When my boyfriend, Sebastian Passini, comes to me in tears, claiming his famiglia has been crippled and backed into a corner, I put everything my famiglia has at stake to pave the way for him.

I withstand immense pressure from my famiglia, divert four million dollars, deploy our most elite soldati, and even fall out with my Madre, all to protect him.

Yet, on the eve of his "counterattack," I stumble upon his true colors in my famiglia's underground chamber.

Angelina Aureli chuckles beside him. "To swallow the Valerini famiglia whole, you put on a fine performance. Are you really going to sit back and watch Isabella hand over her famiglia's foundation to you?"

Sebastian sneers, "Why else would I call her a fool? Her trust—and the Valerinis' resources—are nothing but stepping stones for me to rise to the top. Once I have everything in my hands, she and that old hag are dead!"

I fish out my phone and revoke the final tranche of resources I had reserved for Sebastian.

I should have known from the very beginning. He and I have never been on the same path. He wants plunder and destruction, and I'll make him pay for his greed in blood.

The voices leaking through the iron door of my famiglia's underground chamber nailed me to the spot.

"Half of the Valerinis' dock guards were reassigned last night. That's how the smuggled arms came ashore without a hitch. This single deal will keep our famiglia fed for half a year."

That was Angelina Aureli's voice.

"Why else do you think I call Isabella an idiot?" Sebastian Passini's laughter was thick with disdain.

He continued, "She's been under my thumb since we were kids. I told her my famiglia was being suppressed by yours, and she went against her own elders to hand me four million dollars.

"I told her I needed manpower. She reallocated her famiglia's dock's best soldati to guard my empty warehouse."

My hands curled into fists as the past month replayed in my head. I had challenged three elders at the famiglia meeting and silenced all opposition.

For him, I stayed up all night, helping him through his crisis. My heart had ached when I saw the shallow cut on his arm. I had even argued bitterly with my Madre, Camilla Bernardi, because I was convinced he had been driven into a corner.

"Aren't you afraid she'll find out?" Angelina asked, feigning concern.

"So what if she does?" Sebastian's laughter was as cold as steel.

"She loves me so much that she's willing to go against her whole famiglia for me. Once I get my hands on the Valerinis' resources, I'll get rid of her and that old hag. Then, everything here will belong to me!"

"What about me?" she pressed.

"Be patient." His tone softened, just a fraction. "Once Isabella is out of the picture, the Passinis and the Aurelis will be bound by marriage. Bellano's underground operations will be ours. What could you possibly want that you wouldn't have then?"

My blood ran cold. My fingers flew across my phone as I activated the highest recording setting. My Madre had taught me from a young age to gather enough evidence and strike the traitors with a single, decisive blow.

I spun on my heel and slipped down the dim corridor. The sharp click of my heels against the concrete did nothing to quiet the hatred churning inside of me.

After arriving in the garage, I climbed into my black armored sedan. As soon as I started the engine, I received a message from Sebastian.

It read, "The Aurelis are bothering me again, Bella. Could you send me another squad of elite soldati? I'm afraid they'll kill me!"

I stared at the lies on the screen, lips curling into a cold smile. I replied with a single word. "Okay." Then, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat.

My famiglia's crest gleamed in the night outside my window. Caressing the Beretta at my waist, a single thought settled in my mind: I would make Sebastian and Angelina pay for what they owed me and my famiglia in full.

…

I didn't return to the villa and contacted my famiglia's IT department instead.

"I want a full sweep of all my communications with Sebastian over the last month. Flag all our famiglia's documents he's accessed.

"Then, fabricate a port deal and plant a tracker in it. I want him to think he won."

The director on the other end of the line responded respectfully, "Understood, Signora Valerini. It'll be done in half an hour."

I ended the call, stepped on the gas, and sped toward my famiglia's estate. There was someone I needed to meet—Matteo Rossi, Sebastian's sworn enemy.

It was time to start laying the groundwork.

I destroyed everything connected to Sebastian in my study—cheap trinkets, old photographs, and letters full of empty promises. Just then, the doorbell rang three times.

