My Family Abandoned Me, I Took Control

Chapter 4

I pressed the cream-stained black call button under the table.

Three seconds.

Every sound in the banquet hall disappeared.

Viola’s smile was still on her face, the tip of her knife pressed against Marco’s hand. She thought this was my last, pathetic struggle.

Luca swirled his wine, eyes full of contempt, like he was waiting for the show to begin.

Father had his head lowered. Mother covered her mouth. Around the table, every godfather and capo held their wineglasses, and not one of them moved.

Then—

The bodyguards in the corners of the hall moved.

In perfect unison, they drew their guns.

The barrels weren’t pointed at me.

They were pointed at Luca.

Viola froze. The knife slipped away from Marco’s hand as she turned toward the bodyguards, her voice sharp. “What are you doing?”

No one answered her.

More bodyguards stood, each positioned behind the heads of the different families. Every gun turned toward Luca and his men.

Old Godfather Vito slowly rose from his seat.

He looked at me, bent at the waist, and bowed.

“Miss Romanov.”

The other capos stood one after another and saluted me, their movements so precise they looked rehearsed.

Viola’s face went deathly pale. The hand gripping the knife began to tremble. “Impossible. This is impossible.”

Luca shot to his feet. His wineglass smashed against the floor. He glared at Vito. “Are you insane? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

Vito didn’t even look at him. He only lowered his head and said to me, “Miss, would you like the room cleared?”

I stood and pushed my plate aside.

The lights in the banquet hall were bright—bright enough to make Viola’s foundation look chalky.

“No,” I said. “Let them watch.”

Viola took a step back. The knife fell to the floor with a crisp clatter.

She pointed at me. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?”

I didn’t answer her.

I only looked at Luca and said softly, “You priced me at five million just now, didn’t you?”

Luca’s expression changed.

“That price can’t buy me.” I smiled faintly. “But it’s enough to buy your grave.”

The bodyguard behind him stepped forward and pressed the barrel of his gun against the back of Luca’s head.

Luca’s legs gave out. He dropped to his knees, voice shaking. “You can’t kill me. I’m—”

“You’re what?” I cut him off. “A godfather’s son? An heir?”

I walked up to him, crouched down, and looked him in the eye.

“You really thought the West Harbor Alliance belonged to your family?”

Luca opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

I stood and turned to Viola.

She was still trembling, her eyes filled with disbelief.

“Sister, you said dying for the family would be my honor, right?”

Viola bit her lip and said nothing.

“Too bad,” I said. “You got one thing wrong.”

I walked to Marco, lifted his hand, and checked the shallow cut across the back of it.

“This family is mine.”

The banquet hall went dead silent.

Father lifted his head and looked at me, his eyes unreadable.

Mother’s tears finally fell, but she didn’t make a sound.

Marco squeezed my hand.

I knew what he meant.

He was saying, Little sister, you finally dropped the act.

Viola suddenly screamed, “Impossible! You don’t know anything! You can’t even hold a knife and fork properly!”

I looked at her and smiled.

“That’s right. I can’t even hold a knife and fork properly.”

I turned, walked to the head seat, sat down, and looked across the table at the godfathers and capos.

“But I understand things far more useful than silverware.”

Old Godfather Vito bowed again. “The young miss is right.”

The others quickly echoed him.

Luca knelt on the floor like a dog.

Viola stood frozen in place, her makeup ruined from crying.

I picked up the glass of red wine in front of me and gave it a light swirl.

“Take them away.”

The bodyguards stepped forward and hauled Luca and Viola up.

Viola struggled, looking back at me, her voice hoarse. “What did you do these past three months?”

I didn’t answer.

I simply watched as she was dragged out of the banquet hall. The moment the doors shut, I set down my glass.

Marco sat beside me and asked in a low voice, “You knew she was going to make a move?”

I nodded.

“So you set all this up in advance?”

I nodded again.

He was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. “My sister is terrifying.”

Father walked over and stood in front of me, staring at me for a long time.

Finally, he said, “Ivy, what exactly did you learn these past three months?”

I looked up at him.

“I didn’t learn etiquette, Dad.”

“Then what did you learn?”

I stood and looked across the banquet hall at the godfathers and capos with their heads lowered.

“I learned how to make them obey.”