Semua Bab My Family Put Me on the Last Helicopter, I Cut Them Off: Bab 1 - Bab 9

My father, Lorenzo Vitano, sat at the head of the conference table. Across from him was the envoy the Rosso Family had sent.The man delivered a long string of flattery before sliding a marriage contract to the center of the table. "Don Vitano, your little princess has just come of age, and our Family's heir fell for her the moment he saw her. If our families join through marriage, every dock operation on the South Shore will be yours."Lorenzo didn't answer right away. He swirled the wine in his glass, his gaze drifting over until it settled on my face.I knew that look all too well. He was weighing the costs and benefits.The Vitano Family controlled nearly every illegal enterprise, from drugs to gambling, but port-based arms dealing remained our one weak link.Any time we needed to move goods through the docks, we had to pay the Rosso Family exorbitant fees.That was exactly why Lorenzo was willing to use a marriage to bind the two families together.To him, I was the obvious choice

"This second chance is a gift from fate."The arranged marriage with the Rosso Family can't just be thrown away. You've been trained by the Family since you were a child. You're the one best suited to marry in."I didn't argue. I just nodded.Dante smiled at that. "Don't worry. I'll have people watching over you from the shadows. The Rosso Family won't get the chance to hurt you."The day after tomorrow is Rosa's birthday. Come. Consider it a send-off for you."He turned and went back into the living room.The door closed behind him, and just like that, a wall settled between us.Two days later, the old estate blazed with lights.Rosa sat at the head of the table in a couture lace gown, with everyone gathered around her.I sat in the farthest corner, watching the celebration from a distance.Rosa was smiling as she unwrapped the necklace I had given her. It was a rose quartz pendant I had taken from a gambler who owed the casino tens of millions of dollars, a gift meant to make amends

Dante froze where he stood. The phone slid from between his fingers and cracked against the desk, a thin line splitting the screen.His mouth hung open, his throat locked as if something had sealed it shut. Several seconds passed before any sound came out. "Say that again!"The voice on the other end repeated itself.Dante shot to his feet. The chair toppled backward and slammed into the floor. He bolted for the door, his shoes skidding on the landing, nearly sending him sprawling at the turn of the stairs.Lorenzo was standing in the center of the living room, on a business call. He heard the commotion behind him and turned. His always-composed heir was stumbling down from the second floor, face white as paper.Lorenzo frowned. "What is this? The heir of the Vitano Family can't even hold himself together?"Dante seized his father's arm, gripping so hard his knuckles went white, nails digging through the fabric of the sleeve."Father, Valentina... she's dead. She was killed on the miss

On the third night, she couldn't take it anymore. She had a maid break down the door.The study door creaked open. The curtains were drawn tight. No lights.Dante sat in the corner. On the desk in front of him lay a dark red jacket, spread open.He had lost so much weight that his cheekbones jutted out, the hollows around his eyes sunken deep. The ashtray beside him was overflowing with cigarette butts.Rosa covered her nose and let out a shriek, stumbling back two steps."Dante! You've lost your mind!" Her voice cracked from the shock.She jabbed a finger at the jacket on the desk. "Why is this filthy thing in the study?"She whipped around to the maid. "Get rid of it! Take this disgusting rag and burn it! It's revolting...""Filthy?" Dante turned his head slowly. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Rosa."You think Valentina is filthy?"Rosa's back pressed against the doorframe, and she shrank lower under his gaze, inch by inch.She had never seen this expression on his face before.Her w

The client paused for a second and turned to look at me. I signaled with my eyes that I didn't know the man, and pitched my voice low. "My apologies. That won't be possible."Dante set his pen down. He turned to the client, his tone level."I'll extend the dock lease by five years and lower our cut by another point. All I ask is that she removes her mask."This time, the client was genuinely stunned.Five more years and a point off the cut, on a deal this size, amounted to at least a seven-figure difference.He looked at me. His meaning was clear.I let one corner of my mouth lift. I reached up and unclasped the mask.The face underneath had been rebuilt from scratch: the bridge of my nose raised about a fifth of an inch, the jawline shaved and recontoured, the brow bone filed down and re-arched, and a small incision at the outer corner of each eye giving them an upward tilt.When the surgeon asked what kind of face I wanted, I told him I didn't care, as long as it looked nothing like