There’s no elaborate meal or fancy waiters walking around in penguin suits like the last time I sat through a business dinner, tonight is simply business. They’re here to say what needs to be said and then they’ll be ushered straight out the door, hopefully with their lives intact.
I keep myself away from the table, not wanting to stand with the boys in case it causes some kind of stir within the family, more so than what it already has. But I don’t think anybody, apart from their grandfather, has the balls to comment on it.
My gaze sails over the men surrounding the table, and I recognize a few of their faces from the ball. The boys’ cousins are here, and the way they take the chairs furthest away from Louis speaks volumes. Joseph is here, sitting away from everyone like the lone wolf that he is, and I can’t help but feel like this is some bullshit kind of high school cafeteria seating plan. Everybody sits away from their greatest threat while trying to keep a position that gives them an advantage. It’s high school politics in the flesh.
Roman stands in the center of his brothers, all three of them taking up the space at the head of the table and looking over the nervous men before them.
“Thank you all for making the trip out here tonight,” Roman starts, taking the lead as usual. “I know you’ve all had a long drive here, only to be kept waiting, and we apologize for that. However, we had urgent matters to attend to.”
Their grandfather scoffs, his tone sailing right down the length of the long table. “What could have been so important that you kept my family waiting on a day like this?”
Roman arches a brow, intrigued by his grandfather’s audacity. “If you must know, this afternoon, the love of my life, Shayne Mariano, was kidnapped and held hostage by the Moretti family.”
Gasps and roars of outrage tear through the room as eyes fall to me, each one of them probably wondering how the hell I’m still alive.
Louis stands, his hand slamming down on the table. “What is the meaning of this?” he demands. He’s certainly no fan of mine, but an attack against me is classified as an attack against the whole family, and for that, they would be outraged on my behalf.
Roman holds his hands up, indicating for the room to shut the fuck up, and that’s exactly what they do. “It has come to our attention that our father has been making plans to move against Gia Moretti and her family, and as a warning, they came into this house, our home, and took Shayne right out of her bedroom. Now clearly, we were able to retrieve her without casualty, but this is a direct hit on us because of my father’s stupidity.”
“Why would he do that?” Louis questions, his brows furrowed. “We had peace with the Morettis. Starting another war with them now would be catastrophic.”
“You tell me, Uncle,” Roman fires back at him. “I know you don’t have the greatest fondness for my father, but you’re able to read him like a book. You declared only a few nights ago that you would remain loyal to him. So, you tell me why he would make such a foolish decision that would impact the whole family?”
Louis shakes his head, pressing his lips into a tight line, lost for words. “I … I do not know. There must be some kind of misunderstanding. Giovanni wouldn’t do that.”
Roman leans forward on the table, his gaze sweeping across the room, “From the mouth of Gia Moretti herself—Giovanni has been attempting to infiltrate her family. He plans on taking her out and gaining control of the Moretti fortune. I don’t know how he intends to do that, but it is a foolish game.”
Roman skips right over the part where his father intended to marry his eldest son off to Gia’s daughter, and I’m grateful. That little piece of information can remain private for now. Hell, maybe it should stay buried until the end of time. Nobody needs to know.
“Is this the man you trust to rule over our family?” Roman continues. “Is this what you want for your future? To be at war with Gia Moretti? You know what she is capable of. She holds no boundaries, no morals. Not one of us is safe. Our children, our friends, family. Standing with my father now, is welcoming Gia Moretti into your homes, into your bed. She is a leech who will suck the blood right out of us until there is nothing left. So, what’s it going to be? Wait for my father to rise up and destroy us from the inside out, or stand with us and be the future of this family, stronger and more powerful than ever before?”
Uneasy murmurs erupt through the room as men turn to their neighbor to question what the fuck to do. From the looks of it, most of these men were planning to stand by Giovanni, trusting he will rise up and overpower his sons. But learning of his plan to stand against Gia has changed everything except how terrified the men are of the brothers before them. They’re unhinged, lethal, and reckless, and they make no secret of that. Following them could mean a world of torment, a life in chains, but following Giovanni into a war with Gia would mean certain death.
My gaze settles on the boys’ grandfather, and I watch as his smug expression slowly hardens, realizing what everyone else in the room is quickly figuring out too—the boys are going to win this. They’re going to officially gain power over the family, just as it should have always been.
A chair scraping against the marble floor sends everyone’s sharp gazes to the back of the dining room to find Victor’s eldest son. “My brothers and I have spoken at great lengths over the past few days, figuring out our next steps, and we declare here tonight, that we will support Roman, Marcus, and Levi in their rise to power. They may be brutal, cold, and heartless killers, but they are the future of this family. No leader would be stronger. They have our loyalty.”
Shocked murmurs tear through the room as wide eyes gape at the four brothers, every last person knowing that their father would be rolling in his grave right now. Though, we know something they don’t. Their loyalty doesn’t come free. The boys have to earn it, and I’m sure they’ll do so with pride.
His declaration sets off a chain reaction. One by one, men stand and declare their loyalty to the boys while their grandfather acts as though every single declaration is a personal attack against him.
Everybody has their turn, but when Louis stands and focuses his hard stare on his nephews, the tension rises in the room. “Every single man in this room is foolish to believe these three children are capable of ruling over our organization. Giovanni is not here to defend his actions. Who knows if this bullshit with the Moretti family is even true. However, my fellow family members have already made their declarations and therefore leave me with no choice but to fall in line or risk my life by walking away. Do I believe that Giovanni will return to claim what’s rightfully his? Yes I do. And because of this meeting, when that happens, every last one of us is fucked.”
Louis drops down as an amused smirk plays on Marcus’ lips. “Feel free to walk out,” Marcus tells him, his tone filled with a deadly warning, the unspoken truth about what will happen to him the second he gets up floating in the air.
A heavy silence fills the room as Louis’ hard stare remains locked on Marcus. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he finally says, grabbing his glass off the table and throwing back what’s left of it.
Marcus laughs, and I can only imagine how much his uncle’s resistance is sweetening their cousins’ deal. The boys are going to take great pleasure in ending Louis’ life, but Marcus will relish in it. He’s a special brand of crazy.