219

Damon

After Isabella told me that I should handle Cassandra, Valentino, and her allies, I got to work instantly, telling Ted to pull out the old files he had on the trust of those she committed.

"So what do we do with them?" he asked. "We pick the weakest link. We pick the one most sympathetic to the lower City. Find me a couple of them and show them the pictures."

A few days later, I received a call from Ted while I was out in town on a meeting with Nicholas.

"We have a number of them. What do you want us to do?" he asked.

 "Tell them to come to my place," Nicholas said with his arms raised.

 "I'm sure we'll do a good job convincing them." I smiled and told Ted to do the same. Six men, members of the lesser families, came through his gate.

I recognized Antonio and George to be some of them and stopped myself from snickering behind my mask.

 The men bowed when they saw me, but it was clear that their initial fear of me was gone. I smirked behind the mask and looked at them.

I loved seeing the eyes of the mask flash red, scaring all of them down to their bones as I smelled perspiration leak from them and even piss from one of them.

 "The reason why you're here is because you doubt Cassandra," Nicholas said as he turned towards the men.

 "Believe me, you're not the only one," he said, lying through his teeth.

"There have been a number of your people that have turned camp recently when they saw just how badly people return. One of the reasons why she ran away from the city before was not because her cousin was after her life as she must have told you.

 She was being prosecuted for crimes that are too gruesome to mention. I think some of you must have seen the pictures that I sent. They look fake, but trust me, they are very real.

The Mafia King himself journeyed to the lower city to pick it up. He, out of all people, knows best," Nicholas continued to talk like that, effectively swaying the men away from Cassandra and cementing their belief in my wife. But I was angry with them.

 I was angry that they had left her in the first place, but then again, I couldn't blame them. I told Nicholas after the meeting, "It's not like they know the truth," making the man curious but not willing to answer the question of why.

Pulling more of her supporters continued like that, with some evidence sent their way, especially the pictures, I thought to myself.

The pictures are the soft spot for many. Finally, it was time for Cassandra to crack down under the pressure. She had once again wormed her way into a meeting. Two men flanked her, and I recognized them to be my newfound allies.

 "Don't," I told her as I sat beside her, casting protective gazes on Cassandra, every now and then back at me as though I was planning to tear the baby from her womb. I pulled off my mask, feeling no need now to hide anymore.

"You are elongating the inevitable," she said with a smirk on her stupid face. "I have much power in the city now. All it takes is a little bit of a push, and you are out of your seat," she said as she leaned backward into the chair.

"Cassandra," I said slowly. "You're alone. You're very much alone. Your allies see you as a mad, deranged woman who is power hungry, as does the rest of the city. I shouldn't need to say it for myself."

 I pointed to the men behind her and gestured for one of them to speak. The man turned around and walked to the upper end of the table so he could look at Cassandra.

"You are a disgrace to your family's name," the man said.

 "You don't deserve our sympathy or our support. I can't believe your kind... I do not want to wish misfortune on you, but I have petitioned, as have many others, to have you in prison until you deliver. Once you deliver the child, you will be executed," the man said and stormed out of the room, followed by his friend who still stood behind her.

Cassandra stood up slowly with a blank expression on her face. "You cannot touch me," she said with a deranged smile.

The door suddenly opened again, and Valentino walked in.

"Tell them, Valentino. Tell them they cannot touch me. Tell them they are wrong and I am right. Tell them the Mafia throne is within my right. Tell them!"

Valentino turned to me and smirked. "I really don't care about all that stuff. I still want this fucking city, and I will do anything it takes to have it. If you want it so bad, why don't you come and take it?

You know I'm better. You think you can fight me and win. It's too bad... I found a little trick up my sleeve," he said as he slowly pulled Cassandra towards himself, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at her head.

Cassandra screamed as loudly as she could, causing my eardrums to nearly rupture. "Put the gun down!"

I heard Donatella above the ringing sound that filled my ears. I looked at Cassandra. Her face had changed from the level of composure she had before, but now it was simply madness in her eyes. Instead of fearing, she smiled and held the gun closer to her head.

 She said something, but I didn't hear. She pointed at me and opened the door, filling the room with more men that I was sure belonged to Valentino.

They came towards me as I felt the mask pull me, urging me to put it on. I rolled my eyes and compiled just as my vision went red with rage.