughter?" Hayden asked to make matters even worse.
Another scenario that I never thought of…
I was stunned and my mind couldn’t think very well. Honestly, I have never thought that far ahead, and I was very impressed that Hayden had.
"What should we do?" I murmured softly as the weight of the situation came crashing down on me.
"Well, it’s just like you said. We have around 7 days left to think about it," Hayden replied casually.
It’s not just about what I wanted to do. I glanced over at the man next to me as my mind wondered for the countless time about what he wanted to do with his life.
--To be continued…