Chapter 132 Chapter 132
Damien’s POV
The next morning, I woke early while Hailey was still asleep beside me, her breathing soft and even.
I lay there for a moment, thinking about the promise I’d made to her last night. Real consequences for Sophia. Real boundaries.
It was time to follow through.
I got dressed quietly and went to find Louis.
“I need you to help move Sophia’s belongings,” I told him. “To the room at the end of the east hall.”
Louis looked surprised. “You’re moving Miss Sophia’s room?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Away from Hailey and Benita. To avoid them running into each other as often. The constant proximity is creating too much conflict.”
“Understood,” Louis said, though I could see questions in his eyes. “I’ll get it done this morning.”
I went to Sophia’s room and knocked. When she opened the door, still in her pajamas, I told her directly.
“You’re being moved to a different room. The one at the end of the east hall.”
Sophia’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“Because you can’t seem to control yourself around Hailey,” I said bluntly. “The fighting, the accusations, the physical violence,it all stops now. And part of stopping it is putting physical distance between you.”
“Dad, that’s not fair!” Sophia protested. “I’ve been in this room since I was a child! This is MY room!”
“And you’ve lost the privilege of keeping it,” I said firmly. “This is your punishment for breaking my rules. For going into your mother’s sealed room without permission. For taking valuable jewelry and losing it. For attacking a pregnant woman.”
“I didn’t break any rules!” Sophia insisted. “I had my own key to Mom’s room! You never said I couldn’t use it!”
“The room was sealed, Sophia,” I said, my voice hardening. “That meant no one goes in. Not you. Not anyone. You knew that.”
“But she was my mother….”
“And she was my wife,” I interrupted. “And I made the decision to seal that room for a reason. You violated that. And there are consequences.”
Sophia’s face crumpled, tears starting to fall. “You’re choosing her over me. Again. You’re always choosing Hailey over your own daughter.”
“I’m choosing peace in my house,” I said. “And protecting a pregnant woman from violence. If you can’t understand why that’s necessary, then you need to do some serious reflecting on your behavior.”
I left before she could argue further, hearing her sobs behind the closed door but steeling myself against them.
This was necessary. Hailey was right, I’d been too soft on Sophia for too long.
Later that morning, after Sophia had been moved to her new room amid much protest and crying, I shut myself in my office to work.
I pulled up the information about the Morellis’ investment in Hailey’s college, the scholarship fund that Luca was using to build his public image.
But as I dug deeper, researching the college’s recent announcements and plans, I found something that made my blood run cold.
The college was planning on building a new branch campus. A major expansion that would include new buildings, dormitories, athletic facilities.
And the proposed location was in my turf. Right in the heart of territory I’d controlled for over a decade.
I sat back in my chair, my mind racing.
This wasn’t just about scholarships or good publicity. This was strategic.
The Morellis were funding this expansion, which would give them a legitimate reason to have a presence in my territory.
Construction crews, security, administrative staff, all of it could be used as cover for moving their people into my area.
They wanted to play smart. Gain ground in my turf subtly, without the open warfare that would draw too much attention. Use legitimate business and philanthropy as a Trojan horse.
And eventually, they’d take my crown from me. Until one day I’d wake up and realize I’d lost control of everything.
I picked up my secure phone and called one of the elders of my family in Italy. Giovanni Rossetti, a man who’d been in this life longer than I’d been alive.
“Damien,” Giovanni’s gravelly voice came through the line.
“What’s wrong?”
“The Morellis are making moves in my territory,” I said without preamble. “Using legitimate business to gain ground. They’re planning a college expansion right in the heart of my turf.”
Giovanni was silent for a moment, processing. “Smart. Very smart. Hard to fight against something that looks completely legal and beneficial to the community.”
“How do I stop it?” I asked.
“You need to do something to end this war,” Giovanni said firmly. “Bloody or not. This has gone on long enough. The Morellis have done more damage to you,to your reputation, your territory, your people even though your gang has been in their neck for decades. You’ve been reactive instead of proactive. Defensive instead of offensive.”
“I’ve been trying to protect my family…” I started.
“And that’s admirable,” Giovanni interrupted. “But at some point, the best way to protect your family is to eliminate the threat entirely. Not just defend against it. Eliminate it.”
“You’re saying I need to go to war,” I said quietly. “Full war.”
“I’m saying you need to make a decisive move,” Giovanni clarified. “Something that shifts the power dynamic permanently. Whether that’s eliminating Luca Morelli, destroying their operations, taking out their leadership, whatever it takes to end this definitively.”
“That will be bloody,” I said.
“War is always bloody,” Giovanni said. “But quick blood now is better than slow bleeding for years. You’re losing ground every day you wait. Every day you play defense. Eventually, you’ll have nothing left to defend.”
His words hit hard because they were true.
“Think about it,” Giovanni said. “But don’t think too long. The Morellis aren’t waiting. They’re moving. And if you don’t move faster, they’ll take everything.”
The call ended, and I sat there in silence, processing what Giovanni had said.
A decisive move. Something bloody. Something final.
Could I do that? Could I escalate this war to that level?
Before I could think more about it, there was a knock at my door.
“Come in,” I called.
Kai entered, his expression grim.
“Boss, we have a problem,” he said.
“What now?” I asked, exhausted.
“The security cameras in the house,” Kai said. “I was doing a routine check of the footage from the past few days, trying to see if we could find anything about the missing necklace.”
“And?”
“They’ve been inactive,” Kai said. “For almost two days and counting. Someone disabled them or they malfunctioned, but we have no footage from anywhere in the house since two nights ago.”
I felt ice run through my veins.