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The Dragos ⬇️

The Bonferronis ⬇️

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"Whoever called the attack on Verona better step forward now and save the rest of us the hassle of being here till the sun comes up," I declared, fanning my eyes over each individual standing in the large confined hall. "If I have to find out myself, I won't be very lenient."

          "What would you do?" Renzo, Zio Raff's third child, asked in a mocking manner that boiled my blood.

"Verona will decide," I informed everyone at once.

Renzo laughed, looking around the group of cousins he was standing in. "You mean she'll let the person go." The group chuckled among themselves like dying coyotes as others joined them.

"Renzo, don't make me cut your fucking tongue out," I threatened, my eyes narrowing on the pathetic asshole.

"Nonna, did you hear what he just said?" Marco, Renzo's younger brother, screamed so that our grandmother could hear his annoying voice.

          "And there goes Marco running to Nonna like a little bitch again." Gus stepped up next to me, riding Marco's ass as usual. "What more can anyone ask of you?"

          "Shut the fuck up, Gus!" Marco growled defensively.

          "Marco!" Angela glared at her son. "Control your tongue. Now is no time to play around."

          Renzo and Marco lowered their heads in shame. "Sorry, mother," they both apologized in unison as Gus smiled smugly with a sense of victory.

          Looking away, I asked once again. "Anyone want to confess right now?" Nothing. They were all silent and utterly still like a bunch of mannequins. "Suit yourself then." I turned to my side and looked at Gus with an accusatory gaze.

          Lifting his shoulders, he shook his head at me. "I didn't do it, brother. Trust me. She's your wife and I'm not trying to die." His eyes were sincere and I could always tell when he, Wren, or Lina were dishonest. Belle was always a hard cookie to crack, though.

Wren and Gus' lies never went through me, but Lina, on the other hand, was becoming more and more skilled in her art of deceiving. With Athena being her mentor for everything, Lina was picking up on her mannerism and strength, which eased me, but it also worried me because Athena was a well-trained assassin and manipulator. Lina was on a path where she'd exceed us all one day and not give a flying fuck. It was certainly concerning.

"Fine. You can go." The men opened the doors for Gus to exit, but he stood his ground.

"Nah. I think I'm going to lay back and stay for the real drama here." Gus went and reclaimed his position next to Arie.

I growled internally and watched my brother embrace Arie from behind as the doors closed back up again. By the smug look on his face, he was enjoying this a bit too much for my likings. However, I forced my eyes away from them and looked at the bride-to-be, motioning her to leave. "You can leave, Sophie." She was never on the list considering how crazy she was about having everything perfect for her wedding and all the events leading up to it. The true definition of bridezilla was Sophie D'Angelo, and she'd never do anything to ruin her own wedding.

          After she left, I dismissed her parents too. They'd be fools to mess with me and ruin their daughter's life. Their business that'd go down the drain was a whole another thing.

          I then focused on Wren who walked over to me himself. "What's your explanation?" I asked.

          Tipping his head, he silently requested me to the side and I reluctantly followed him to an empty area. "Look, I'm in a very good place in my life right now and I'm not trying to fuck it up. I didn't do anything that'd jeopardize my relationship with Sophie or my wedding. I love that girl and I want to give her the wedding she wants," he confessed truthfully. "I have no problem with Verona. She's your wife, brother, and I respect her despite what I felt years ago. Whoever did this tried to ruin my woman's big day too because they know this stunt would push back everything."

          "Don't worry!" I laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly before slipping my hands back into my pockets. "The wedding will take place as planned. Nothing will change regarding that. Just need to get my hands on the person behind this."

          "I think we all know who's responsible." Wren rolled his eyes, throwing Nonna a quick glance who was sitting on a chaise lounge sofa, enjoying a glass of Chardonnay. "She blatantly hates Verona. She was against my marriage 'cause Sophie is half black. And we all know she isn't a fan of me either, so there you go. What more do you need to hold her accountable?"

          I nodded casually. "I'll get to her last after I'm done with all the other assholes in here."

          "Oh, I wish you luck," he mocked sarcastically.

