Chapter 2

Lorenzo and I had barely returned to the estate before word spread through the family.

A thread about it was blowing up on the family's private forum.

The guys who worked the docks under Colton were the angriest of all.

[Why is Colton being investigated? He's worked his butt off on those docks for years. If it weren't for him, we'd all have died in that last fight.]

[Seriously, he saved my life too. He got shot on a job and still got every one of us out. And now someone's saying he has no morals? No way!]

[Even the Donna can't get away with something like this. How are the rest of us supposed to keep risking our necks for the family?! Are they going to shut us out next?!]

Just like that, the whole family was in an uproar.

Some members were so outraged on Colton's behalf that they flew in from Miami and showed up at the council room, demanding answers from Dante.

Even the maids at the estate had heard the rumors.

"Donna, maybe you should go down to the council room and see for yourself. They've gone too far. The Don already said to wait until the investigation is over.

"But they won't let it go. They're even saying you're deliberately trying to ruin his future. I can't stand listening to it."

I was mending a piece of handmade lace.

It was a scrap I'd cut from the couture gown I'd worn more than ten years earlier.

My childhood name was crocheted into the pattern. Beth's matching gown had her name worked into it too.

I'd kept the scrap for more than ten years.

Every year, I reinforced the fraying stitches with a crochet hook.

"They've already been told. They'll get their answer in three days.

"And now they can't get here from Miami fast enough." I scoffed. "Funny. I don't remember any of them being this eager when the Don and I got married."

Lorenzo and I had gotten married overseas.

The family's hold on power was shaky that year, so the wedding was rushed. Nobody outside the inner circle was invited.

To protect me, Lorenzo kept me out of the public eye.

Outside the inner circle, no one from the other cities had ever seen me.

The maid looked worried. "Donna, if this keeps up, I'm afraid you'll have trouble holding on to your influence in the family.

"Colton has a lot of pull in Miami. Plenty of the guys are speaking up for him. He's handled several smuggling shipments, and everyone says he's good at what he does."

I put the mended lace back in its box.

"Let them make all the noise they want."

The truth would come out in three days anyway.

Sooner or later, people would see Colton for what he really was.

Early the next morning, Colton arrived at family headquarters.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, he stood in the middle of the council room and solemnly asked Dante to begin the investigation at once.

He promised to cooperate with every check they needed to run.

He only wanted to make sure his situation didn't hurt anyone else.

He came across as sensible, selfless, and devoted to the family.

His supporters only grew louder.

"The Don needs to be fair about this. We all work for the family, and every one of us puts the family first. Colton works harder than any of us!

"If the Donna can destroy his future with nothing but her word, how are the rest of us supposed to keep working for this family?

"The Don can't let the Donna's word come before what's best for the family!"

The council room erupted into chaos.

Worried things would turn ugly, Dante brought in a small army of guards to keep a lid on it.

That only made things worse.

Less than two hours later, Beth showed up in a wedding dress.