Chapter 26: Blood Crown

Aria's POV

The champagne glass slipped from my hand and broke on the marble floor.

Every head in the grand hall turned toward me. Fifty of the most dangerous people in the city stopped talking and stared. The quiet was so thick I could barely breathe.

"Problem, Miss Torrino?" asked an older woman with cold eyes.

Miss Torrino. Three weeks ago, I was Aria Cross, college student. Now I was the head of the most powerful crime family in Neo City.

"No problem," I said, pushing my voice to stay steady. "Just clumsy."

But that wasn't true. I'd dropped the glass because I'd just spotted someone impossible in the crowd. A man I'd thought was dead for fifteen years.

My uncle Tony. Vincent's younger brother.

He smiled at me from across the room and raised his own glass in a mock toast. My blood turned to ice.

"Aria?" Marco appeared at my side, his gray eyes searching the crowd. "What's wrong?"

"Tony Torrino is here," I whispered.

Marco's face went hard. "That's impossible. He died in a car crash when you were eight."

"Tell him that."

Marco followed my look and cursed under his breath. "Luca, Dmitri, Kai," he spoke into his earpiece. "We have a problem."

The Commission meeting was meant to be a celebration. Vincent was dead, the territories were stable, and I was formally recognized as the new Torrino leader. Everything should have been great.

Instead, it felt like stepping into a trap.

"Ladies and gentlemen," called out Commissioner Ricci, an ancient man who'd been running mob politics since before I was born. " Let's begin the service."

This was it. The moment I'd been fearing and wanting in equal measure. Once I took the promise, there was no going back. I'd be bound to this life forever.

But as I walked toward the front of the room, Tony stepped into my path.

"Hello, niece," he said in a voice like poisoned honey. "You look just like your mother."

"You're supposed to be dead," I answered.

"Death is very useful sometimes. It lets you see who your real enemies are."

Behind him, I noticed at least six guys who looked like bodyguards. They weren't here for the service. They were here for me.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to step around him.

Tony grabbed my arm. "We need to talk. About your wealth."

"I already got it. Vincent's dead."

"Vincent was always the stupid brother. Did you really think killing him would solve anything?"

Before I could answer, Dmitri appeared and twisted Tony's wrist until he let go of me.

"Hands off," Dmitri said happily. "The lady doesn't like to be touched."

Tony rubbed his wrist, still smiling. "The Russian. I should have known you'd surround yourself with foreign trash."

"Better than family trash," I shot back.

Tony's smile got bigger. "Family is everything, Aria. You'll learn that soon enough."

Commissioner Ricci cleared his throat loudly. "Miss Torrino, we're waiting."

I walked to the front of the room, my heart pounding. Tony's words echoed in my head. What did he mean about learning that family was everything?

"Aria Torrino," Commissioner Ricci began, his voice carrying across the silent room. "Do you swear to uphold the ancient laws of our organization?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to protect those under your rule and punish those who betray the code?"

"I do."

"Do you accept the responsibilities and burdens of leadership, knowing that your choices will affect thousands of lives?"

I thought about my mother, shot and fighting for her life in the hospital. About my four guardians who'd risked everything for me. About all the people depending on me to be strong.

"I do."

Commissioner Ricci picked up an ornate knife from the table beside him. "Then by blood and tradition, I name you head of the Torrino family."

He made a small cut on my palm, letting my blood drip into a golden cup. The ritual was ancient, binding, and absolutely terrifying.

"You now control the eastern territories, the shipping lanes, and all related businesses. May you rule with knowledge and strength."

The room exploded in applause, but I barely heard it. I was definitely a mafia boss at twenty-three years old.

"Now," Commissioner Ricci continued, "we must address the matter of the alliance structure."

This was the part that would either join the families or start a war. My plan to merge the four territories under one leadership council was radical. Some families loved it. Others wanted my head.

"The Romano, Petrov, and Nakamura families have agreed to the new structure," I stated. "Together, we control over sixty percent of the city's operations."

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some accepting, some angry.

"And what about the families who don't agree?" asked a woman with a scar across her cheek.

"They're free to operate independently," I said. "As long as they don't interfere with our business."

"And if they do?"

I met her eyes steady. "Then they'll discover why Vincent Torrino is no longer with us."

More murmurs, but these sounded polite. Fear was just as good as love in this game.

"The girl has spine," said an older guy with silver hair. "I like that."

But Tony stepped forward again. "I object to this entire proceeding."

The room went quiet.

"On what grounds?" Commissioner Ricci asked.

"Vincent Torrino was not the true head of our family when he died. Therefore, his inheritance cannot pass to his niece."

My stomach dropped. "What are you talking about?"

Tony smiled like a shark. "Vincent killed our father to take power thirty years ago. But our father had already named me as his son. I have the documents to show it."

He pulled out a manila folder and gave it to Commissioner Ricci. The old man's face grew grave as he read.

"These appear to be authentic," Ricci said slowly.

"Which means," Tony continued, "that I am the true head of the Torrino family. And as head, I declare my niece's claim void."

The room exploded in debate. Some families yelled support for me, others for Tony. My four men moved closer, hands on their guns.

But I stood frozen. Everything I'd just gained was slipping away.

"However," Tony said, raising his voice over the chaos, "I'm not unreasonable. I'll make you a deal, niece."

"What kind of deal?" I asked, though I already knew I wouldn't like it.

"Marry my son Carlo Junior, and I'll let you keep half the territories."

"Carlo's dead," I said.

"Carlo Senior is dead. My son is very much alive."

A young man stepped out from behind Tony's guardians. He looked exactly like his dead cousin, down to the same cold, dead eyes.

"Hello, beautiful," Carlo Junior said. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

My hands started shaking. Not because I was afraid, but because I was angry.

"The Commission will need time to review these documents," Commissioner Ricci revealed. "Until then, both claims are suspended."

"Fine," Tony said. "But remember, Aria. Family always wins in the end."

As the crowd began to scatter, Marco leaned close to my ear.

"We need to leave. Now."

But before we could move, my phone buzzed with a text message. Unknown number again.

"Your mother is awake. She wants to see you. But come alone, or she dies for real this time. The hospital. Room 314. You have one hour. - A Friend"

I showed the message to Marco, whose face went pale.

"It's a trap," he said.

"Everything's a trap," I answered. "But she's my mother." As we headed for the exit, I caught Tony watching me with those animal eyes. He knew something I didn't. Something that would change everything.

And somewhere in this city, my mother was waiting with solutions that might destroy everything I'd just built.

The cap was heavier than I'd expected. And I was beginning to think it might just crush me.