The First Test

The First Test


IZZY'S POV

The room went tense again. Nobody moved.

“Say it,” I told him.

He smirked. “Or what?”

“You walk out and don’t come back,” I said.

“I built half these streets,” Marco snapped. “Without me, your father’s empire would’ve been nothing and you think you can toss me out like trash?”

“You’re right,” I said. “You built a lot, but don’t forget, you built it under my father, not on your own and now it belongs to me.”

“You?” He laughed coldly. “You couldn’t run a corner stand.”

“Maybe not,” I said. “But I can make sure every man in this room knows what happens when someone defies me.”

His smirk wavered for the first time.

I leaned forward. “Say it, Marco or leave.”

He stared at me, jaw tight. Then he spat on the floor. “I’ll never bow to you.”

The room erupted with voices, some telling him to shut up, some urging me to back down. I slammed my hand on the table. “Quiet!”

They all stopped.

I pointed at Marco. “Then you’re done. From this night on, you’re out. Don’t come back to this table. Don’t bring your crew into this house. If I see you try, I’ll treat you like any other enemy.”

Marco stood up slowly, glaring at me with pure hate. “You’ll regret this.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But not as much as you will.”

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The others looked shaken.

Vance finally spoke. “That was bold.”

“It was necessary,” I said. “If I let him defy me, the rest of you would’ve tried too.”

Carmine raised a brow. “And when he goes to the Romanos? Because that’s where he’s headed.”

“Then I’ll deal with him,” I said.

Silence again.

I leaned back in the chair. “This is the new rule. Payments on time, no excuses and no delays. If you’re late, even by a day, I’ll come down on you myself.”

Salvatore shifted uncomfortably. “Sometimes business..”

“No excuses,” I cut him off. “I don’t care if the cops are on your tail or if you lost a shipment. You find a way. You pay or you’re out.”

Enzo nodded. “That’s fair.”

“Second,” I went on. “No side deals. You cut a deal with another family without clearing it with me, you’re done.”

Carmine scoffed. “That’s going to be hard to enforce.

Not if I make an example,” I said coldly.

His smirk faded.

“Third,” I said. “Respect. You don’t mock me, not here and not outside. If I hear about it, you’ll answer to me directly. And I promise you won’t like how that goes.”

The table was quiet. Nobody argued this time.

“Good,” I said. “Then we understand each other.”

Enzo gave me a small nod. “We do.”

Vance leaned back, studying me. “You’re your father’s daughter, no doubt about that.”

I met his eyes. “No. I’m not him. I’m me and I’ll do things my way.”

He gave a slight smile. “We’ll see.”

One by one, the others stood. They nodded to me, some respectful, some forced but they nodded.

When they were gone, Janet came over. She had been in the corner again, watching.

“You just made a real enemy,” she said quietly.

“I know,” I said.

“And you just gave the rest of them orders they might not like.”

“I know that too.”

She studied me for a long moment. “You don’t sound scared.”

“I am,” I admitted. “But they’ll never see it.”

She smiled faintly. “Good. Because tonight, you didn’t just sit in the chair. You owned it.”

I leaned back, letting out a long breath. My hands were shaking again, but my voice was steady. “Then it’s done.”



I walked into the warehouse early, before most people even showed up. The smell of oil and dust always clung to this place, but it was familiar. It had been my father’s main storage spot for years, and crews rotated through to keep things running. Today it was supposed to be mine to command.

Janet walked in beside me, flipping through a clipboard. “Everything’s ready. We just need Russo’s crew to load up the trucks.”

“Good,” I said. “We’ll send two trucks to the east docks and one to the south side. The buyers are waiting, no delays.”

She nodded but didn’t look convinced. “You know Russo’s been dragging his feet since you took over, right?”

I clenched my jaw. “Yeah. That ends today.”

By the time Russo and his men strolled in, half an hour late, I was already irritated. He walked like he owned the place, even though I was standing there waiting. His guys laughed and slapped each other’s backs, ignoring me until they got closer.

“Izzy,” Russo said, pretending to be friendly. “Didn’t think you’d actually show up here in person. Thought this kind of thing was beneath you.”

I gave him a cold look. “I go where I need to. You’re late.”

He shrugged. “Traffic.”

“Save the excuses,” I said flatly. “Load the trucks. Two go east, one goes south. Everything leaves in the next thirty minutes.”

Russo smirked. “Yeah, about that…” He glanced at his men, then back at me. “We’ve been talking, and we don’t take orders from you.”

Janet stiffened beside me. “Excuse me?”

Russo leaned closer, his voice carrying through the warehouse. “Look, your father, sure, we respected him. He built all this. But you? You’ve been sitting in a hospital room crying half the time. Now you think you’re the boss? Please. We don’t answer to little girls.”

His men chuckled, a low, ugly sound.

I felt heat rise in my chest, but I forced my face to stay calm. “You’re forgetting yourself, Russo.”

“No, I’m remembering just fine,” he said. “We don’t trust you. We don’t respect you. And frankly, we don’t care what you say. The trucks can wait.”

I stepped closer, closing the space between us until I was staring him in the eye. “You’ll load those trucks, and you’ll do it now. That’s not a request. It’s an order.”

He tilted his head, mocking. “Or what? You’ll run crying to the council? You’ll tell Marco to scold me?”

Janet’s voice was sharp. “Watch
your mouth.”

Russo laughed. “What’s she gonna do? You gonna fight me, sweetheart? You think wearing your daddy’s name makes you tough?”