Chapter 4

"They're all here! I promise!" Sofia blurted out. "Those guns… Lorenzo said they were outdated… so he dumped them in the basement. We drank some of the wine… And the clothes, I only wore a few…"

Her voice shrank with every word until it was barely there.

I smiled coldly and headed straight for the basement. There, the sight hit me like a punch to my gut. The antique guns were piled in a corner like trash—people who didn't know better wouldn't realize they were the Rossi family's legacy.

Every gun carried a story written in lead and loyalty. Now, rust gnawed at the metal, leaving scattered parts and shattered stocks in its wake.

What infuriated me even more was that the rest of the basement had been turned into a sick little playroom for Lorenzo and Sofia. Chains, whips, and tools I didn't want to name hung on the wall.

In the center of it all stood a red velvet chair. It used to be my Papa's favorite throne, the very symbol of his authority. Now, it was smeared with stains I didn't recognize. Even the air around it reeked of something foul.

"Lorenzo…" I muttered, turning around to face the man who had followed me to the basement.

By then, he had regained his composure a little. He had even straightened his tie, trying to force the air of an authority figure.

"This is practically nothing, Vittoria. It's perfectly normal for young people to act more liberally nowadays. You've been out of society for too long that your way of thinking has become outdated."

He walked over, reaching out as if to drape an arm around my shoulders.

"As long as you're willing to bow down to me, we can go back to how things were. I can give you a proper status—maybe not the Donna, but the Underboss. We'd run the family together and—"

"The Underboss?" I interrupted him, then delivered a harsh backhand slap.

I put everything into that slap. Lorenzo staggered a few steps back, one side of his face swelling almost instantly. "You must've forgotten who used to sit in that chair."

I pointed at the desecrated seat. "That was the Donna's throne. And you? At best, you were just a dog I kept around. When a dog tries to climb over its owner and shit on her head, there's only one ending—death."

He clutched his face, finally revealing the killing intent in his eyes. "Very well, Vittoria. You asked for this."

With a few claps, a hidden door in the basement slid open. More than a dozen gunmen poured out, weapons up, pointing their muzzles at me.

"I'd wanted to give you a way out, but you forced me into this. Now, don't blame me for being ruthless."

He laughed maniacally. "This basement has amazing soundproofing. Even if you die here, no one will ever know. I'll tell the outside world you died of illness—maybe even give you a big, respectable funeral."

Sofia came down, too. When she saw the scene, she looped her arm around Lorenzo's with a smug smile. "I knew you were the best, amore mio! Now, kill this crazy woman!"

I looked at the ring of gun barrels aimed at me, and instead of fear, I let out a laugh. "Oh, Lorenzo. You're still as foolish as ever."

I pulled a small remote from my pocket. "You really think I spent three years inside doing nothing?"

"What's that?" Lorenzo asked, his face shifting.

"This," I said, my thumb slowly brushing the red button, "is the self-destruct trigger for the whole estate. When this place was renovated, I buried two tons of C-4 under it. The moment I let go, we all go down together."

Everyone's faces shifted. The gunmen started trading looks. Some even lowered their weapons without realizing it.

"You… You wouldn't!" Lorenzo barked shakily. "You'd die here as well!"

"I'm not held back by anything," I said, taking one step forward and locking eyes with him. "My worthless life, traded for you two bastards and half a family of traitors… Honestly, it sounds like a good deal."

Sofia collapsed to the floor, clutching Lorenzo's leg like a drowning woman. "No! I don't want to die! Amore mio, let her go! Tell them to put their guns down!"

Cold sweat ran down Lorenzo's face. His eyes stayed glued to the remote in my hand, trying to decide if I was bluffing. However, the crazed look in my eyes stopped him from gambling.

"F-Fine," he said through clenched teeth, then waved. "Guns down!"

The gunmen parted, opening a narrow path. I walked straight through them and stopped when I passed Lorenzo. "This is only the beginning, Lorenzo. Enjoy what time you have left."