Chapter 2

The next day, we held a family meeting.

The moment I stepped through the door, I noticed something was off. The seating order in the conference room changed.

Before, as the family's consigliere and madre, my seat was always at Lucio's right hand.

Now, Camilla was in my place, and I was moved to the far end.

When Lucio walked in, everyone rose to greet him.

He gave me a cold glance, then announced without preamble, "From today onward, Camilla will replace Ada as consigliere of the Rossi family."

A few members exchanged uneasy looks. Some looked like they wanted to speak, but in the end, no one dared.

Lucio looked down at me from above. "You have a problem with that?"

Camilla offered me a soft, almost gentle smile. "Ada, don't be upset. I just want to help Lucio share some of the burden."

"Lucio," I said, my voice calm, "in the past five years, I secured seven shipping routes for the Rossi family. I opened the Eastern Orsia arms channels. Last year alone, our casino profits tripled."

"Ada," Lucio cut me off impatiently, "that's all in the past. I don't remember it, and I don't care."

Just like that, he erased the achievements I'd fought tooth and nail for.

"Is that so?" I gave a cold laugh, "Then do you also not remember how five years ago, when I miscalculated a profit margin by five percent during a negotiation, you dealt with me?"

Back then, he said even a Don's wife was not above the rules.

In front of everyone, he whipped me ten times and made me kneel to admit my mistake.

Lucio spoke without thinking, "Mistakes are mistakes. There's no excuse."

Halfway through the sentence, he froze.

"Interesting," I said slowly, rising to my feet, "you claim you don't remember the past, yet you remember that?"

His face shifted, then quickly smoothed back into cold indifference.

"Marcus, my underboss, told me. It's not important. The past is the past. In any case, starting today, Camilla will handle all your work."

Those eyes I once loved so deeply now held nothing but deceit and calculation.

He was thinking, 'Ada loves me. She puts the family's interests above all else. She'll give in.'

"Fine." I calmly removed my consigliere's ring and my sidearm, placing both on the table. "Give them to her. And when the negotiations turn into a gunfight the day after tomorrow, make sure she's there too."

Without another glance at his false face, I turned to leave.

Lucio's voice snapped out, suddenly tense. "Stop."

I did not look back.

Camilla panicked. She wanted the privileges, not the bullets.

She hurried after me, grabbing my arm. "Ada, you can't be so petty! If you leave now, all the projects you've worked so hard on will be gone."

Her voice dripped with fake concern, pitched louder on purpose. "And I have taken good care of the Don. Don't be so small-minded. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Get out of my way." I yanked my arm free and kept walking.

Camilla stumbled, falling onto the floor with a little gasp.

Her eyes reddened instantly as she looked up at Lucio, all wounded and pitiful.

Lucio's brows drew together. His voice dropped low.

"Ada, you're being too aggressive."

I stopped, turned my head. "I'm being aggressive?"

He stood as well, his tone growing impatient.

"Camilla is only taking over temporarily for seven days. After the Della Vera negotiations, you can have it back."

"Why seven days? You want her to take credit for my work, is that it?"

Lucio had no answer.

Camilla rushed to smooth things over.

"Ada, you're being too sensitive. The Don didn't mean that. He just thinks I've been taking such good care of him, so he wants me to help more."

"Enough," I cut her off, "I'm not stupid."

The other members could no longer sit still. They all started trying to mediate.

"Donna, the Don's just been injured. Maybe his mind's unsettled."

"Yeah, just let Camilla try for now. In seven days."

Seven days?

They thought I would hand over my position and wait quietly for Camilla to take my credit and rise to power?

I gave a sharp, humorless laugh.

"Why bother going in circles? I'm filing for a divorce right now."