Chapter 200 Together as one

Chapter 200 Together as one
Serena’s POV

For a moment, I didn’t move.

The name echoed loudly through the hall, heavy and pretty much suffocating me.

My heart did a little jump, then surged so violently it felt like it was trying to claw its way out of my chest.

Beads of sweat formed over me as my ears still tung from hearing my name in the everly so quiet hall.

Slowly, I turned, and my eyes found Dante.

He was already watching me with a calm, steady, unreadable look.

Like none of this was new to him. Like he had already seen this moment coming from a mile away.

He didn’t speak, he just nodded. A small movement, almost nothing—but it carried a bit of weight.

Still, I didn’t move.

Something held me down. Something tight and invisible wrapped around my chest, my limbs, my thoughts.

Then he nodded again and gestured forward with a flick of his head.

My throat tightened. Then I swallowed, forcing my body to respond, forcing my legs to obey as I slowly rose to my feet.

I couldn't look back as the pin drop silence bore into me. Every step felt heavier than it should have.

Every attempt towards the center of the hall felt like I was walking on burning coals.

The silence followed me all the way, even the eyes. So many of them, watching, waiting.

I stopped where they wanted me to stand with my hands resting stiffly at my sides and my pulse roaring loudly in my ears.

“State your name,” the judge started and my lips parted.

“Ser—”

I coughed, not liking the way I sounded. Then tried again with more force this time. “Serena Marcetti.”

It still came out a bit quieter than I expected, but at least it wasn't shaky.

“Do you consent to marry Dante Russo?” The judge continued and the question hit differently.

My chest rose sharply as my eyes flickered back towards him without thinking.

He was still sitting there, watching everything steadily.

I turned back to the judge. “Yes.”

The judge hummed a bit and minutes passed before he spoke again.

“Did you kill Marco Moretti?” He asked and I nearly lost my footing.

My throat tightened as the memory flashed too quickly, too sharply.

The hall, bigger than this and just as quiet. His face, rude and straight. The gun in my shorts, the slit I opened by my gown.

The gunshot. The hole in his head, the bullet. His body dropping.

I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

A second or two passed again before he spoke again. “Did you kill Luca Moretti?”

“Yes,” I replied with little hesitation now.

“Did you kill the head of the Romano family?” He asked and I remembered Dante's words yesterday.

Just say the truth.

“Yes,” I replied simply.

A moment passed again before he added. “Do you possess the Ramirez family ring?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Do you possess the Marcetti family ring?” He asked again and I nodded with my head bowed.

“Yes.”

A pause followed. Then—

“We require evidence,” the judge said and the words settled over the room.

My fingers twitched slightly before I slowly reached into my pocket.

Everything in me felt… heightened. Every breath. Every movement.

Every second stretched longer than it should as I brought them out.

The rings. All feeling cold, heavy, and nothing short of powerful.

I stepped forward, placing them carefully where they indicated, my fingers lingering for just a second too long before I pulled back.

The moment I did, it felt like something shifted.

Like the room itself had changed.

The officials exchanged glances, then low murmurs followed. Then silence again.

A different kind this time, a heavier one.

“Based on the evidence presented,” one of them began, their voice cutting cleanly through the air, “and by the laws that govern blood, conquest, and possession—”

I felt it before they even said it. Something was wrong.

“—Serena Marcetti holds a higher claim of authority than Dante Russo,” he added and my breath caught.

What?

The words didn’t settle right. They didn’t make sense.

“According to the law,” another voice continued, “in a union of unequal power, the superior assumes control over the inferior.”

My heart slammed harder.

No. No—this wasn’t—

“Serena Marcetti,” the first voice returned, sharper now, more direct, “do you accept to marry Dante Russo and assume full authority over him and all that he possesses?”

The world stilled for a second as everything inside me went quiet for that long, suspended second.

Then it crashed.

No. That wasn’t what I wanted.

That wasn’t—

My chest tightened painfully as my gaze flickered back to Dante again.

He didn’t look surprised. He didn’t look threatened.

He just… watched me, like he was waiting for my answer.

My fingers curled slightly at my sides as my breathing grew uneven.

I didn’t want to own him.

I didn’t want him beneath me.

I didn’t want that kind of power between us.