My gaze darkened. By the time I rose from my seat to open the door, my fingers were already wrapped around the dagger hidden in my sleeve.

As soon as the door opened, the first thing that came into view was Sebastian, his arm wrapped around Angelina. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face streaked with tears. Clutching a cheap fruit basket, she shrank into his arms as if she'd suffered some great injustice.

"Why are you so pale, Bella? Are you feeling unwell?" Sebastian's voice was still warm and gentle. He reached out and tried to touch my forehead.

I stepped aside to avoid him. "You're not welcome here. Get the hell out!"

Angelina immediately choked back a sob, clinging to his arm. "I was just worried about you, Signora Valerini. I heard you've been in a foul mood lately, so I brought some fruit to check on you.

"I know I don't deserve him, but what we have is real. Can't you just give us your blessing?"

"You want my blessing?" As I stared at her pretentious face, I immediately called her out. "The two of you teamed up and scammed me out of four million dollars, used my famiglia's soldati, and now you want my blessing? You're nothing but a clown to me, Angelina."

Angelina's sobs grew louder as she turned to Sebastian. "I didn't… Look at her, Sebastian! She's always looked down on me, and now she's accusing us of scheming against her. I swear I didn't do anything!"

Sebastian's expression hardened in an instant, and he seized my wrist.

"You've gone too far, Isabella! Angelina came to check on you out of kindness, and this is how you treat her? Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're a Valerini?"

I watched him pull Angelina behind him, and whatever foolish illusion I had was shattered in a heartbeat. I yanked my hand free and slapped him across the face. The sharp crack echoed down the hallway, prompting my soldati downstairs to look up.

"You want me to apologize?" Contempt was written all over my face as I gazed at him, who was clutching his cheek.

"You're an illegitimate child of la famiglia Passini, Sebastian; you're only alive because my family supported you, yet you turned around and plotted against me. Who do you think you are?

"That injury on your arm was self-inflicted. The four million dollars you asked for went straight to Angelina's house, her car, and her luxury goods.

"There was never any crisis. Did you really think you could fool me?"

His face contorted, and he bellowed, "Have you lost your mind? Who told you that? What kind of lies have you been fed?"

"Lies?" I pulled out my phone and played the recording. Their conversation from the secret chamber immediately rang out.

"Should I send this to all the mafia families in Bellano right now? Then, everyone will know what a traitor you truly are and how you played me like a fool!"

The blood drained from Angelina's face. Then, she hurriedly grasped his arm and dragged him outside. "Let's go, Sebastian! Don't argue with her anymore."

"Where do you think you're going?" I stepped forward, blocking their path. "Do you think you can come and go as you please? What do you take my house for, a flea market?"

Sebastian's gaze hardened. He reached out, attempting to snatch my phone away. "Give it to me. Isabella, if I go down, I'm dragging your whole famiglia down with me!"

I had seen that coming. So, I twisted aside and pressed the alarm on the wall. My soldati downstairs flooded upstairs and surrounded them in no time.

"How dare you lay a hand on me, Isabella?" he roared. "My famiglia won't let this slide. The Aurelis are on my side. Your famiglia's days are numbered!"

"Your famiglia?" I arched my brow and let out a mirthless chuckle. "A famiglia that survives on betrayal won't last long in this city."

I took a step back and ordered my soldati, "Throw them out. If they show their faces near any of our operations again, feed them to the sharks!"

My soldati acted immediately. Sebastian was thrashed, and he swore, while Angelina shrieked as the two of them were hauled off. I closed the door and changed all the villa's access codes, from the front gate to the garage and the study.

Sebastian's roars and Angelina's shrill curses echoed outside the door. Ignoring them, I walked to the window, picked up my phone, and called my Madre.

"It's time, Mamma. The Passinis and the Aurelis are going to pay!

"Also, look into our own people. Sebastian couldn't have had access to so much information on his own. We have a traitor in our famiglia."

Camilla's voice was calm and resolute. "I've been prepared for this. Are you safe over there? Do you need reinforcements?"

"No," I responded firmly. "I can take care of it. Keep your eyes on the Passinis' core businesses. Wait for my signal. Then, we'll strike them from both directions."

