Chapter 4

Papa was the first to rise from the couch.

"What did you say, Lorenzo?" he demanded.

Lorenzo shielded Isabella behind him before answering, "I found out that the person who gave the order to attack Isabella during her 18th birthday used Sophia's private code."

Papa rushed toward me and exclaimed, "Is it true?"

Veronica pounced on me before I could answer, sobbing hysterically. "I was willing to endure all your harassment, but how could you try to ruin Isabella like that?"

I shot a cold look at her and snapped, "I didn't do it. That code was fabricated."

However, the next second, Papa slapped me.

My head snapped to the side from the impact, a loud buzzing filling my ears.

"How dare you spout lies even at this point?" he roared. "How on earth did I raise a daughter like you?"

Veronica wiped her tears and said, "She's just like Chiara. All those years ago, she forced me to leave New Vormino just because she was your wife. Now, Sophia is using the same schemes on Isabella."

I whipped my head up when I heard Mamma's name. "You don't deserve to say her name!"

Papa's face twisted in rage.

"How dare you?" he snapped. "Veronica is the current Donna of the Romano family. She's also your Mamma. Apologize to her!"

I could feel my heart slowly turning hollow as I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips.

"I only have one Mamma, and she's dead. I also wasn't responsible for Isabella's attack, so I won't apologize."

Isabella suddenly pushed past Lorenzo and exclaimed, "Since Sophia's insisting that I'm slandering her, I have no choice but to prove my innocence with my death."

She then sprinted toward the sharp, copper corner of the fireplace.

Lorenzo managed to stop her in time, sending both of them crashing to the carpet.

Isabella let out a gut-wrenching wail and screamed, "Let go of me! Just let me die! Sophia will stop thinking that I'm trying to steal her life once I'm dead!"

Lorenzo's eyes reddened as his heart throbbed painfully. "You're not the one who should be punished," he said.

He handed Isabella to the maids before approaching me.

"There's nothing left to say between us. Hand over the Caruso family's badge."

I raised my hands to remove the black-gold badge from the front of my gown. It was pinned on the inner layer of my gown, so I couldn't unfasten it immediately.

However, Lorenzo lost his patience.

"How much longer do you intend to drag this out?" he snapped, grabbing the badge and yanking it off.

The sharp pin left a long scratch from my collarbone to my palm. My gown was also torn open. Fresh blood dripped from my wrist onto the white carpet.

I hissed in pain.

Lorenzo's hand froze for a split second. However, he still snatched the badge from me when he noticed Isabella crying behind him.

"Drop the pitiful act. The pain that Isabella was forced to endure was far more severe than your little scratch."

I couldn't stop the tears that spilled down my cheeks as utter despair filled my heart.

Papa ordered a few core members of the family to come to the hall to act as witnesses.

"Kick Sophia out of the estate. She's only allowed to return after she's learned what loyalty is."

Veronica quickly grabbed him. A flicker of malice glinted in her eyes when she looked at me and said, "You can't do that, Marco. The outsiders will think that Isabella and I are the ones who can't tolerate her.

"We can sweep everything under the rug as long as Sophia gets on her knees and kisses Isabella's signet ring and admits that she committed those sins out of jealousy."

Papa patted her hand with a touched look on his face.

"You're such a saint," he cooed before turning to look at me and barking his orders. "Did you hear that? Apologize to your Mamma and Isabella now!"

I stood in the middle of the hall and looked at everyone, saying, "I'll never admit to those crimes because I didn't do it."

Papa's chest heaved violently from anger.

"Do you think that I won't discipline you because you were accepted into Harmond?" he snapped. "Men! Punish her according to the family's rules!"

Several Made Men lunged at me and twisted my arms behind my back. They pinned me against the altar before forcefully pressing my right palm against the cold marble.

One of them raised a steel hammer high into the air.

Isabella hid in Lorenzo's embrace but peeked at me from over his shoulder. The corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile.

I closed my eyes. I could feel a breeze brush against the back of my hand when the Made Man swung the hammer down.

Just then, the sounds of screeching brakes resounded from outside the estate.

The front doors were slammed open from the outside. A group of men in black swarmed into the hall, brandishing guns. They swiftly blocked all the exits.

Everyone was frozen in place in fear at the sudden commotion.

An old and icy voice resounded from beyond the doors.

"Who dares to lay a hand on Sophia?"