ssa

uttering out in the dimly lit hallway. The suffocating tension tha

ts off the priceless antique coffee table. Ignoring the man sitting on the thro

rchestrated the ruin of countless rival families-gently stroked my hair. For a fleeting second, I wasn't the exiled problem child or the ru

on Alfonzo's deep, oppressive voice rumbled from behind the massive marble

rough the comfort of my grandfather's embrace.

crystal decanters, I picked up the heavy bottle of his prized Macallan and poured a

checking if my shield was still sturdy. After all, a sharp sword needs a st

mix of pride and absolute ownership. He gestured for me to sit in the plush leather chair nearest to

on's smile vanished, replaced by the cold, impenetrable

er. "He thinks you haven't learned the rules. Tell me, Alessa. Did three years in that S

stify his indulgence. I stood up from the chair, loweri

t damaged the Family's interests, and for that, I deserve death. I prayed for you and the Family every day in Sicily.

he silence in the room was heavy, broken only by the c

ds here. Go spend some ti

ocating weight of the study behind. But before I could take a step, the Do

wev

His eyes were black voids, dev

udine Blair's spy hadn't walked in on you, we would have let the Shields girl rot at the

mily. It wasn't about the violence; it was about the exposure. The feud with

ing absolution, the brass intercom

gh the speaker. "Underboss Marco has arrived,

irling the whiskey in his glass as a predator