Chapter 171 Strength Is the Rule
The conference venue was an oval-shaped building with a brand-new exterior. I heard it was funded and built by the Valeri family, who invested a lot of money and time into it. This was its first year in use.
After getting out of the car, I looked around curiously. Maybe it was just my imagination, but the building's style seemed a lot like the Regal Court Mall owned by Lucas.
"Bella."
Hearing Lucas call my name, I instinctively smiled.
Marcus muttered unhappily, "How do we run into him everywhere? Did he wait here on purpose?"
Lucas was wearing a sharply tailored black suit today that really showed off his figure. His already striking looks had an especially sharp, almost intimidating quality today that made it hard to look directly at him.
Wherever he walked, people moved aside, but Gale and Marcus weren't about to be intimidated by him.
Marcus stepped in front of me, pressing his fist against Lucas's shoulder and giving him a hard shove. Onlookers nearby gasped in surprise.
Marcus shot them an annoyed glance, then put his hands on his hips and confronted Lucas, "Why did you bring Bella along when you went to cause trouble with the Valeri family? Weren't you worried that kind of bloody, scary scene would give her nightmares?"
I nearly choked, "Marcus, I'm not that fragile."
Lucas's gaze landed on me as he said teasingly, "If she really has nightmares, I'll just hold her while she sleeps and watch over her all night."
Marcus was just trying to provoke him, and at these words he rolled up his sleeves, "In your dreams!"
Gale reached out to hold Marcus back while giving Lucas a warning glare.
Lucas met Gale's gaze calmly without flinching. After exchanging greetings, he naturally moved to my side.
We walked into the venue together. Inside was spacious, arranged in tiers with the center lower and the outer edges higher.
The center seats were reserved for the five major families, and the closer to the center, the more influence that family had.
"Excuse us."
Behind us came the sound of a dozen footsteps. We turned to see a group approaching with their heads held high, looking confident. Leading them was Stephen from the Thornfield family.
He was the Don of the Thornfield family's trusted secretary. This was my first time seeing him, and he was as imposing as the rumors suggested. But seeing him made me think of his lover—Diana.
The young man beside him was the one who'd asked us to move. When he got a clear look at who we were, he seemed surprised and watched Lucas warily, as if afraid Lucas might suddenly attack.
We hurried forward a few steps, passing by the Thornfield family members.
Stephen didn't slow down but took the initiative to nod at Lucas, even glanced at Gale, and looked at me with curiosity.
They quickly passed by. I was a bit puzzled to see that the last person in the Thornfield family group was actually Richard.
His head was down, looking somewhat dazed, his eyes bloodshot, like his soul had been drained from him.
Seeing Lucas, he visibly stiffened. His lips moved, not knowing what expression to make or what to say.
So he simply kept his head down evasively, pretending not to see Lucas.
I watched his lonely figure and thought of Sophie.
I heard she was taken back by her family and forcibly given sterilization drugs. Sophie's grandfather personally came to apologize to Lucas, asking him not to hold a grudge.
Sophie's fate was somewhat pitiful. She'd had such a bright future ahead of her, but it was all her own doing.
In the venue, almost everyone who saw us would sneak glances our way, their eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, wariness, curiosity, contempt.
Neither Lucas, Gale, Marcus, nor I had time to worry about what these people thought. We faced all their stares calmly.
Marcus looked around and clicked his tongue in boredom, "I thought this conference would just be cancelled. If you ask me, it would be better cancelled, and best if they never hold it again. Just have the hunting competition, let everyone compete on skill alone, less scheming."
Gale tapped Marcus's forehead with his knuckles, "Be more mature. The hunting competition isn't a children's sports day. Without the conference to set rules, divide interests, and handle disputes, hardly any families would participate in the hunting competition."
I looked at the center seats and asked quietly with curiosity, "What do you think the theme will be this time?"
"There were rumors before that it had to do with the conflict between our family and the Gambino family." Gale's expression darkened slightly as he instinctively glanced at Lucas and lowered his voice, "But now we can't be sure."
Marcus stretched lazily, looking completely uninterested, "So boring. I hope it ends quickly so we can go home."
Each family's position was assigned in advance. Looking at the seating chart, even Gale raised his eyebrows in surprise and quickly glanced at Lucas.
Lucas's seat was actually arranged in the front row, right in the center, and the space was so large that even if all of Lucas's bodyguards sat down, there'd be room to spare.
Our family's position was in the middle toward the back, but compared to other families in the same row, we had twice as much space.
I could feel the strong survival instinct of whoever arranged the seating—they really didn't want to offend either Lucas or me.
Lucas very naturally followed me into the Sorelli family's area. Marcus reminded him, "Your seat is up front!"
Lucas shrugged, "Wherever Bella is, that's where I am."
I pressed my lips together and looked at Gale questioningly.
Gale was silent for a moment, then made a decisive decision, "Leave some people to guard here, the rest of us will go up front."
Marcus paused, then asked awkwardly, "Is that appropriate?"
"Nothing inappropriate about it. Strength makes the rules," Gale said.
"Gale's right." Lucas agreed, "We can sit wherever we want. No one dares to object."
So Gale, Marcus, and I actually sat in Lucas's assigned seats. People from other families watched this scene with strange looks, but not one person stood up to question it.
Good thing we took Lucas's seat, because the Gambino family's position was in the same row as ours, directly across from us.
Beside Colin was his son Thomas, and then Wendy. Michelle and Amelia seemed to have been pushed aside, sitting in a corner.
After all families had entered, the lights dimmed slightly. The conference was about to begin.
Representatives from the four major families deferred to each other politely, then Stephen cleared his throat. Just as he was about to announce the conference theme, suddenly a woman's voice, choked with desperation, rang out from the Gambino family's section, abruptly interrupting the proceedings, "Please wait! I know this is presumptuous of me, but I'm truly at my wit's end."
Everyone looked at Michelle in surprise.
I whispered to Marcus, "If she knows it's presumptuous, then she shouldn't do it!"
Marcus agreed, "Exactly."
Michelle cleared her throat, "I know this conference has always been fair and just, so I'm begging for a chance to protect myself and my daughter Amelia."
She took a deep breath, her voice carrying long-suppressed grievance and resentment, "My husband Kirk was the previous Don of the Gambino family. Before he died, he left all his assets to Amelia and me. For years, it's been Amelia and I supporting the family!"
"But now, they want to kick us out of the family!"
Michelle's eyes reddened, but she held back her tears and said, "So I've decided to take all the assets Kirk left behind and join a new family!"