The argument began over breakfast.
Which was unfortunate, because breakfast had been peaceful.
Sunlight over Milan.
Fresh coffee.
Fruit arranged with unnecessary precision.
Oliver reading financial news.
Anna reading a list titled Possible Baby Names.
Then she said one word.
"Leo."
Oliver lowered the paper slowly.
"No."
She blinked.
"That was immediate."
"It was correct."
"What's wrong with Leo?"
"It sounds like a hedge fund child."
"It sounds classic."
"It sounds expensive in a bad way."
She laughed.
"You are impossible."
"And right."
By mid-morning, the list had become a battlefield.
Anna sat at the kitchen island with a pen.
Oliver stood opposite, rejecting names with executive efficiency.
"Matteo."
"Too charming."
"It's a baby, not a con artist."
"Exactly why we must be careful."
"Luca."
"Every Luca I've met lies beautifully."
"You cannot blacklist names based on vibes."
"I just did."
She stared at him.
"You've met one Luca."
"He was enough."
She pointed the pen at him.
"Fine. Your turn."
He considered.
"Alexander."
"Too formal."
"Victoria."
"We don't know if it's a girl."
"I prepare broadly."
"Julian."
"Board member energy."
"You are inventing crimes."
"I recognize patterns."
That afternoon, she entered his study and found spreadsheets.
Again.
Columns labeled:
Strong / Elegant / International / Not Annoying
She gasped.
"You made a ranking matrix for names?"
"It improves decision quality."
"It removes joy."
"It removes chaos."
She scanned the sheet.
"Why is Theodore color-coded?"
"It tests well."
"With whom?"
"My instincts."
She laughed so hard she had to sit down.
Later, they walked the terrace while evening painted the skyline gold.
Anna leaned against the railing.
"What if we never agree?"
"We'll agree."
"You sound certain."
"I intend to win."
She turned to him.
"This is not a merger."
"No."
"It's our child."
"Yes."
"Then why are you acting like negotiations?"
He stepped closer.
"Because everything involving you matters more than I like."
That quieted her.
He touched the list in her hand.
"I don't care about the perfect name."
"No?"
"I care that when we say it, it feels like home."
The man was dangerous when sincere.
She softened immediately.
"Why didn't you start with that?"
"I was busy rejecting Leo."
She laughed against his chest.
That night, they lay in bed with the lamp on and the list between them.
Oliver had his glasses on.
A deeply attractive and distracting development.
Anna pretended to focus.
"What about Emilia?" she asked.
He thought.
"Beautiful."
She smiled.
"What about Noah?"
"Strong."
"What about Mica?"
He looked at her.
"Sweet."
She scribbled stars beside each.
Then he said quietly:
"What about Grace?"
She looked up.
"You chose that."
"Yes."
"Why?"
He reached for her hand.
"Because if we have a daughter…"
A pause.
"I'd like her named after what saved me."
Her eyes filled instantly.
"Oliver."
"It's only a suggestion."
"It's devastatingly good."
He removed the list from her hands and set it aside.
"You're crying."
"You started it."
"I was naming."
"You were emotional ambushing."
He smiled and kissed away one tear.
"Then choose one for a son," she whispered.
He thought for a moment.
Then:
"Hope."
She laughed through tears.
"That's not a boy's name."
"It could be."
"It's sentimental."
"I'm evolving."
She curled into him, smiling.
No final decision was made that night.
But somewhere between laughter, tears, and terrible spreadsheets, they learned something important.
Any child of theirs would be named with love. ✨