Chapter 48

Chapter 48
Dante

It had been exactly four days since the night I sent the money to Veronica.

Four days since I last saw her and four days of forcing myself to stay away because it was the only thing keeping the situation from getting even worse.

At least that was what I kept telling myself.

The glass of whiskey sitting untouched beside me had long lost its ice. That alone said enough about how bad things were.

Normally, I would’ve finished half the bottle by now.

Instead, I sat inside my study, staring blankly at the reports spread across the dark wood surface while the city lights glowed through the floor to ceiling windows behind me.

Accounts weren’t adding up, routes were becoming unstable, two ports had suddenly delayed cooperation and several businesses tied to our quarter had begun pulling back investments all in the span of one week.

My jaw tightened as I leaned back in my chair, dragging a hand across my face.

A knock sounded against the study door before it opened shortly after.

Michele stepped inside.

Unlike most people around me, Michele didn’t waste time with unnecessary formalities. If he came looking serious, there was usually a reason.

And judging by the expression on his face now…

“What now?” I asked, not raising my head.

“We lost one of the Palermo shipments, Boss.”

My gaze snapped toward him instantly.

“What?”

Michele walked further into the room.

“The shipment disappeared before reaching the second dock.”

A dangerous calm settled over me immediately.

“What was inside?”

“Weapons. Documents.” He paused briefly. “And high merchandise.”

Fuck.

That shipment alone was worth millions.

I slowly stood from my chair.

“How does an entire shipment disappear under my watch?”

“We’re still tracing where the breach happened.” He hesitated briefly. “But there’s something else.”

I raised a brow.

“Your father called in a family meeting and they are already waiting downstairs.”

I let out a humorless laugh.

“What perfect timing.”

I grabbed the whiskey glass finally, downing the contents in one swallow before setting it back onto the desk harder than necessary.

“Okay then.”

•~~•

The lower hall of the mansion was already occupied by the time I arrived.

Several older members of the Italian family sat spread across the room in silence, years of power hanging heavily around them.

At the center sat my father.

“Well,” I drawled coldly. “This looks welcoming.”

My second uncle, Elio, spoke first.

“This is serious, Dante.”

I slipped both hands into my pockets lazily.

“Then by all means, enlighten me.”

Elio exchanged a glance with the others before speaking carefully.

“You rushed into a decision without considering the consequences first.”

I gave a short laugh.

“Interesting. I don’t remember asking for guidance.”

“This is not a joke,” another elder interrupted. “You were expected to think beyond yourself.”

My irritation immediately spiked.

“I did.”

“No,” Elio said firmly. “You reacted impulsively.”

The room fell quiet again.

I could already tell where this conversation was heading and it was rapidly killing what little patience I had left.

My father finally spoke.

“The Russian alliance would have expanded our influence across multiple territories.” His voice remained calm. “Yet you destroyed it without thinking.”

A muscle ticked in my jaw.

“There was no way I could’ve predicted this level of fallout.”

One of the older men scoffed immediately.

“That is exactly the problem. You need to fix this before the Russians fully pull away from us.”

I stared at him blankly.

“And how exactly do you suggest I do that?”

Silence.

Then Elio answered carefully.

“You find a way to regain the alliance." My father replied.

Unable to hold my amusement I laughed, taking them all by surprise.

“Pardon me, but you cannot seriously be suggesting I go crawling back for a marriage.”

“It is bigger than marriage,” one of them snapped. “It is about power.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“No. It’s about all of you panicking because one deal fell apart.”

“That ‘one deal’ secured influence across half the continent,” 

I exhaled sharply before smiling coldly.

“Well unfortunately for everyone here, I’m still not marrying her.”

Then I added mockingly,

“However, if any of you have suddenly developed an interest in the Russian bride, by all means.” I gestured lazily around the room. “Go ahead. I promise not to judge.”

Several expressions darkened instantly.

Michele lowered his head slightly behind me, probably hiding amusement.

My father, however, remained completely unmoved.

“That attitude is exactly why we are here.” His eyes locked onto mine.

“You were placed in power to strengthen this quarter. Not destabilize it.”

The amusement slowly disappeared from my face.

“And who exactly are you to question how I rule?”

The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Another voice cut in before he could answer.

“The quarter cannot survive under impulsive leadership.”

I looked toward the elder speaking.

He continued calmly.

“You publicly humiliated a family with enormous influence. And now our enemies are testing boundaries already.”

My expression remained unreadable even as irritation crawled beneath my skin.

“We are losing shipments,” another added. “Losing business relationships. Losing leverage.”

“And you’ve just made enemies with another influential quarter, do you have any idea what that means for us?”

The pressure that had been building for days finally snapped something in me.

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“Don’t tell me this entire fucking meeting is to somehow convince me to go crawling back to Vasilik.”

Silence stretched across the hall.

Then my father finally spoke again.

“No,” he said calmly. “This is about what your refusal cost this quarter.”

My jaw tightened.

Ah.

So that was what this really was.

My father leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze cold. “Perhaps placing you in power was premature.”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

Even the men seated around him seemed to tense slightly at the statement.

Slowly, I lowered my head, a quiet chuckle leaving me under my breath before I looked back up at them.

Dangerously calm.

“My position in this family was inherited by blood,” I said quietly. “Not your votes nor opinions."

My gaze swept across every man seated in the room.

“And certainly not fear.”

Nobody spoke.

I stepped forward slowly, the faintest smirk pulling at my mouth.

“So if any one of you believes you can remove me…”

My eyes locked onto my father’s.

“I would genuinely love to watch you try.”