          "Fuck outta here."

          He laughed and walked out after I signaled the men to open the doors for him. Making my way back towards the crowd, my eyes fell on Lina and Heaven who were giggling, looking at the phone screen and kicking back on another sofa carelessly.

          "Put the phone away," I ordered them, but they were too engrossed by the device to listen to me. "Evelina! Heaven!"

"Yeah?" Heaven popped her head up.

"Shut the phone off before I break it."

"Dad said..." Heaven began explaining but I cut her off abruptly.

"I don't care what he said. Just put it away for now," I demanded with every ounce of calmness I could muster up. Dealing with teenage girls wasn't my strong suit. When Belle was nineteen, she was awful and Lina was worse in every aspect now. However, Heaven was a saint compared to them. She listened and made sure Lina did too.

We took Heaven in after I killed her father along with the others who were in cahoots with Astor and raped Lina back then. I didn't exactly want to like her for what her father did to my sister, but she was a complete angel and made a place in all our hearts. Lina surprisingly found a friend in her and they were inseparable ever since. Heaven became a part of our family just like Athena, Mike, Vince, and a few others did. She became my little sister. I had expected my father to be hostile towards her as he usually would be towards anyone, especially someone whose family member harmed Lina, but he took her under his wing. He pretty much adopted her and she began calling him Dad just like Lina.

          After Lina made a gnarly face and shoved her phone out of sight, I resumed finding the next person to put on trial, but the snickering from a group caught my attention. Roman, Eros' younger brother, was busy wooing my cousins with his charm and aloof personality. The black pug he was passing around the cluster of females was certainly working in his favor too.

"Ladies, riddle me this." Rome slouched his posture in a sly manner. "What's the difference between being hungry and being horny?" The girls shrugged cluelessly. "It depends on what hole you put the cucumber in." The laughter that echoed from them made me cringe in disgust.

"Got nothing better to do, Rome?" Eros questioned his brother as a couple of my other cousins were hovering around him like horny bees.

"Bitch boy, beat it and let me do my thing." Rome turned back to the group with a grin. "Alright, I got an innocent one now." He shot Athena a quick glance and stepped back a little warily. "I told Athena she drew her eyebrows too high." He sighed. "She seemed surprised."

Loud cackles broke through the place as Athena turned her head to glare at the boy. She then let a dangerous smile emerge on her lips and arched a menacing brow. "How would you prefer to die, Rome? I can either skin you alive, rip you apart by your legs, or feed you to some hungry pets. Take your pick."

"Oh, babe," Rome smirked, blowing her a kiss. "You know you love me."

"Fuck off, Rome." Eros pulled Athena closer to him by her waist. "I'll break your face."

"Rome, just get the fuck out." I groaned, nodding to the doors. "Go before I change my mind."

He chuckled, taking his dog from one of the girls. "Sorry, ladies. It's time for me and Chewbarka to get going. I'll see y'all later if you're still alive." After a quick wink, he sauntered out the doors with his dog like he owned the damn place.

Scouring the place for the next person, I glanced at Belle and stepped in her direction, noticing her slide into defensive mode. "Really?"

My brows pinched together. "I haven't even said anything."

"The way you're looking at me says it all," she snapped, stepping away from Alicio and Athena. "I think you know me well enough, Leo. I took no part in this."

          "Everyone is on trial here, and you're no exception, Belle."

          She scoffed incredulously. "I'm your sister."

          An unrestrained chuckle left my mouth. "Look around you. Everyone in here is family, so don't even bring that up."

          "I'm surprised you don't trust me," she spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

          "You should be pleased to know that I don't trust anyone right now." I flashed her a tight-lipped smile that I knew would rub her the wrong way. "I don't have the patience to deal with your bitchy attitude right now, Belle, so don't give me any. The sooner I find the culprit, the sooner we can all go to our beds and continue enjoying the wedding festivities."

          Inhaling a long breath of air, her nostrils flared as she was ready to berate me, but the cries of a child grasped our attention. I motioned the men to open the doors. Bruno sobbed in the arms of his caretaker who carried him in frantically.

