Chapter 6
The sound of Garrett’s wet tuxedo dragging across the pristine marble floor was the only noise in the grand ballroom. The white American guests, dressed in their finest evening attire, parted like the Red Sea to create a wide, humiliating corridor leading toward the grand double doors of the estate.
Alessia watched him crawl for several long moments before turning her attention back to her mother. Miriam was seated quietly on a velvet chair, a fresh glass of water in her hand, surrounded by protective capos.
"Are you certain you are unharmed, Mother?" Alessia asked, her voice softening only slightly as she approached.
"I am fine, my strong girl," Miriam replied, her rosy cheeks offering a warm, reassuring smile. "Though I admit, I did not expect the evening's entertainment to be quite so physical."
"He mistook my patience for weakness," Alessia said, her eyes darkening. "It is a mistake I will ensure no one in this room ever repeats."
She turned back to face the crowd. The bright video colors of the room seemed to sharpen as the tension morphed into a new, dangerous political reality. The capos—the ruthless lieutenants who managed her empire—stepped forward, awaiting their orders.
"Vincent," Alessia called out to her most trusted underboss, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running through his fair eyebrow.
"Yes, Boss," Vincent replied, his American accent thick with respect.
"Lock down the estate," Alessia commanded. "No guest leaves until I have spoken with them. Any associate who has done business with the Lawson family in the last six months will be audited tonight."
"You think Garrett was acting on orders?" Vincent asked, his eyes narrowing.
"A coward like Garrett does not strike the mother of a Mafia boss in a room full of her soldiers unless he believes he has an army waiting outside," Alessia deduced, her mind operating with terrifying, tactical precision. "He was trying to provoke a reaction. He wanted to make me look emotionally unstable in front of the capos to justify a coup."
Evelyn, who was being escorted toward the door by two guards, gasped. "You are paranoid, Alessia! My son simply lost his temper! There is no conspiracy!"
"Take her phone," Alessia ordered the guards.
One of the bodyguards expertly snatched the diamond-encrusted smartphone from Evelyn’s clutch before she could react. He handed it directly to Alessia.
Alessia unlocked the screen using a bypass device handed to her by her security chief. She scrolled through the recent messages, the bright light of the screen reflecting in her cold eyes.
May you like
"A temper tantrum?" Alessia read aloud, holding the phone up for the capos to see. "Then why did Garrett send a text message to the head of the rival Falcone family twenty minutes ago, stating: 'The old woman is down. The room is divided. Move your men to the perimeter.'"
The ballroom erupted into a low, dangerous murmur. The capos reached beneath their formal jackets, the sound of safeties clicking off echoing through the vast space. The Lawsons hadn't just insulted the family; they had committed high treason.
