Chapter 6
The welcome party had a purpose.
Not the public one.
Officially, it celebrated my return from six weeks in Chicago and introduced several younger Bellandi associates.
Unofficially, Victoria intended to present Marcus as the household’s stabilizing figure.
I found the seating plan.
My chair at the center.
Victoria beside me.
Marcus directly opposite.
No Isabella.
Her name was not anywhere.
I looked at the event coordinator.
“Where was my daughter supposed to sit?”
She swallowed.
“Ms. Victoria said Isabella would not attend.”
“Why?”
“She said the child was difficult around crowds.”
I almost smiled.
Difficult.
After months of making parties terrifying.
Create fear.
Then use fear to justify absence.
“What else?”
The coordinator hesitated.
“There was supposed to be a toast.”
“By who?”
“Marcus.”
I found the draft.
The Bellandi family requires adults who can carry weight without distraction.
My jaw tightened.
Another line:
Some people inherit names. Others prove they deserve responsibility.
There it was.
Not subtle.
Marcus had planned to stand in my house while my daughter hid behind a wall wearing a pet collar and talk about who deserved Bellandi responsibility.
I looked at him.
“You were using her disappearance as part of your image.”
He folded his arms.
“She’s a child.”
“Exactly.”
May you like
My voice dropped.
“So why did you need her removed before people could look at you as a man?”
