Semua Bab The Capo Who Crossed Me: Bab 1 - Bab 9

The silver fork slipped from Leo Lovera's hand and clattered to the floor. Sophia Costa's smile froze.I sat in the antique chair she had complained was too hard, my fingers tapping lightly on the armrest."Go tell my father I'll take care of the annoying rats in the estate soon."My eyes swept over the fork on the floor and the woman in the revealing robe."Understood, Principessa." Bruce didn't spare Leo so much as a glance. He simply bent slightly at the waist, waiting for my reply.The air of authority made Leo's heart skip, but he quickly dismissed the thought forming in his mind. He shot to his feet, the chair scraping harshly against the floor."What? We've been living in this estate for five years. What do you mean by illegal occupation? And what did you just call her? Principessa?"Bruce straightened, his smile fading."Mr. Lovera, the estate's deed has always listed only Principessa Anna as the owner."Sophia shrank behind Leo, tugging at his sleeve. "Leo, what's goi

Just then, Leo's phone rang.It was the company's finance director.Leo answered with shaking hands. The moment he put it on speaker, a panicked voice burst through."Mr. Lovera, something's wrong. Swiss Bank just called, saying they've frozen the company accounts! We're supposed to pay ten million dollars today to the Colombian arms dealers. If that money doesn't clear, they're going to dump us in the ocean."Leo's hand jerked, and the phone nearly slipped from his grip.He lunged at me, trying to snatch my phone. "Anna, you witch! Unfreeze the money right now. Are you trying to kill me?"I stepped aside and kicked his knee in one smooth motion.He hit the floor with a dull thud, landing on his knees."Kill you?" I looked down at him. "We're not even close to that yet."I stared at him from above, my voice calm. "Over the past few years, you've been selling the Family's weapons on the side. You used that money to buy Sophia jewelry, luxury cars, and even a seaside villa. Ever

Leo was stunned.Rosa had taken up a broom to hit me, and it now slipped from her hand to the floor.Sophia shrieked and ducked behind the couch."W-who are you people?"My father didn't answer. Instead, he recited Leo's identity with chilling precision."Leo Lovera. Your father died when you were five. Your widowed mother remarried twice, but both marriages ended in divorce. Five years ago, you became an associate of the Orlen Family. Three years ago, you secured the arms deal with the Colombian suppliers and rose to capo. Since then, two million three hundred fifty-one thousand six hundred dollars passed through your accounts."Leo swallowed hard.Since joining the Orlen Family, no one but his mother knew his past in such detail.At last, he was forced to face the terrifying truth forming in his mind.The man standing before him was the Don of the Orlen Family. It was someone Leo had only ever heard about, but never dreamed he could meet in person.He dropped to his knees,

I watched Sophia's retreating back, then picked up my phone."Have someone tail her. Film everything. A good dogfight deserves an audience."That very night, a video landed in my inbox.The location was a filthy, rundown rental in one of the city's slums.Rosa was hiding inside, gnawing on a piece of stale bread.When Sophia burst in, Rosa thought salvation had arrived. She started crying on the spot."Sophia, thank God you're here. Hurry and buy me some meat. I'm starving."Sophia answered with a slap."All you know how to do is eat. That's all you ever think about! You old hag, do you have any idea how badly you dragged me down?"Rosa stared at her in shock, clutching her cheek."H-how dare you hit me?""What of it?" Sophia snapped. She kicked over Rosa's begging bowl. "Return to the countryside and stop embarrassing me here. If I ever see you wandering around this city again, I'll beat you every single time."Rosa had never taken that kind of humiliation. She shrieked an

Several years passed.Leo, a name I had almost completely erased from my memory, was finally clawing his way out of hell.He'd made trouble in prison, behaved horribly, and somehow managed to serve every single day of a ten-year sentence.A month before his release, I decided to visit him on a whim.Through the thick, bulletproof glass, I barely recognized the man on the other side.His hair was streaked with gray, his face a map of ugly scars, and a missing front tooth made his words whistle through the gap. He looked like a living skeleton, his eyes cloudy and vacant.When he saw me looking polished and radiant, almost out of place here, a faint hope flickered in his eyes. However, it quickly faded, replaced by fear and shame.His trembling hand lifted the receiver. The same hand that once gripped my wrist was now mottled with age spots and scars."Anna..." His voice was hoarse. "I-if I had treated you better back then... If only you had told me you were..."Suddenly, he bro