جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

I tasted blood before I felt the pain. Metallic. Warm. Thick. It filled my mouth as I lay sprawled on the marble floor whose cold surface was slick with my own blood. My ribs ached and my vision blurred but I refused to cry out. I wouldn’t give them that. A shadow loomed over me.It was Alessandro Ricci, my father.His polished black shoes stopped inches from my face and sparkled despite the destruction he had just inflicted. When I was a child, I used to trace my fingers over those shoes, giggling as he soon lifted me onto his lap. Now, they stood as a silent reminder of his power—the kind of power that could snuff me out with a single word.“You embarrass me, Giuliana.” His voice was quiet as he spoke and made him sound more dangerous than if he’d been shouting. “You shame this family.”I swallowed the blood in my mouth. “I—”A sharp pain exploded in my side as he then kicked me again and sent me rolling onto my back. I gasped as the ceiling above me became blurred. The chande

Power had a scent.It wasn’t just the cigars and aged whiskey that clung to the air like ghosts of old men nor was it the polished mahogany or the faintest trace of gunpowder embedded in the stone walls. It was something deeper and older and it was woven into the very foundation of the Leonetti compound.It smelled like blood in this place. Like betrayal. Like history.The gates groaned shut behind the Mercedes as it drove past it and seemed to seal my past and my future within these walls. The Leonetti estate stretched for thousand of acres and was a sprawling testament to generations of wealth that had been built on fear and respect. It hadn't changed much. The ivy still crawled up the stone walls, the vast terraces still overlooked the Sicilian coastline and the watchful eyes of soldati still tracked every movement with quiet menace.Despite its majestic beauty, I knew that the heart of the estate had long since rotted.When I stepped out of the car and held my son's right hand,

The Leonetti family dinners had always been more battlefield than tradition and this one was no different.The table was the same as I remembered—an ancient slab of mahogany that was large enough to seat two dozen and was polished to a mirror shine. The silverware gleamed under the chandelier’s glow while the heavy scent of truffle, wine and power sizzled thickly in the air.Everything seemed perfect but beneath the elegance and the bouquet at the table, tension simmered everywhere like an untended flame.I adjusted my napkin with movements that were slow and deliberate. As Giorgio sat beside me, his small hands were folded over his lap and his posture was impeccable as always. His custom-made suit, a deep navy that whispered of control, matched mine. His presence at the table alone unsettled the entire family even though none of these wolves would admit it.I smiled at that. I smiled even more as I felt their eyes on me while they waited and calculatedAlessandro struck first."You'

I have always known that Dominico was a deadly man and I have tried all these years not to get in touch with him but seeing the way he bonds with the same my child makes me want to hate him the most.A little smirk curved on his lips as he looked at Giorgio with some sense of admiration or so I thought.“He is a really smart kid I must say”. He commented then signaled the maid to serve him a glass of wine. My stomach churned but I quickly found a way to hide all that emotions in my stomach. There was no way I was going to let a man as ruthless as him see my weak side. They all thought I am still that weak lady who left to die a few years ago yet I came back stronger and better, not to be with the joke sitting across me on this table but to execute a bitter sweet revenge.“I didn’t know you would return to marry my brother as the family had planned” I raised my head to look over at the fourth Capo. He definitely doesn’t know who I am and what I am capable of doing. Teo is definitely no

I couldn’t wait for all of this to be over. I have grown to be a woman of very little words yet my actions speak volume. My step mother Francesca definitely has no say when it comes to my matters with my father. I am next in line to man the affairs of the family until Giorgio is grown enough to handle things. My revenge was close, perfectly kneaded and waiting for the appointed time to strike when no one knows what’s coming.My father didn’t have much to say other than agree to my terms. He had that in the agreement years ago before sending me away like a stray and I bet he didn’t think to change the plans until now. The moment I passed the document to him I saw his expression dim like a faded candle light placed in the gross darkness of the horizon. Selena’s eyes lit up, with assurance waiting for his judgment to favor her but I guess all that was shattered when my father signed the deal and handed the company over to me without protest.“You can’t just sign those”. Isabela growled t