Chapter 4

Layla must have believed she'd won.

The next day, she sent Lorelei out of the city.

Then she used Angelo's personal successor's seal to fire the finance manager and put her brother Rino in his place.

On his first day, Rino withdrew fifty million dollars.

He said it was a gift for the Gallo family.

His staff didn't dare challenge him. One of them quietly brought the record to me.

I glanced at it.

"Let the payment go through."

The employee looked alarmed.

"Miss Romano, that's fifty million."

I picked up a pen and added one line beneath the entry.

"Charge it to Angelo's personal expenses for this term."

The employee paused, then understood.

"Yes, ma'am."

That afternoon, Layla sent people to clear out my room.

She said it was spacious and got plenty of sun.

When she and Angelo had a child, it would make a perfect nursery.

The maid who told me had tears of anger in her eyes.

"Miss Romano, she's even taking your room now."

I watched servants carry my trunks out. Strangely, I felt almost nothing.

Three days earlier, I'd still been unsure.

Angelo had managed the family for me for twelve years, after all.

If he'd remembered his place, I'd have thrown Layla out and left it at that.

Now the choice was easy.

That evening, Angelo came to see me on his own.

He had a new contract in his hand.

"I've been thinking, Vittoria."

"Going through this renewal every Family Day is a nuisance."

He spread the contract before me.

It was Don's letter of appointment.

I looked up at him.

He sounded perfectly casual.

"You were young, and Mother wanted to give you a little ritual to play with. That was fine then."

"But you're eighteen now."

"A family as big as ours can't keep following a childish rule."

"I'll let you stamp it one last time this year."

"Then we can stop."

I couldn't help asking,

"You really think I stamped those appointments every year just to make myself feel good?"

He frowned.

"What else would it be?"

"Think about it, Vittoria."

"How many full sets of accounts have you read in twelve years? How many Dons have you met?"

"Everyone knows who's really kept the Romanos going."

Layla walked in just then.

She heard him and jumped in with a smile.

"Exactly."

"Angelo has played along for your sake every year, and you actually started believing you mattered."

She slid the permanent appointment toward me.

"Stamp it in front of the stewards on Family Day."

"Then you can marry and settle down. Angelo will run the businesses, and I'll manage the money."

"Everyone wins."

I didn't argue.

I closed the contract.

"All right."

"We'll discuss it in front of everyone on Family Day."

Angelo visibly relaxed.

After they left, Enzo stepped out from behind the door.

He carried two boxes.

One held the personal successor's seal Angelo had used that year.

The other held the Romano family's Don seal.

"Miss Romano, tomorrow is Family Day."

"Mr. Rizzo's current term ends at midnight tonight."

I nodded.

"Are all the candidates here?"

"They're all in the city."

Before dawn on Family Day, cars filled the drive outside the residence.

All thirteen chiefs, seventy-two district heads, and several Romano elders had arrived.

Angelo came late.

He clearly hadn't expected such a crowd. He even joked,

"Vittoria really went all out for her little ceremony this year."

Layla held his arm.

"It's the last time we have to do it. Might as well make it a party."

Inside, Angelo took his usual seat at the table.

Layla went straight to the chair at its head.

Enzo's face changed.

I raised a hand to stop him.

Layla sat down and waved at me with a smile.

"Come on, Vittoria."

"Stamp the permanent appointment. Then the rest of us won't have to do this every year."

Not one of the chiefs smiled.

Angelo noticed the strange mood but thought nothing of it.

He laid the contract on the table.

"Let's begin."

Then, by habit, he held a hand out to Enzo.

"Bring me this year's family ledger. I'll stamp it."

Enzo didn't move.

Angelo's brow furrowed.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Only then did Enzo rise.

He didn't bring the ledger.

He carried Angelo's personal seal in both hands and presented it to me.

"Donna."

"The old appointment expired at midnight."

"Under family rules, the old seal is struck from the register today."

Angelo's smile stiffened.

Layla frowned openly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Enzo ignored her.

Every chief and district head in the hall rose to their feet.

Together, they bowed to me.

"Donna, please review the family ledger."

"Then choose this year's successor."

Finally, Angelo's expression changed.

He swung toward me.

"What do you mean, choose?"

I didn't answer.

I picked up the renewal register and slowly turned to this year's page.

The space beside Angelo's name

was blank.

I looked him in the eye.

"You always said this was just a formality, didn't you?"

His lips parted, but no words came out.

I put the family seal back in its box.

"Good."

"Because this year,"

"we're skipping that formality."