Chapter 36: Flashback

IZZY’S POV

“Where the hell are they taking him?” I yelled, pushing past two guards who tried to hold me back.

“They said to the private clinic, Miss,” one of them stammered.

“He lost too much blood.”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” I snapped. My chest was burning, and my hands were shaking, but I didn’t want them to see that.

The ambulance doors slammed shut. I ran forward, but Matteo grabbed my arm.

“Let go of me!” I shouted, twisting, but his grip was firm.

“Izzy, listen,” he said quickly, his face hard. “They need space, they need to work. Running after them won’t help.”

“That’s my father!” I screamed back. “Do you think I can just stand here while he’s bleeding out?”

Matteo leaned close, lowering his voice. “I know…I know it’s your father. But if you fall apart now, they’ll tear everything from you before the blood dries.”

I froze, my chest rising and falling so fast I thought I’d choke.

“Miss,” another guard said nervously. “We… We need orders. What should we do about the men outside? The shooters?”

I turned on him. “Find them! Kill them! I don’t care what it takes.”

The guard nodded, hesitating for a second like he was scared of me, then hurried off.

I pulled free from Matteo, pacing. My mind wouldn’t stop racing. All I could see was my father, pale and barely conscious, dragged out of the house. The gunfire still echoed in my ears.

Durk’s voice cut through the noise. “Izzy.”

I turned. He stood a few steps away, his face unreadable.

“What?” I snapped.

“You can’t order them around like that without thinking,” Durk said calmly. “Killing the shooters is one thing. But if you make rash calls, it’ll come back to bite you.”

I clenched my jaw. “So what do you want me to do? Sit in a chair and cry while my father dies?”

“No,” Durk said flatly. “I want you to act like someone who might have to replace him.”

His words hit me harder than the gunfire had. My throat tightened. Replace him? No, I wasn’t ready for that.

Matteo stepped in. “Durk’s right. They’ll look at you now and test you. You can’t show weakness.”

I laughed bitterly, but it came out shaky. “Weakness? My father’s bleeding out somewhere and I’m supposed to stand here and act like none of it matters?

“That’s exactly what you have to do,” Matteo said sharply.

I stared at him, angry, terrified, and unsure all at once. My legs felt like they couldn’t hold me up anymore, so I sat down on the nearest step, holding my head.

“Tell me what to do,” I muttered.

There was silence for once.

Finally, Matteo crouched in front of me. “First, you breathe. Second, you take control of this house. Third, you wait for news.

And when your father wakes up, you can scream and cry as much as you want, but not now.”

Durk added, “Everyone outside already heard you give an order. That means they’ll expect the next one. If you stall, you’ll lose them.”

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod. “Fine. Then tell them to lock the gates.

Nobody leaves, nobody comes in unless I say so.”

“Good,” Durk said, stepping back.

Matteo straightened, looking relieved. “That’s the right call.”

I stood again, though my knees still felt weak. “And get the council here. Every last one of them.

If they think I’m hiding, they’ll move against me.”

Matteo smirked faintly. “Now you’re talking.”

I hated him for that smile, but maybe he was right.

By the time the council gathered, I had washed the blood off my hands but not my mind.

They sat around the long table, whispering until I entered.

“Where’s Vincenzo?” one of them demanded immediately.

I met his eyes. “He’s in a critical state but he's alive.”

A ripple of voices filled the room. Some relieved, some clearly disappointed.

“What happens now?” another asked, his tone sharp. “He was the backbone of this family. Without him..”

“With me,” I cut in. “Without him, with me.”

The room went dead silent.

“You?” one of the older men scoffed. “You’re just a..”

Durk slammed his hand on the table. “Careful.”

The man shut his mouth, glaring.

“I said with me,” I repeated, my voice stronger this time.

“Until my father opens his eyes again, you follow my word. Anyone who doesn’t can leave now, but don’t think you’ll leave safe.”

Nobody moved.

Matteo leaned against the wall, arms folded, just watching.

“Well?” I demanded. “Do I need to spell it out?”

The silence dragged. Finally, the oldest among them said, “Very well. For now.”

It wasn’t supported. It was barely tolerable, but it was enough.

As they filed out, Matteo came close. “That was risky.”

“It worked,” I muttered.

“Barely,” he said. “You’ll need more than anger to keep them in line.”

“I’ll manage,” I said, even though inside I wasn’t sure I would.

Durk stayed behind when Matteo left. He stood in the doorway, watching me.

“You did well,” he said finally.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not,” he replied. “But you can’t keep leading on rage. You’ll burn out. You need a clear head.”

I rubbed my temples. “Clear head, You think I can just erase what I saw tonight?”

“No,” Durk said simply. “But you can use it.”

I looked up at him, searching his face for something that would make me feel less lost, but Durk wasn’t one for comfort.

He just gave a short nod and walked out, leaving me alone.

Later, when it was just me in my father’s office, I stared at his chair. I sat in it, testing how it felt.

The phone rang, I snatched it up.

“It’s me,” Matteo’s voice came. “The clinic just called. He made it through surgery.

He’s still unconscious.”

My knees nearly gave out, but I held onto the desk. “He’s alive

?”

“For now,” Matteo said. “But you need to be ready if he doesn’t wake up.”

I closed my eyes. “Don’t say that.”

“You think avoiding it will change anything?” he asked.

I didn’t answer. I just hung up