          She lowered her head and spoke quickly. "I'm so sorry, but he won't stop screaming and crying, principessa."

          Belle looked at me conceitedly. "Brother, if you don't mind, I'd like to be with my son."

          The sarcasm in her voice made me roll my eyes. However, I brushed her off with a quick wave of my hand. "You can go."

           "I appreciate the generosity, Your Highness." She bowed just to rub my face in the dirt as petty revenge, and I couldn't help but scowl at her.

           She sashayed towards the caretaker and took her son from the woman's arms. "Mummy!" Bruno smiled instantly, wrapping his arms around Belle's neck and holding on for dear life. He waved at everyone delightedly after wiping his tears haphazardly. We returned the gesture as Belle walked out with him and his nanny.

          We all kept our harshness to ourselves around the kids. Besides Bruno, Sebastian's two-year-old son, Daniel, and Aurora's five-year-old daughter, Elisa, were the only kids around the palace at the moment. Aurora was Zia Aria's oldest daughter, followed by Ray, and then Summer. Everyone was careful with the kids and made sure they didn't hear or see the horrific things we did at times. Until they'd come of age, they were going to be sheltered like the rest of us.

          The doors shut once again, prompting me to dismiss some other people. As my eyes discreetly roamed over the room, they halted on Arie with leisure. She seemed so carefree chatting with Gus, her smile the brightest in the room and the wrinkles that formed at the corners of her brown eyes because of it could break me again. I missed her so much and there was no doubt about it. I missed holding her in my arms without any care in the world. I missed her snarky comments, her cheeks that turned beet red every time she blushed.

          I was glad that Gus was there to cheer her up from the taunts of my cousins and my hostility towards her. I wasn't enjoying being a complete asshole to her, but that was the only way I could distance her from me. My heart couldn't stand her being near me, because every time I saw her, I was reminded of the time we were together. My heart wanted to leap out of my chest and run to her, but I couldn't allow it no matter what. Although our romance was short-lived, the days I spent with her were some of the best of my life.

          Before I met Arie, I used to drown myself in alcohol and women, multiple at a time. I hadn't gotten over Verona's death, and that was the way I tried to cope with it, however, it never worked. I refused to accept her death for the longest time. I never talked to anyone about her. It was as if I had died inside along with her. When I ran into Arie that fortunate day at the station, I didn't think any different of her. She was a feisty young woman, no different to the few I had previously met. It always ended the same way in a bed. But boy, was I wrong about Arie.

          She lit a fire in my dead heart and gave me a reason to smile. She wasn't scared to speak her mind from the very beginning, and my real identity didn't stop her smart mouth either. I adored that aspect of her. She intrigued every nerve in my body, and the will to fight in her was admirable too.

That woman did the impossible. She made me fall in love again, harder than ever. She forced me to come to terms with Verona's passing and allowed me to break down and let my emotions free of constraint in front of her. And I appreciated it more than she'd ever realized.

          But I wasn't the same man anymore. I wasn't trying to get over a dead wife who was taken too soon. I wasn't a widower. I wasn't a womanizer. I wasn't a binge drinker. I was a man trying to keep his wife safe who had suffered through the hell I wouldn't wish upon any woman. And Arie was igniting feelings in me that were going to blaze up rapidly if I didn't do something about it.

          I couldn't even think of betraying Verona. What kind of a man would that make me? My conscience would never allow me, and I'd be disgusted by myself if I did. Verona held a special place in my heart and so did Arie. I could never intentionally harm either one, although I knew my rude behavior was hurting Arie. It was literally killing me to do so, but I had no choice.

          Being a dick would push Arie away from me, and that was what I needed. I knew she was happy in her life without me or the problems I carried with my name and existence. Verona was suffering enough and Arie didn't need it. If I could get her to loathe me enough to leave Italy as soon as possible, I wouldn't have to worry about my pathetic heart going into overdrive every time I laid my eyes on her. A part of me would hate myself for it, but at least she'd go back to her happy life and be safe, while I could focus on the empire and keeping my own family safe from enemies and the constant danger looming over our heads every day.