After Sebastian and Angelina were thrown out, one of my subordinates informed me that Matteo had arrived.

Matteo had just walked in when Sebastian's call came through. His tone was vicious as he spat out, "How dare you betray me, Isabella? Do you think you can get away with this?

"I have documents detailing the illegal trade moving through your famiglia's ports. Believe it or not, I can sell them to the FBI and wipe your entire famiglia out!"

"Go ahead." My voice was calm and edged with a hint of mockery.

I continued, "Half of what you have is information I deliberately fed you. The other half was invalidated by my IT department half an hour ago. This is child's play to me, Sebastian."

"Stronza!" he snarled into the phone. "Did you collude with someone else? Let me make this clear: no one can save you!

"Once my famiglia and the Aurelis join forces, your famiglia is finished. When that happens, I'll make you wish you were never born!"

"Is that so?" A low male voice sounded from beside me.

I turned around and found Matteo seated across from me. Dressed in a black suit, his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.

He let out a mirthless chuckle and asked, "What about my famiglia? Do you still think that's not enough?"

Sebastian went silent for a beat before bursting into laughter. "Matteo? You're the son of a traitor, and you think you have the right to stick your nose into the business of the Valerinis and the Passinis?

"Your madre was dumped by my padre. You're nothing but a bastard nobody wanted. Who do you think you are, running your mouth here?"

"I'm the son of a traitor?" Matteo's tone became ice-cold in a heartbeat. "Your padre, Giovanni Passini, betrayed mia madre, swallowed two-thirds of my famiglia's assets, and sent his men to hunt us down.

"I've held this grudge for two decades. Now, you dare scheme against Isabella. Seriously, your famiglia is still the same, rotten to the core. Betrayal runs in your blood."

I gazed at Matteo. He was the heir of la famiglia Rossi.

Back then, after his mother, Andreina Lombardi, was betrayed by Giovanni, she didn't swallow the humiliation. She carved a bloody path out with her young son, rebuilt the Rossi famiglia overseas, and returned stronger than ever. Now, the Rossis were a force to be reckoned with.

"Your men already filled me in. Let's work together," Matteo cut to the chase.

His gaze landed on my face. "Your famiglia wants to take down the Passinis. My famiglia wants revenge for what happened back then. We have the same enemy, and our interests align.

"I'll provide intelligence and armed forces, and you can provide the funds and connections. In less than a month, the Passinis and the Aurelis will be gone from this city."

Sebastian was still yelling on the other end of the line. "How dare you join forces? I'll leak all of the Valerinis' secrets to the big players and paint targets on your backs. I'll turn all the families against you!"

"Be my guest," Matteo sneered. "We're prepared. The moment you do, we'll release proof of how you fabricated crises and scammed Isabella's trust.

"Then, the world will know you're a sorry excuse of a man who got ahead by riding a woman's coattails and lives off deception." Right after saying that, he hung up on Sebastian and turned to me.

"Mia madre and your madre go way back. She warned you years ago that Sebastian was ambitious and untrustworthy. You didn't listen, and you paid the price. Still, it's not too late."

"I was a fool back then," I admitted. "I let my emotions mess with my head. I forgot that in the end, only interest and loyalty truly last forever. Everything else is bullshit."

"That's not entirely true," he said solemnly, holding my gaze. "At the very least, my loyalty to you is real. It hasn't changed since the day I met you at that famiglia gathering when we were 12."

My heart fluttered. I remembered that year. He had stood in the corner in a small suit, and his gaze never left me. In the end, he had worked up the courage to hand me a brass bullet casing and promised he would protect me for the rest of his life.

I hadn't taken him seriously. I never imagined he would carry it with him all these years.

"Deal." I extended my hand. "I'll take the Passinis' core businesses, and you can have the Aurelis' drug routes and casinos.

"Sebastian's life is mine to end. That's what he gets for scheming against my famiglia and betraying me."

"No problem." Matteo took my hand. His palm was broad and warm. It put me at ease.

"From now on, your enemies are mine. If you want him dead, I'll help you. If you want the Passinis and the Aurelis wiped out, I'll see it through with you."