Chapter 154 Phoenix Under Fire
Chapter 154 Phoenix Under Fire
Isabella's POV:
I paced the length of the balcony, my eyes constantly scanning the perimeter of our villa. The news of Emma's coma had somehow leaked, and the vultures were circling. Our Phoenix men patrolled in rotating shifts, creating an impenetrable barrier from the villa's gates to three kilometers beyond the estate. Drones buzzed overhead, completing our surveillance grid.
"My source confirms the southern families have formed a temporary alliance," my lieutenant reported, stepping onto the balcony. "All of them, planning to move against us simultaneously."
James lounged in a chair nearby, appearing maddeningly calm as he scrolled through his phone. He laughed, not bothering to look up. "Trying to replace Phoenix? Interesting."
My jaw tightened. "Notify teams fifteen through twenty to prepare. Teams ten through fourteen on standby." I dismissed the lieutenant with a wave. "These southern families won't last five minutes if they come at us."
Only when we were alone did I allow my composure to crack slightly. "It's been six fucking weeks, James. Six weeks, and Donna still hasn't opened her eyes."
James finally set his phone down, his expression sobering. "The doctors say her vitals improve every day."
"Yet she shows no signs of waking," I sighed, rubbing my temples.
Antonio crushed out his cigarette as he joined us. "How much longer can we maintain this? The men are getting restless."
Phoenix could function without Emma's direct oversight, but her continued absence was creating dangerous cracks in our foundation. As long as Emma remained the Donna, even in name only, our family structure held. But with each passing day, her silence emboldened our enemies.
"I'll check on her," I said, leaving the two men on the balcony.
---
The bedroom was quiet except for the steady beeping of medical monitors. Alexander sat in a chair by the window, working silently on his laptop. He acknowledged me with a nod but didn't speak.
I approached Emma's bed, taking in her peaceful expression—almost as if she were merely sleeping, not trapped in some unreachable place between consciousness and oblivion.
I sank down to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the bed.
"Donna," I said softly, "are you planning to sleep forever?"
I leaned my head against the bed frame, suddenly bone-weary. "Our men have engaged in thirty-seven firefights with other families." I paused, my throat tight. "Because everyone in Sicily knows you've been lying here for six weeks."
I closed my eyes. "They say you'll never wake up. They're challenging us because they think we have no leader." My voice dropped to a whisper. "You never let us suffer these... indignities before."
The silence stretched, broken only by the monitors' steady rhythm.
"Why have you abandoned us now?" My voice cracked, revealing emotion I showed no one else. I was exhausted, heartsick, and increasingly desperate.
I grieved for the woman who had established Phoenix's power in Sicily, now lying helpless. I ached for our leader who always charged into danger first, now fighting a battle none of us could join. And I feared for our organization as rival families closed in, sensing weakness.
"Donna, rest if you must, but then get up," I pleaded. "We don't need you to do anything. Just stand and walk out of this villa, and everything will be fine again."
---
"Isabella," James called from the doorway. "Marcus Ricci is here."
My head snapped up, instantly alert. "Marcus?" My mind raced through possibilities. The Ricci family was powerful, and Marcus was known to be friendly with Emma, but with Emma incapacitated, was he here to stake a claim too?
"He wants to see Donna," James explained.
Alexander spoke from his place by the window. "Let him in. Let's see what he wants."
James returned moments later with Marcus, who greeted me with a firm handshake before nodding respectfully to Alexander. He approached Emma's bed, his expression unreadable as he gazed down at her still form.
"How long has she been like this?" Marcus finally asked, his voice low.
"Almost two months since the surgery," I replied neutrally.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Mr. Sterling has arranged everything possible," I said, glancing at Alexander. "But she shows no signs of regaining consciousness."
Marcus nodded slowly. "When Emma wakes, the landscape of Sicilian families will be dramatically different." He turned to face James and me. "Those southern families causing trouble for Phoenix? Ricci has been dismantling them one by one."
I exchanged a glance with James, surprised by this revelation.
"They won't trouble Phoenix again," Marcus continued. "More accurately, they can't—they're no longer breathing."
"You know my friendship with Emma," Marcus explained. "With her in this condition, every family thinks they see an opportunity. But they've miscalculated."
He smiled thinly. "Your men have fought over thirty engagements already. Rest now. Ricci will handle the rest."
Marcus looked back at Emma. "When she wakes, we'll surprise her. The southern territories will belong to Phoenix and Ricci."
"I'm not helping Phoenix," Marcus clarified, seeing our expressions. "This is about Emma. Our friendship is no secret in Sicily."
His voice softened as he looked at Emma. "I believe in her. She'll wake up and lead Phoenix to even greater heights." He smiled genuinely. "She'll be fine!"
Marcus leaned closer to Emma. "Come on, Emma. I'm still waiting to drink you under the table!"
---
After Marcus left, I returned to Emma's side.
"Donna, Marcus wasn't bluffing. Ricci has unleashed hell on the southern families," I reported. "When you wake, half the south will be yours."
James looked puzzled. "Isabella, I don't understand. Why wouldn't Marcus simply take the south for himself? Why share with Phoenix?"
I smiled knowingly. "Ricci is powerful, but not as powerful as Phoenix. If Emma were conscious, she could order the south taken, and we'd move faster than Ricci ever could."
I gestured toward the window. "How many families could withstand thirty-seven attacks and remain standing without a scratch?"
"Marcus could take the south easily, but holding it would be another matter entirely. By aligning with Phoenix, he strengthens his position."
I looked back at Emma's still form. "Phoenix didn't become Sicily's second most powerful family by accident. Even Ricci must consider whether they could maintain that position if they tried to claim it."