          My thoughts ended when Arie's gaze finally locked with mine. I basked in the sensation that rippled through me before I composed myself and got back to business. Pointing to Arie and her brother, I dismissed them with a lift of a single finger. "You two can leave."

          Arie stared at me in confusion as if she wasn't expecting that from me. Her brows scrunched together as her brother began pulling her to the exit in a hurry to get out of the room. I never suspected her to harm Verona, someone she barely knew. As far as I had gotten to know her, I was certain she wouldn't do such a thing out of any sort of malice and pretend to like Verona only to stab her in the back and then go on to save her life. Arie wasn't a two-faced woman, which was another thing I admired about her because most of the women I had come across in my life always seemed to have a hidden agenda underneath their façade.

          "Why the hell does she get to leave?" Ilaria, Zio Raff's second child and only daughter, bellowed suddenly, stopping the Noelle twins in their tracks.

(Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Ilaria/Ila Drago.)

          I turned around to face Ila with a scowl. "Because I said so."

          "You interrogated Belle harshly, but you're going to let her leave without a word?" Ila scoffed, shaking her head and tangling her arms above her chest.

          "Ila, drop it," Gabriele advised his little sister.

          "Wasn't talking to you, Gabe," she barked at her older brother and looked at me again. "This isn't fair, Leo."

          Tilting my head to the side and crossing my arms like her, I hummed. "How so?"

          "You can't just let her off so easily when you're going to go through us like some prisoners," Ila argued.

"She's leaving because I know she didn't do it."

"She should be one of the biggest suspects in this." Summer stepped up next to Ilaria to back up her cousin's preposterous statements. "I mean, jealousy can be very deadly. Literally in this case."

(Barbara Palvin as Summer Marino.)

"I did no such thing!" Arie stood next to me and gaped at the accusations my cousins threw at her.

Summer laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, sure. I believe you."

"Summer, stop it!" I chided, trying to contain my anger.

"Girls, watch your mouths!" Angela scolded the two.

Ilaria ignored her mother and shook her head. "You were the one screaming at her and blaming her for Verona's condition that day. We all heard you, Leo."

Arie and I exchanged a quick glance before I looked back at the two. "I was angry, so I said whatever came to my mouth. If you were in front of me, I would've blown up on you too."

"She has a legit motive to do it, I don't." Ilaria shrugged, tucking blonde strands behind her ear. "You wouldn't have yelled at her if you didn't think she did it for even a second."

"She was in front of me when it happened."

"She must have had someone else do her dirty work then," Summer countered.

"We both know she doesn't have that kind of power around here," I stated, and they both fell silent. "That's what I thought." Looking at the Noelle twins again, I nodded. "Leave."

          As they took a step in the direction of the doors, Ilaria spoke up again. "I guess it's fine. You can't be harsh on someone you love. She's your mistress after all. I'm not judging."

          "Neither am I." Summer smiled brightly. "He's the king. He can do anything. Even have a whore rolling around in his bed. That's his type, remember? Sluts and skanky whores he picks off the streets."

"You're walking on thin ice, girls!" my mother warned them as she came to my side, but they ignored her.

Ilaria hummed. "First Verona, then," she gave Arie a dirty look, "whatever her name is."

          Anger filled me up furiously as my hands curled into tight fists. I just wanted to slap the smugness off her fucking face, but she was like my sister. They all were. I never raised a hand on any woman in the family and I wasn't planning to do it ever, but there's no harm in imagining it. If someone else had thrown those insults at my wife or Arie, they would've had their heads hanging from pikes, and their bodies would've been fed to my tigers.

          "Just shut the fuck up!" Ashton yelled at the girls, forcing them to flinch by the rage emitting from his voice. "I've been silently listening to you both throwing dirt on my fucking sister. There's only so much I can take."

          My eyebrows raised at his defensive nature for his sister. It made me smile internally, but I was pretty sure Arie could put them in their places herself. I didn't understand why she wasn't speaking up. Maybe because she didn't want to upset the wrong people here and have them do something as revenge. That was the other reason why I didn't want her here. One of these assholes could call a hit on her if she bruised their ego.

