Six years ago, I ran away from my life in Chicago. To escape the gilded cage of being a Gallo, I hid my name and my past. When I met Leo Moretti, I thought I’d found a new beginning. I told him I was just Julia, from a minor family, with no one to rely on but him. For him, I moved to New York City and cut ties with my old life.
I'd been gone for six years, and I knew my brother had spent every single day feeling I'd been wronged.
The Gallo family of Chicago were the uncrowned kings of the underworld.
My cold, ruthless brother was their Don.
In my last life, I called him before I died, crying that I regretted everything.
His voice was hoarse as he repeatedly asked me where I was.
Before my eyes closed for the last time, that stoic, disciplined man had wept, blaming himself for not protecting me.
Tears streamed down my face. My voice choked as I spoke to my brother.
"Brother," I'd choked out, "take me home..."
But before I could finish, my phone was knocked out of my hand again.
"Julia, have you lost your mind?!"
"Who is 'Julian'? And how do you have an encrypted line to some crew from Chicago?!"
Leo's eyes were bloodshot as he pinned me against the wall.
Behind him, one of Rosalie's sycophants—a distant Moretti cousin—chimed in.
"Leo, we can ignore the fact that Rosalie was slapped, but Julia has gone way too far!"
"You are the family's Consigliere! How dare she not trust you and try to involve outsiders!"
Leo's expression darkened with her words.
He pressed my head down, forcing me to look at the feed from the drone.
"Julia, open your eyes and look!"
"Angela has been taken by the Falcones, and they have explosives! Every second you delay, you're gambling with her life!"
"Are you trying to get her killed?!"
On the drone screen, the children were locked in a classroom.
The kidnapper had a crazed look in his eyes, and the entire room was littered with crude explosives.
I immediately saw Angela, huddled in a corner.
She was trembling with fear, clutching the Superman doll Leo had given her.
Remembering the Angela who was abandoned, the Angela who was blown to bloody bits, I gritted my teeth and held my ground.
"I have already petitioned the family elders present to demand you step aside."
"You are Angela's father. You should not be involved in this negotiation!"
Then, I pointed at Rosalie and yelled, "Her daughter is in there too! I don't trust either of you!"
"I don't trust you to save the children in that school! I don't trust you to save Angela!"
As I finished speaking, my head was suddenly shoved violently from the side.
"It's you! You're the one who provoked the Falcone family!"
"Are you trying to kill my grandson?!"
"I'll kill you, you bitch!"
A hysterical mother, a low-ranking member of the family, rushed in, her face contorted with rage.
My forehead slammed against the wall, and blood streamed down my cheek.
My vision went black, and I almost collapsed.
I heard Rosalie's voice as she stepped forward to support the woman.
"Oh, please don't... she didn't mean it... It's just that Julia's attitude was so aggressive, we missed the best window of opportunity..."
"I'm so worried about my daughter. Julia, I'm begging you, swallow your pride and let Leo do his job!"
"If you're worried, I'm willing to stay behind. Let Leo and the other members go in without me!"
As Rosalie finished speaking, she dropped to her knees.
"Julia, I'm begging you, don't stand in the way any longer!"
"My Crystal has a heart condition! She can't take this kind of stress!"
Rosalie wept, a storm of tears, her forehead red from where it had hit the floor.
I ignored her, bending down to pick up my phone. I saw my brother had sent an encrypted text.
【Julia, my Soldati are wheels up. The jet is on its way. Hold on.】
