Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Ultimatums and Unforgiveness

Raven’s POV

The sun is still bleeding into the afternoon sky by the time I reach Jack’s study, but the heat in my chest could rival hellfire.

I don’t knock.

He sits behind his massive mahogany desk, whiskey glass in hand, phone pressed to his ear, barking orders at some underling who’s probably crying on the other end. He sees me walk in and raises a finger,wait.

I don’t like waiting.

He ends the call with a clipped, “Fix it, or I’ll fix you.”

Charming.

“What are you doing here ?,” he asks, leaning back like a smug devil on his throne.

“I’m here,” I reply coolly. “That should be enough.”

He chuckles. “That tone tells me something has gone wrong with Leon.”

“Yes,” I snap. “Leon doesn’t want to go through with the wedding.”

The smile drops.

Just like that, the room shifts.

“You’re lying.”

I don’t blink. “Why would I lie to you about that?”

His jaw clenches. He stands slowly, like a volcano rising with intention. Jack Casuro raises his voice often, and when he does, kingdoms tremble. And right now, his silence is worse.

“You had one job, Raven.”

“One job?” I scoff. “I’ve killed for you. Bled for you. Sacrificed everything for this fucked-up legacy. And now you reduce me to a pawn in some marriage negotiation?”

His voice is ice. “Don’t confuse loyalty with leverage.”

“No,” I spit. “Let’s talk about confusion. Like why you thought selling me off to Leon fucking Vitali would make me feel like anything more than a price tag with pretty packaging.”

“You agreed to this.”

“I agreed to play along,” I correct. “I didn’t agree to be humiliated.”

He slams the whiskey glass onto the desk. “This family needs that alliance, Raven!”

“Then marry yourself off.”

“That boy is a liability without us,you were supposed to control him.”

“I had him wrapped around my finger until Sienna opened her legs!”

That isnt exactly true, but Jack doesn't need to know that.

Jack’s eyes narrow.

“Leon slept with Sienna?” he asks, his voice deceptively low.

I laugh bitterly. “Still want him as a son-in-law?”

He paces now, running a hand over his jaw. “So you lost him.”

“No. He lost me,” I argue.

Silence again.

Then Jack turns to me fully. “Call him.”

I blink. “What?”

“Call Leon. Tell him to come for dinner tonight. I’ll handle the rest.”

“No.”

He raises a brow. “Excuse me?”

“I said no, Jack. I’m not begging that bastard to come to dinner like some desperate housewife.”

“You will do it, Raven.”

“I’d rather stab myself in the throat with a salad fork.”

His hand slams down on the desk so hard the wood creaks beneath it. “Then maybe you should get the fuck out of my house!”

The words hang between us like a guillotine. Heavy. Sharp. Final.

I go still.

“You’re choosing him over me now?” I ask quietly, deadly calm.

“I’m choosing the family, Raven. Something you used to understand.”

I clench my fists so tight I feel my nails break skin. I want to scream, to fight, to rip this whole room apart. But instead,His phone rings. He answers before I can stop him.

“Leon, I was just about to call you” he says smoothly. “Dinner. Tonight. Be here at seven sharp, please”

He hangs up.

“There,” he says, turning to me with cold satisfaction. “Now go get ready. And wear something that reminds him why he wanted you in the first place.”

I stand rooted in place, my rage bubbling just beneath my skin.

“You’re pushing me too far,” I whisper.

He leans in.

“No,” he says softly. “I’m pulling you back in.”

And just like that, I’m dismissed.

I storm out of the study, my heels clicking like war drums.

If tonight doesn’t go well, he’ll throw me out.

If it does go well, I might throw myself out.

Either way, someone’s bleeding by the end of dinner.

And I hope to God it’s not me.