Melvin POV
"Handle it however you see fit."
I drop my chin into my palm and stare at the mahogany desk. My fingers trace a deep scratch in the wood.
"Father, you cannot be serious," Marcella says. Her boots click against the stone floor as she steps forward. "He is giving away our leverage. He is throwing the family name into the dirt."
Julian does not turn around. He stands by the heavy oak door, his shoulders completely rigid. "Marcella, you will shut your mouth."
"Do not speak to me like that," she snaps. Her chin jerks up. "I am still your older sister."
"You are a liability," Julian says. His voice hits the room like ice. "You lost the Ancestor Fang. That mistake alone cost us three territory lines. If you open your mouth about Penelope again, I will personally strip your name f
