Chapter 8
The bright cinematic light of the ballroom suddenly felt oppressive, highlighting the sweat on Victoria’s forehead. She looked at her father, pinned beneath the boots of Adrian's guards, and then back to the terrifying, handsome face of the Mafia Boss she had almost married.
"Who authorized it, Victoria?" Adrian repeated, his voice dropping an octave.
"The Commission!" Victoria wailed, burying her face in her hands. "The elders of your own family, Adrian! They approached my father! They said Elena was a weakness, a civilian who would soften you! They wanted a pure bloodline merger with the Ashfords! They approved the relocation!"
Catherine gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Adrian... the elders?"
Adrian remained perfectly still. The revelation that his own family’s upper echelon had conspired to strip him of his love and his children washed over him. He did not explode. The anger inside him coalesced into a dense, freezing core of absolute resolve.
"They exiled her," Adrian murmured, standing up slowly. He looked down at the sealed envelope in his hand. "And now she is dead. Because someone decided the exile was no longer enough."
"We didn't kill her!" Victoria begged, crawling forward and grabbing the hem of his trousers. "I swear on my life, Adrian, my father only paid for the relocation! We didn't send any men to hurt her!"
"Then who did?" Adrian asked, his voice dead and hollow.
"I don't know!" Victoria screamed.
Adrian looked at Richard Ashford, who was glaring up at him with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"Your family is a parasite, Richard," Adrian said coldly, his deep voice carrying across the silent ballroom. "You sought to build an empire on the bones of my past. You are finished."
Adrian turned to his lead capo. "Strip the Ashfords of their weapons. Escort every single one of them out of the building. Seize their vehicles. They will walk back to their territory. If any of them attempt to retaliate, kill them in the street."
"Yes, Boss," the capo nodded, gesturing for the men to move in.
"You can't do this, Adrian!" Richard roared as he was hauled to his feet, blood dripping from his chin. "The Commission will sanction you! You are breaking the treaty!"
"The treaty died the moment my daughter walked through those doors," Adrian replied smoothly. "Take them away."
As the Ashford men were disarmed and violently shoved out of the ballroom, Victoria remained weeping on the floor.
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"What about her, Boss?" a guard asked, gesturing to the ruined bride.
"Throw her out with the rest of the trash," Adrian commanded without looking at her. "Her presence disgusts me."
