Chapter 3

Everyone was seated. Soon, the Don's aide, Marcus, collected the portfolios from both me and Lucia.

During the long wait before the results were announced, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

The room was filled with Moretti capos, leaders of allied crews, and even representatives from the Five Families, all standing around with champagne, talking in low voices.

“You hear? This Brooklyn docks contract controls the smuggling routes for the next ten years.”

“Miss Lucia came prepared this time. I heard she hired a team of Wall Street’s top analysts.”

Just then, one of Lucia’s biggest sycophants raised his voice and asked with a grin, “Lucia, give us a hint. What kind of profits is your proposal projecting for the Family?”

Lucia swirled the red wine in her glass, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.

“Not much,” she said confidently. “A conservative estimate is a net profit of 300 million in the first year alone.”

A collective hiss of astonishment filled the room.

Three hundred million!

That was far more than any project in the Moretti Family’s history. It was a record-breaking figure.

“As expected of Miss Lucia! A natural-born leader!”

“The Don has a worthy successor!”

Basking in the flattery, Lucia’s ego swelled. She raised an eyebrow, her malicious gaze cutting through the crowd to land on me in the corner.

“Oh, but we’re only talking about me,” Lucia said, sashaying over to me on her high heels, deliberately drawing everyone’s attention. “Olivia, what about your proposal? How much do you think you’ll bring the Family?”

All eyes snapped to me, filled with judgment, disdain, and morbid curiosity.

I set down my glass of water and looked up calmly, meeting her gaze. “My proposal,” I said flatly, “is projected to be worth ‘about’ the same. Around 300 million.”

The word “about” was all the confirmation Lucia needed. A triumphant certainty flashed in her eyes. To her, this was just me setting the stage for the switch.

She smiled at me, her voice dripping with meaning. “‘About’ 300 million? Heh, Olivia, I can’t wait to see it.”

“It seems the future heir to the Family will be decided between us after all.”

“All the big players from New York’s families are here today to witness the birth of the next Don of the Moretti Family. I hope you’ll be able to handle the outcome, Olivia.”

She could hardly wait to see the look of despair on my face when the Don opened my portfolio and found a blank page.

Which was exactly what I wanted.

I lowered my head slightly to hide the cold smile on my lips. “I’m looking forward to it, too.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The heavy sound of a cane striking the floor echoed through the hall.

The noisy room fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Don Vincenzo emerged from the back, his expression severe.

His sharp gaze swept the room, softening almost imperceptibly when it landed on Lucia.

“Today, we decide the future heir of the Moretti Family,” Vincenzo’s voice was deep and resonant, carrying an authority that could not be questioned. “To ensure fairness, I will open both proposals here and now, and after careful consideration, I will announce the result myself.”

He reached out and picked up the first file, the one with “Lucia” written on it.

“First, Lucia’s proposal.”

Vincenzo’s face held a confident smile.

I knew that, if things went as they always did, he would praise Lucia to the high heavens, even if my proposal was clearly superior.

But this time, he was in for a disappointment.

The moment the Don pulled out the paper, the hall erupted in a collective gasp.

It was a blank sheet.