Chapter 172 Decisive Vote
"Shameless!"
Marcus angrily cracked his knuckles one by one, making loud popping sounds.
"What Kirk's inheritance? It's clearly all the Sorelli family's property!"
Marcus's voice wasn't loud, but several nearby families could hear him, including members of the four major families.
Murmurs spread quickly as people whispered to each other. Stephen pointed the microphone at his hand and tapped the table. "Quiet! Quiet!"
Stephen's face darkened, his tone stern and commanding. "Michelle, I sympathize with your situation, but the meeting has its own rules. If everyone interrupts the proceedings and disrupts order like you, how can we hold meetings in the future?"
Michelle remained composed. "Mr. Potter, I'm very sorry! I swear I didn't mean to disrespect this meeting or the authority of the families!"
The Marr family's spokesperson was Angelina's father, Felix Marr. He waved his hand and said, "Stephen, don't be so harsh. The meeting's agenda isn't completely set anyway, so why don't we hear what Michelle has to say?"
Felix was hostile toward Lucas and happened to be sitting right in front of him. He'd glared at Lucas several times, but Lucas ignored him, so his disdainful attitude seemed pointless.
Now Michelle's situation had drawn his attention away from Lucas. I guessed it was because of Wendy—the Marr family found it embarrassing that Colin's illegitimate child had secretly been entrusted to Michelle, so they were eager to strike at the Gambino family.
Stephen shook his head disapprovingly. "Rules are rules!"
Felix countered, "Two lives are asking for help—are you going to ignore them?"
Stephen replied sarcastically, "When you kill people, do you spare them just because they cry for help?"
I almost laughed. Stephen lived up to his reputation—extremely eloquent.
The two argued, neither willing to back down. The Caudill family's spokesperson turned out to be Lionel's father—Grant. After getting a signal from the Caudill family's leader, he quickly stood up to ease the tension.
"Everyone, listen. Since Michelle has stepped forward, regardless of whether there's precedent, let's hear what she's asking for. If it's unreasonable, we'll reject it completely. We're just wasting a little time. What do you think?"
Stephen and Felix exchanged glances and backed down simultaneously. "Fine."
Grant gestured to Michelle. "Please go ahead."
Michelle's calm voice rang clearly throughout the room. "I want to leave the Gambino family. I've done more than enough for the family all these years! Of course, I know this is complicated, but I'm willing to give half of all my assets as a show of good faith to whatever new family takes me in."
Discussions erupted like a tidal wave.
"Half? How much is that?"
"Not sure, the Sorelli family should know!"
"No matter how much money it is, it's free profit!"
"Whoever takes her in basically gets a gold mine!"
Colin's face turned dark. His hands on the table clenched into fists, his eyes fixed on Michelle, practically shooting flames.
In recent years, they'd only managed to pry away some unprofitable real estate from Michelle and Amelia. If Michelle got away with the money today, everyone in the Gambino family would go bankrupt!
The other Gambino family members looked furious, wishing they could tear Michelle apart.
Amelia sat hunched over, making herself as invisible as an ostrich.
Marcus beside me squeezed his knuckles until they turned white, his face full of disgust and hostility. "Damn Michelle! Still looking for a backer at this point!"
What Michelle called "Kirk's inheritance" was property that had been illegally seized and stolen from my family five years ago through fraud and extortion.
Everyone in the Gambino family was a thief who'd sucked our family's blood!
And Michelle was the mastermind behind it all.
Her rush to find a new family wasn't because she was being squeezed out—it was because I'd repeatedly caused her trouble, making her anxious during the day and unable to sleep at night.
She was trading money for her life.
Using our family's money to buy safety for herself and Amelia.
Marcus got angrier the more he thought about it. His eyes turned fierce as he reached for his gun. "I'll just kill her right now!"
Gale's expression turned serious. His right hand instantly pressed down on Marcus's hand—not hard, but firm. "Don't do it here. There'll be plenty of chances to kill her."
Marcus's chest heaved. "But—"
Gale calmly patted his shoulder. "Don't rush. Do you think Michelle will get what she wants? Be patient. This is going to be a good show."
Marcus listened to Gale and forced himself to suppress his anger, then quietly asked me, "Bella, what does Gale mean by 'good show'?"
I thought for a moment and answered quietly, "Marcus, have you forgotten? Today's agenda was likely related to our feud with Michelle all along. The families here need to pick sides and take positions, and we actually have a big advantage."
I analyzed it carefully for Marcus. "First, because we've established new roots in Starstream City, and second, because Lucas is our 'ally.'"
Marcus pouted. "Because of Lucas, huh."
"Don't interrupt." I patted Marcus's thigh. "Michelle knows she's at a disadvantage, which is why she came up with this plan to turn things around. This is actually a good opportunity for us too!"
Marcus looked at me puzzled. "What opportunity?"
Gale couldn't stand it and smacked Marcus on the head. "Stop asking. Just keep watching and you'll see. You should think more instead of getting dumber!"
Marcus looked dejected. "How do I not think? My brain is definitely getting dumber from all your smacking!"
Felix spoke up. "Everyone heard Michelle's request, right? Let's vote now! Those in favor of helping her, raise your hands." He raised his hand.
Stephen didn't raise his.
Grant hesitated, then seeing the Woods family had no reaction—a vote against—he raised his hand.
Two to two, a perfect tie.
Felix slammed the table in displeasure. "If the Valeri family were here, we wouldn't have a tie!"
As he said this, he glanced sideways at Lucas, openly expressing his dissatisfaction.
Lucas didn't care about Felix at all. He tugged at his tie and complained quietly to me, "My tie seems too tight."
I'd seen him pull at his tie several times since arriving. He was clearly uncomfortable, so without thinking, I quickly loosened his tie and retied it properly.
Felix pounded the table twice more, his mustache bristling with anger. "Is this the place for you to show off your relationship!"
Stephen smiled at Lucas and me. "Since it's a tie, we just need one more person to vote, right? Although the Valeri family is absent, Lucas is here. I think no one is more suitable to cast this vote than him."