Chapter 3

Oliver strode in. When he saw Mia gripping my hand, his face darkened.

"Let go."

Mia hesitated, but she let go.

I rubbed my sore wrist, took back the black envelope, and told Oliver what she'd done.

"She wants to take the safe house keys, the informant list, and the offshore account keys, and she tried to force me to sign the transfer agreement and put everything in your name.

"And that's not all. She wants to use me as a bargaining chip and marry me off to the Velli family on the East Coast to end the feud between our families. And she said once I'm gone, your child can take over the Norman family!"

Oliver frowned.

"Mia, did you say that?"

Mia's eyes instantly welled up, as if she'd been terribly wronged.

"Oliver, I did this for you."

She pointed at the papers.

"For ten years, you've run the docks and cleaned up every mess in every business. But Sofia? She doesn't even know how much the family makes in a year, and she still thinks she gets to call the shots!"

Oliver didn't say anything, so I cut in.

"Because I do."

Mia whipped around to look at me.

"See! She actually believes it."

At that, Oliver suddenly looked conflicted.

Mia grabbed his hand.

"You said it yourself. The Don was just indulging her. He was afraid it would look bad if she couldn't run the family, so he made up that stamping rule to have you go through the motions with her every year.

"And now look. She actually thinks she's the heir."

Oliver didn't answer. Instead, he gave me an apologetic look.

As I looked at his face, the last bit of hope I'd been clinging to faded away.

He believed it too.

For ten years, I'd solemnly handed him that power every year, and all along, he thought he was just going through the motions, playing a game with a spoiled princess.

"So you always thought my golden lion seal was just part of a game to keep me happy?"

I watched him and waited for his answer.

Oliver was quiet for a while, then sighed.

"Sofia, that's how it was. When you were little, you couldn't learn how to run the family business, so the Don let you have your way because he felt bad for you. Having me wait for your stamp every year was just to make you feel involved."

Seeing Oliver take her side, Mia was instantly smug. The wounded look from a minute ago was gone without a trace.

"You've done whatever you wanted all these years, but you really don't understand the business.

"I told you. Oliver is the one holding the Norman family together."

I turned to Oliver. "So her taking my offshore account keys wasn't wrong either?"

He frowned.

"Mia went a little too far, but the offshore keys are family secrets. You have no use for them. It wouldn't hurt to let her keep them from now on."

I took a deep breath and fought down my anger. "And this marriage?"

He paused.

"It's just a first meeting. The Velli family has a lot to offer. You're going to marry for the family sooner or later anyway. If it helps settle the feud, it'll be good for our family."

I almost laughed out loud.

Members of the Norman family never marry into another family.

Oliver had been in the family for ten years. There was no way he didn't know that rule.

But now, he thought he had the right to abolish even that rule.

I felt drained. I didn't want to argue anymore. I asked just one question.

"What if this year, I don't stamp it?"

Mia laughed first. "Sofia, who do you think you are, still trying to scare us with that?"

Oliver's expression hardened. "Don't be difficult, Sofia. It's just a ceremony. Without your golden lion seal, you think every Norman business is going to shut down?"

When I didn't say anything, his tone softened a little.

"If you're really upset, I'll take you out somewhere, and we'll put this behind us. From now on, Mia will handle the internal affairs. You're grown up. It's time you did your part for the family."

Mia walked over to him with a smile and gently wrapped her arms around him.

"Watch yourself from now on, Sofia. Every cent you spend has to go through me first."

I looked at the two of them pressed together, and my heart went cold, bit by bit.

Finally, I gave them a thin, icy smile. "Fine. See you at the annual meeting."

I hoped they could afford what this was going to cost them.

Oliver didn't notice anything had changed in me. He thought I'd given in, and before he left, he said one more thing.

"Let Mia keep the safe house keys and the account keys for now. Behave yourself, and I'll put in a good word for you at the annual meeting."

I ignored him, tucked the black envelope back inside my jacket, and walked straight out.

When I got back, I called in my deputy, Augie.

Augie had been with me for 11 years. When the Don brought him in off the docks, he was 19, and two fingers on one hand no longer worked.

These days he handled three things: the family's cars, the family's guns, and every underground deal the family didn't want written in the books.

I closed the door and had him sit down.

"For this year's annual meeting, get every dock and crew boss to headquarters. No exceptions."

Augie looked surprised for a moment, then said, "Yes."