          "Ashton, don't." Arie attempted to stop her brother from blowing up, but the man was fuming in anger as he glared at them.

          "Don't insult my sister again. She isn't anyone's whore, slut, or mistress. And she sure as hell ain't skanky. Keep your nasty words to your-fucking-selves because they just might describe you," he barked at them viciously. "She's better than all of you combined. Get on her level and then talk."

Arie squeezed her brother's arm and pulled him behind her. "I apologize on my brother's behalf for his rude behavior. I don't know where his manners are at the moment."

          "He better be!" Ilaria snarled like a bitch.

          "Of course, he is! He doesn't know how to talk to women like you two who have nothing better to do than to insult other women just for the fun of it because their own lives are so pathetically dull that they yearn for drama. I guess TV shows aren't enough for a drama fix these days, so they'll do and say anything to get that certain spice in their lives." Arie looked between the two with a sad smile. "I do feel bad for the both of you. It saddens me that you have to stoop to the level where you feel the need to put other women down just so you can feel superior and important by calling them whores, sluts, and all the other derogatory terms out there."

Arie let out a fake sigh of distress as the girls' jaws dropped. "You don't know me well enough to call me any of those things. Instead of getting to know the person I am, you decided to assume and opted for bashing me relentlessly and disrespecting your own cousin's wife who almost died." A frown clung to her brows helplessly as she continued. "I thought Leo was your cousin, not an enemy, but I guess I was wrong. Or maybe it's the abundance of money that makes you so cocky and addicted to the thrill of insulting others even if they're your family."

          Arie shrugged nonchalantly as I tried to suppress my smile when I looked over at Mike and Vince who were enjoying the show the most with wide grins along with everyone else in the hall.

"And since you said you were present to witness your cousin lash out at me, I hope you were there for the part where I actually saved his wife's life, or maybe you're legally blind and couldn't see me doing so." Arie shook her head at Ilaria and apologized. "I shouldn't have assumed that part just like you shouldn't have assumed the person I am. How rude of me!"

          At this point, Summer and Ilaria were ready to blow up in vexation, but Arie wasn't done yet. "But what do I know, right?" Arie pouted to taunt the two. "I'm just a whore from the streets who happens to own one of the finest hospitals in America and also happens to roll in millions. It's a different thing that this slut's brother is a famous footballer who also rakes in millions after each game. And we didn't get to where we are by sleeping our way up or using mommy and daddy's money." She stepped forward, her eyes darting between her accusers. "And this skank's name is Arie Noelle. Can you remember that or is it too big for your little brains? Tell me if it is. I'll treat you guys for free at my hospital."

          There's the Arie I know.

          "That's my girl!" Gus came up behind Arie and kissed her cheek as everyone else praised her quietly with smiles, but it only seemed to rile Summer and Ilaria up even more.

          "Got anything else to say, Summer?" I asked her, but she was busy stabbing Arie with her eyes before I turned to Ilaria. "Ilaria?"

          Ilaria laughed to our surprise. "Actually, while your mistress was ranting incoherently, I couldn't help but think about the possibility of you and her working together to end Verona, which would explain why you're letting her leave."

          My jaw clenched tightly. "I've had enough with the both of you. Don't make me throw you both out."

          "Don't mind me, Leo." Summer widened her eyes. "But Ila's got a point. The possibility isn't farfetched. You and your mistress in cahoots to end the wife on the side. But when people started to gather, you two decided to save her."

"And she doesn't ever fucking shut up!" I heard Lina remark from a distance.

"Are you really going to make me do this?" Athena sighed tirelessly, walking in front of Summer and Ilaria in leisure strides. "Just hold your tongues for a while, cooperate, and I won't have to say anything."

"Oh, I'd like to hear this." Summer crossed her arms and gave Athena her full attention.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't want to hear this," Athena warned.

"Please, do tell," Ilaria encouraged, and she should've known Athena wasn't one to let someone down gently.

