The cruel gleam in his eyes made me feel even smaller. It seemed like I was a discarded pawn he’d used and tossed aside. I bit back a reply, afraid that any sign of defiance would only invite more humiliation.
Then my chest tightened as I looked at my uncle, Richard, sitting on the couch. The smoke of the cigarette curled around him like a cloud of indifference.
He barely glanced in my way, as if I was nothing more than a stranger passing through.
“So that’s it?” My voice cracked, raw with betrayal. “You’re all kicking me out because I’m not useful anymore?”
“Don’t take it personally, Victoria,” Gracia said, not bothering to look up from her magazine. “With your prison record, no mafia family will like to support or associate with you. We can't risk the Bianchi Mafia Family's fortune because of it." She paused.
"Keeping you here will be… challenging. We just don’t have the means to support you.”
But before I could respond, Celestia stepped closer, and said, “Face it, Victoria. You’re nothing but a burden now. No family, no future. So, just… leave."
I stood there blankly. My heart was pounding in my chest. My gaze was fixed at Gracia with a cold fury I could no longer hide.