“Is it not enough that I provide? That I’ve been loyal to you? That I’ve given you everything?” I shot back, trembling with fury. “Is that why you humiliate me in front of the whole family? Don’t tell me these capos are the reason you keep your distance instead of taking what I offered you!”
He pulled a stack of contracts from his coat and slammed them against my chest. The edges cut into my skin, and when I touched my cheek, warm blood stained my fingers.
“They say it was noble to raise the family’s influence in the city,” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “But I will not allow a disgrace like you to tarnish it—even if you are meant to be mine.”
I looked up at him, steadying my shaking limbs. Surely he could see the truth if he just looked past the images. “Sebastian, you know me. My achievements come from my own grit and strategy. Nothing in those photos—nothing—changes that.”
Celeste’s laugh cut through the tension, dripping with venom. “Your own hard work?” she mocked. “And what kind of work would that be? Schmoozing rival dons? Everyone knows exactly how ‘close’ your… partnerships go.”