“I—”

My voice broke slightly. Then I swallowed hard.

“No,” I said as firmly as I could and silence followed at once.

Then, the entire room reacted with murmurs erupting everywhere.

But I didn’t look at any of them.

I couldn’t.

My mind was made up.

My chest rose and fell as I forced myself to breathe through the chaos building inside me.

I closed my eyes briefly, just for a brief second. Then opened them again.

“I want…” I started, my voice steadier now, even if my heart wasn’t, “I want to share the power.”

Silence. Deadly silence.

“What do you mean?” One of them asked.

I took a slow breath. Then another.

“I don’t want to take from him,” I said. “I don’t want him beneath me. I want balance.”

I took a good look at the four rings on the little plate before stepping forward and picking them all up at one.

“I will hand over the Moretti ring,” I said, my voice clear now, carrying through the hall, “and the Romano ring—”

A ripple moved through the room.

“—to Dante Russo.”

I placed the two down as I spoke. “Giving him full authority over those families,” I added and took a step back.

My chest tightened slightly as I continued. “I will keep the Marcetti ring—my mother’s legacy,” I said and lifted it up. “And the Ramirez ring—my aunt’s.”

My fingers curled around that one as silence followed again.

Then I turned slowly and my eyes found Dante. And for the first time today—

He looked honestly stunned.

Not shaken.

Not broken.

Just… caught off guard.

“Dante Russo,” one of them called. “Come forward.”

The command broke through again.

And now—

It was his turn.

He moved without any hesitation, stepping forward, his presence alone enough to quiet whatever whispers remained.

“Do you accept the transfer of power as presented?” Another asked.

Silence settled as he didn’t answer immediately.

The moment stretched a bit too long as Dante left us all waiting.

Then—

“No,” he said it out of nowhere, and that even got my head spinning to him.

He didn’t look at them afterwards, he looked at me instead.

“I don’t want power over you,” he muttered, and my breath caught as he took a step forward. “I don’t want to stand above you.”

Then another step closer. “I don’t want to stand beneath you either.”

His voice dropped slightly. Stronger now, clearer.

“I want to stand with you,” he added and something in my chest cracked open.

“I want us to rule together,” he continued. “Not divided. Not competing.”

His gaze never left mine all the while. “As one.”

The room went still again.

“All families,” he said, his voice carrying authority now, undeniable, commanding, “Russo. Marcetti. Romano. Ramirez. Moretti.”

He paused and turned to the judges before continuing.

“I want them merged,” he said strictly and a sharp inhale moved through the hall.

“One structure. One power. One family,” he added, pulling more silence in.

The judges muttered a lot between themselves as from all clear indications, they didn't see any of these coming.

“This court will recess,” one of them said at once.

Dante smiled like he knew that was coming, or he knew what was coming.

He moved at once and I followed him as he stepped out.

The air outside felt completely different, much lighter.

But my chest was anything but that.

I turned to him immediately. “Why would you do that?” I asked with my voice low and tight with everything I didn’t know how to sort through.

He didn’t answer right away. Just looked at me.

Then—

“Because I won’t stand above you,” he started again. “And I won’t stand beneath you.”

And just like that, he took a step closer. “I’ll stand with you,” he added and something in me softened completely.

I didn't know what to say, so I just pulled him into a hug. We stayed like that without words till we were called back.

When we stepped in again, the room felt different.

“The court has reached a verdict,” one of the judges started, the moment we got to where we stood before.

My fingers curled slightly as I waited.

“By the authority vested in this council… the union is accepted,” he announced and paused.

“From this day forward, all named families shall merge into one,” he added.

My heart pounded harder.

“What shall this family be called?” Another asked from the side.

I didn’t think much as a name dropped straight into me.

I turned to him and he was already staring at me.

Then—

“The Darena Family,” I said and the name left my lips naturally. Like it had always existed.

Like it was always meant to.

A second passed.

Then—

“The Darena Family,” Dante repeated, more like a confirmation.

“It is done,” the main judge, I believe he is, said. Then clapped his hands to the back and some men in uniform brought forth a golden box.

I stared at the box as something about it felt different, heavier.

The main judge stood slowly. “Before we go on, I have a little something to say.”