Rise of the Mafia Boss(from most underated to most feared)

CHAPTER 4: SELF DISCOVERY.

The sitting room was a mess of anger.

Mrs. Ciaro stormed into the sitting room, her gold gown dragging across the marble floor like a wounded animal. Her face was pale but her eyes were wild—the look of a woman who had just sold a piece of herself and was trying not to regret it.

Emilia walked in last. Quiet. Sat down on the sofa. Didn't say a word. But her face wasn't blank anymore. There was something there. Something angry.

"Mother, what was that?" Stacy shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Mrs. Ciaro said.

"Did you just give Emilia to Lesner?" Stacy wasn't stopping. "Did you really just do that? In front of everyone?"

Sophia crossed her arms. "You didn't even think about it. You just said okay like you were selling a bag of rice."

Lily leaned against the doorframe. Her voice was quieter but sharper. "You broke Father's word. Everyone saw it. Everyone will talk."

Mrs. Ciaro turned to face them. Her face was tired. "You think I wanted to do that?"

"Then why?" Stacy demanded.

"Because your father is dead."

That shut them up for a second.

Mrs. Ciaro looked at each of them. "Your father was the only man in this city who could match Lesner. He's gone. Lesner is the most dangerous man alive right now. If he decides to take everything we have, who stops him?"

No one answered.

"Exactly," Mrs. Ciaro said. "So I gave him what he wanted."

Stacy's face twisted. "You gave him Emilia."

"Yes."

"But she's married."

Mrs. Ciaro waved her hand. "Married to who? A handyman? A boy who fixes wires?" She laughed but there was no joy in it. "That marriage never meant anything. Your father was sick. He wasn't thinking straight."

Emilia's fingers pressed into the sofa.

Lily spoke up. "So that's it? Father's word means nothing now?"

"Your father is dead," Mrs. Ciaro said again. Slower this time. Like she was explaining something to children. "Dead men don't protect anyone. Dead men don't stop bullets. Dead men don't keep enemies away."

She pointed at the window, toward the dark outside.

"Out there, right now, there are men who want to destroy us. Lesner is one of them. But if he's on our side—if he's married to Emilia—then he protects us. That's the only way."

Stacy opened her mouth but nothing came out.

The truth was, none of them really cared about their father's word. Not deep down. They were angry because Lesner had walked past them. He had looked at Stacy, looked at Sophia, looked at Lily—and picked Emilia.

That was the real wound.

Stacy had spent the whole night smiling at him. Touching her hair. Leaning forward so he could see what he was missing.

Sophia had worn her most expensive dress. The one she was saving for someone important.

Lily had planned everything. What she would say. How she would laugh at his jokes. How she would make him want her.

And none of it mattered.

Lesner didn't want them.

He wanted Emilia.

The quiet one. The one who didn't try. The one who just sat there looking like she didn't care about anything.

That was what burned.

Stacy finally found her voice. "He should have picked one of us."

Mrs. Ciaro looked at her. "What?"

"He should have picked me," Stacy said. "Or Sophia. Or Lily. Anyone but her."

Sophia nodded. "We're the ones who actually want this family to survive. Emilia doesn't care about anything."

Lily didn't say anything. But she didn't disagree either.

Emilia just sat there. Listening. Her face straight.

Mrs. Ciaro sighed. "It doesn't matter who he should have picked. He picked Emilia. And in three days, she will marry him."

"No," Emilia said.

Everyone turned.

Emilia stood up slowly. Her eyes were wet but she wasn't crying. Not yet.

"I said no."

Mrs. Ciaro's face hardened. "You don't have a choice."

"Father gave me a choice," Emilia said. Her voice was shaking. "He chose Andrew for me. He said Andrew would save this family. And you—" She pointed at her mother. "You just threw that away. Like it was nothing. Like he was nothing."

"Your father was dying," Mrs. Ciaro said. "He wasn't—"

"Don't." Emilia's voice cracked. "Don't you dare say he wasn't thinking clearly. He was never wrong. You know that. Everyone knows that."

Mrs. Ciaro stepped closer. "Emilia—"

"You disrespected him tonight." A tear fell down Emilia's cheek. She wiped it fast. "You stood in that hall and you broke his word. In front of everyone. Do you even care?"

"Of course I care—"

"Then act like it."

The room went quiet.

Mrs. Ciaro stared at her daughter. For a moment, something soft passed over her face. Then it was gone.

"Your father is dead, Emilia," she said quietly. "He's not here to save us. Andrew is not here to save us. No one is coming to save us. The only way this family survives is if you marry Lesner."

She reached out and touched Emilia's arm.

"I'm sorry. But that's the truth."

Emilia pulled away.

Mrs. Ciaro let her hand fall. Then she looked around the room.

"Where is Andrew anyway?"

Stacy shrugged. Sophia shook her head. Lily didn't move.

Mrs. Ciaro's eyes narrowed. "Has anyone seen him since the party?"

No one answered.

"That boy is a fool," Mrs. Ciaro muttered. "Standing up to Lesner like that. Shouting. Making a scene." She shook her head. "Lesner could have killed him right there. Chopped him into pieces and put him in a bag. No one would have said a word."

Emilia's jaw tightened.

"Wherever he is," Mrs. Ciaro continued, "he better stay there. And he better not do anything stupid. Lesner is not a man you cross."

She walked to the window and stared out.

"Three days," she said. "In three days, this is over. Emilia marries Lesner. The family is protected. And we never speak of Andrew again."

The room was silent.

Then footsteps.

Running.

The door burst open and one of the security guards ran in. His face was pale. Sweating.

"Ma'am," he said, breathing hard. "Ma'am, I need to tell you something."

Mrs. Ciaro turned. "What is it?"

The guard swallowed. "After the party ended, I saw Andrew. He was outside the gates. Under a tree. Drinking."

Stacy's hand went to her mouth.

"And then—" The guard hesitated.

"Then what?" Mrs. Ciaro snapped.

"Cars came. Black SUVs. A whole fleet. Men got out. Dangerous men. They grabbed him and forced him into one of the cars. Then they drove off."

The room went cold.

Sophia stepped back. Lily's eyes widened. Stacy grabbed her mother's arm.

"Who?" Mrs. Ciaro whispered. "Who took him?"

"I don't know," the guard said. "But they weren't ordinary men. They moved like soldiers."

Mrs. Ciaro's face went white.

"Lesner," she breathed.

The name hit the room like a bomb.

Stacy started crying. Not because she cared about Andrew. Because she was scared. If Lesner could take Andrew that fast, what else could he do?

Sophia sat down on the sofa. Her hands were shaking.

Lily walked to the window and stared out at the dark. Her face was hard. Unreadable.

Emilia stood frozen in the middle of the room.

Her face was white. Her lips were pressed together. Her hands were shaking.

But she didn't cry.

She didn't scream.

She just stood there.

Staring at the door.

Like she was waiting for something.

Or someone.

Mrs. Ciaro grabbed the guard's arm. "Find out where they took him. Call everyone. Use every connection we have."

The guard nodded and ran out.

Mrs. Ciaro turned to her daughters.

"Listen to me," she said. "If Lesner has Andrew, Andrew is already dead. There's nothing we can do for him. Do you understand?"

Stacy sobbed. Sophia nodded. Lily said nothing.

Emilia didn't move.

"Three days," Mrs. Ciaro said again. "In three days, Emilia marries Lesner. And we never speak of Andrew again."

She looked at Emilia.

"I'm sorry. But that's the only way."

Emilia didn't answer.

She just stood there.

Staring at the door.

Waiting.

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