With a huff of irritation, Allegra closed the book she was reading. I can’t believe what I got myself into, she thought, slowly shaking her head. Instead of coming up with strategies to continually improve our business and stay one step ahead of the competition, I’m wasting my time reading... this. She glanced at the thick tome in front of her.
I don’t understand why Papa, who always puts me above his sons in every way, wants to be part of this group of misogynistic jerks, pompously called The Council of The Ten. Allegra spread her fingers through her long, thick hair, lightly scratching her scalp with the tips of her nails, and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
I wonder if Papa ever read this. The woman cast another sidelong glance toward the book. I don’t think he did; otherwise, he wouldn’t have planned things the way he did. Allegra buried her face in both hands; she had no one to turn to for advice or to talk to. Her father made it clear to her that part of the plan had to stay secret until the right time came.
How stupid can I be? The woman left the comfortable spot on the couch, book in hand, and walked out of the family’s library. Esteban, of course! He’s the one who recommended this book to me and found it for me, so he should have the answers to all my questions. Allegra thought to herself, a smile of satisfaction forming on her lips.
She left the house and went into the backyard, or more accurately, the back garden. There, on the lawn, two figures appeared to be fighting. Well, at least one of my brothers is a man, or at least tries to be, Allegra thought as she recognized her brother Richard among the silhouettes. Too bad it's the wrong one. Or maybe not.
When, a few weeks after the family dinner at which her father revealed the truth about their family’s origins, the two of them finalized their plan, they agreed to eliminate Chadwick and Lincoln once their ties to the crime world were no longer useful. However, Allegra and her father had not yet decided Richard’s fate.
The pale, skinny, reserved teenager knew too much—in a good way. The knowledge he had gained through years of reading and studying could, and probably would, prove very useful once they took over the Sforza family and organization. For now, their father deemed him a valuable asset, and Allegra agreed.
Also, it was a pleasant surprise for both of them when, a few days later, they saw Richard and Esteban fencing on the same perimeter where they were now sparring. When their father asked him about it, the teen blushed a deep shade of pink and said he had started training two years earlier and had been practicing regularly.
Richard turned around, spotted his sister, and waved to her. “Hello,” he said when she was close enough to hear, “what brings you here? Do you want to see my sorry ass get kicked?”
“Hello,” Allegra replied with a pale smile. “This, too, but I mainly need answers to some of the things I’ve read here,” she said, gesturing to the book she was holding.
“Before you begin the questions, you should know this is only a very limited edition print,” Richard began after clearing his throat. “It’s a chronicle of sorts, with each Educator making annotations on the most important events that occurred while they were in office, so to speak. Currently, the Wisdom Keeper also serves as an Educator, so the entries from the past eight years or so belong to him.”
“Thank you for the information, little brother, but I’m not sure how relevant it is in this context.” Allegra’s voice was a bitdismissive. “I’m only interested in what happened to that poor Donna Fabrizia—why was she demonized for trying to change the Laws so women could also be appointed as successors by their fathers and serve on The Council?”
“Demonized? That soulless creature?” Esteban Ortega raised his voice, then, realizing whom he was talking to, lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry if I overstepped, but that woman was vile and cruel.”
“Why? Because you want us to have the same power and rights as men?” Allegra shook her head, disappointment clear on her face. “Of course, even though you're of a much lower rank than the Council members, you’re still a man, so I shouldn’t be surprised you’re judging her so harshly. I didn’t expect this from you, though.”
“Whoa, easy, sis,” Richard raised his palms in surrender. “I think you should listen to the whole twisted story before jumping to conclusions. I told you, these are just quick notes, a condensed version of the events.” He inhaled sharply. “It’s not about who she was or what she did, but about the methods she used to achieve her goals: kidnapping, torture, lying, scheming, and all the other dirty tricks you can think of. She even had some of her rivals raped.”
The list of Donna Fabrizia’s horrifying crimes sent a shiver down Allegra’s spine. “Oh, I didn’t know. Plotting, scheming, and even killing inconvenient people are acceptable methods for those in the Mafia, but kidnapping, torturing, or raping people…”
“With all due respect, Miss Allegra,” Esteban cut her off. “The members of the Old-World Mafia are men of honor; they never harm their rivals’ families or friends. Whatever conflict they have is brought to The Council and the Judge. The parties involved abide by their decisions as they do with the Laws.”
“Speaking of,” Richard interrupted, “I heard through the grapevine that Ottavio Sforza recently learned he has another, older son. A social worker literally showed up at his doorstep, shoved the kid into the house, and has been living there ever since.” He frowned in concentration. “That was a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh, does he?” Allegra shook her head. “Looks like our dear cousin plays for both sides. And I, who thought he only preferred young men’s tight asses.” She grinned. “Well, I guess even I can be wrong sometimes.” The woman gasped as she checked her watch. “Look how fast time flies when one is in good company. Unfortunately, I have things to do and places to go, but I’d like to spend more time with you when I’m not so busy.”
Papa was right; this kid is a truly valuable asset, Allegra thought as she headed back to the house. I don’t know how he figures out all the things he told me or who his friends are, but he’s helping us in more ways than he can imagine. Too bad his unnatural inclinations keep him from entering an arranged marriage that would benefit the family.
We’ll deal with it later. Allegra pushed thoughts of her younger brother’s sexuality to the back of her mind, focusing instead on the bomb Richard dropped about Ottavio Sforza having another, older son. The fact that the boy was currently living under his father’s roof might mean he planned to name him his successor.
To do that, he would need to bring up the issue of changing the status of the illegitimate children again before the Council. If he became wiser as he aged, he would probably take a different approach—one with a better chance of approval from those in charge than his previous actions.
It’s a win-win situation, she smiled at the thought. Either he convinces The Council to change the Law, granting illegitimate children the same rights and status within the family astheir siblings born of a legal union, or they reject Ottavio’s proposition. In that case, he’s rebelling again, and this time they won’t show him any leniency.
Either way, taking over the family business would be much easier for us. With that in mind, Allegra went straight to her father’s home office to see what he thought of the news and to make a plan if needed. To her disappointment, the door was closed, meaning Umberto was not alone. Still, she took her chances and knocked.
“Yes, you may come in,” Umberto replied from the other side of the door. “I told you she’d join us in a blink of an eye, didn’t I?” The man smiled as his daughter stepped into the office.
“Hello, Papa. I suppose you already found out about…” Allegra started, but she abruptly stopped at the sight of the other person in the room. “What’s he doing here?”
“Same thing as you, sis,” Chadwick, almost indecently sprawled on a small couch, grinned. “Helping Dad figure out what to do with the information that surfaced early this morning.”
“Let’s not exaggerate,” Umberto said, casting a cold look at his older son, then gesturing to the winged chair across the desk. “Please, darling, sit down. I called your brother, hoping he would make himself useful one way or another.”
“Just as I imagined, but I wanted to be sure.” Allegra gave her father a warm smile. “In my opinion, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain from the situation. I know it’s a waiting game, but you taught us that patience always pays off.”
“Bullshit!” Chadwick said arrogantly. “I already offered Dad a simple solution: kidnap the kid, demand a huge ransom, and when he can’t pay, get rid of the problem.” He shrugged. “That Ottavio guy, or whatever his name is, has a lot of enemies, so he won’t think twice about starting a war.”
