Isabella POV
I turned away from the freezing glass. The guards had dragged a half-frozen, hysterical Caitlin back inside from the blizzard, throwing her onto the floor of the main hall to await her formal sentencing.
Before taking her seat, Eleanor paused near the heavy doors of the private study. Her piercing gaze locked onto Bridget, searching for the serpent beneath the sweet facade. I knew Caitlin was too stupid to orchestrate the complex trap at the Moretti estate alone.
Bridget kept her eyes downcast, her hands folded perfectly in front of her. "Nonna"(Grandmother), she murmured softly, "please mind your health. Caitlin was... irrational. She ruined the family's name, but we must stay strong."
Eleanor stared at her for a long moment before slowly withdrawing her gaze. In our world, the quietest ones were always the deadliest. I watched Bridget's flawless performance, a cold realization settling in my bones. Bridget was the real venom in the second branch.
We moved into the main hall. Eleanor took her seat in the high-backed leather chair, a judge presiding over the damned. As I stood beside her, the harsh chandelier light caught the side of my face. Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, fixing on the angry red welt still blooming on my cheek—Gina’s handiwork.
I didn't speak. I simply turned my head slightly, letting the bruise speak for itself.
"She struck the eldest daughter of the main branch," Eleanor's voice was a low, dangerous rumble.
Gina panicked. "Mother Eleanor, I was just... trying to discipline her for the family's honor!"
I cut her off, my voice like ice. "You told the Moretti wives I was a whore with no upbringing, Aunt Gina. You tried to hand my birthright to them."
Eleanor slammed her hand on the armrest. "You conspired with outsiders to destroy your own blood!"
Gina’s knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "It was Caitlin! She deceived me!"
Desperate to save herself, Gina turned to the ruined Caitlin on the floor. "Apologize to your cousin!" Gina shrieked.
Caitlin just trembled, her eyes wide with manic hatred. Bridget stepped forward, kneeling beside her sister. She leaned in, her voice a soft, poisonous whisper meant only for Caitlin, but I caught the words. "Even if Bella pushed you to that Associate, you made a mistake first. She is just teaching you a lesson."
It was the perfect trigger. Caitlin snapped.
"She set me up!" Caitlin screamed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Bring that Associate here! He'll tell you she planned it all to keep the Moretti alliance for herself!"
I looked at her with cold pity. "I was drugged, Caitlin. I barely had the strength to walk. That man was your pawn, of course he would say whatever you paid him to."
"You classless bitch!" Caitlin let out a feral shriek and lunged at me, her hands clawing for my face.
*Clack!*
Eleanor’s silver wolf-headed cane struck the floor with deafening force. The guards instantly restrained Caitlin, forcing her to her knees.
"Enough," Eleanor commanded, her voice absolute and freezing. "Caitlin Carson, your actions have damaged the honor and discipline of this family beyond repair. You have two choices."
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
"You will either be sent to the most remote cloistered convent in Sicily, never to leave its walls," Eleanor declared, her eyes devoid of mercy. "Or, you will marry the bottom-feeding Associate who ruined you, and rot in the slums as his property."
Caitlin collapsed, a hollow shell, the reality of her two hells finally crushing her. The first piece of my Vendetta was complete. I looked toward the heavy oak doors, my mind already shifting to the real monster waiting in the dark. Marco Moretti was next.