          "Really?" Athena feigned innocence. "I mean, you wouldn't want me to tell everyone about who the real mistress in here is."

          "And who may that be? You?" The girls laughed at Athena who only returned a vicious smile.

          "I could make some calls and have actual evidence in my hands within minutes if you want to see for yourself who the person is." Athena began tapping a finger on her chin, looking above in deep ponder. "Hm, let me see. Florence, New York, England, Dubai, Cape Town." She hummed in thought. "Those are the only places I can name at the top of my head where I can get the security camera footages from, but do they ring a bell for you, Ilaria?"

          Ilaria pinched her thin brows together. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

          "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Let's not act dumb now." Athena fiddled a bit with her phone which stiffened Ilaria's posture. "I can either have the videos here or the actual men. Married men, might I add."

"Shut your filthy lying mouth!" Ilaria snapped.

"You and I both know I'm not lying," Athena retorted. "Would you like me to show them to your parents first or your brothers?"

"You pathetic whore!" Ilaria yelled. "Stay in your bloody limits like the peasant you are. You're on the same level as Verona and this bitch. Picked up from the streets." She glowered at Arie who was watching everything unfold with wide eyes.

          "Yet you wear everything this peasant has designed." Athena looked up and down the girls with a vain smirk. "Who's the pathetic one now?"

          "You built your company on Zio Federigo and Leo's scraps," Summer seethed. "Be thankful, you ungrateful bitch!"

          Before I could call my men to lock them both up, Zietta slid into the situation and slapped her daughter right across her face so hard that the noise echoed loud and clear before she backhanded Ilaria to the floor.

          "Mom!" Summer shrieked, palming her impacted cheek right before Zietta slapped her again while Gabe and I helped Ilaria up to her feet as tears fell from her eyes.

          "Zietta, what the bloody hell!" Ilaria was dumb enough to open her mouth again which awarded her another smack from our aunt.

          "Zietta, I think that's enough," I spoke in defense of the girls. Despite their accusations and disrespectful behavior, they were still my little sisters.

          Zietta turned her wrath onto me. "Step away from her, Leo, and don't make me repeat myself!"

          The anger in her voice and the fire spiraling out of control in her blue eyes reminded me of my mamma. Leona was always so fierce and strict, even more than Federigo. Everyone feared her and didn't want to be on her bad side. Being the victim of her wrath was worse than anything when I was little. It was as if the world was ending every time she scolded me and my brother for being too mischievous. I frowned thinking back on those nostalgic memories. She had an awful temper that had definitely passed down to us, but Zietta was always the tamer one compared to her twin. She had never blown up like this before, and it was as if I was looking right at my dead mother again.

          I gulped and stepped away from Ilaria, complying with Zietta's demands. Her nostrils flared as her eyes darted between her daughter and niece who had tears flowing down their cheeks. "Apologize to them!"

          "I will not apologize for speaking up when Leo is wrong for letting her go without a word!" Ilaria argued through her tears, and we all almost facepalmed at her stupidity.

          Zietta could care less about Ilaria's statements and hit her again. I had never seen her raise a hand on anyone in my entire life, but the woman was on a roll now. "I said apologize, not argue."

          Ilaria let out a cry and looked at her father who was standing at a distance. "Daddy, say something!"

          Zio Raff shrugged her off as he crossed his arms. "Your mother warned you, Ila, and so did Amelia. You should've listened to them." He glanced at his older sister and gave her his permission. "Go ahead, Aria. They are all yours."

          "Thank you, brother." Zietta smiled roughly and stared at Ilaria. "Want to ask anyone else for help, Ila? Go ahead. Maybe ask your Nonna to back you up which she probably will." She took a small step closer to the girls. "But trust me when I say she won't be able to save either one of you from me."

          Summer and Ilaria lowered their heads in shame and apologized softly.

          "Don't say sorry to me." Zietta sidestepped and pointed to us. "Apologize to the people you both insulted."

          "Sorry," they both said in unison, looking at Athena, Arie, and me.

          Zietta nodded. "I had been listening to you both insult them for so long. I thought maybe you'd stop after Arie gave you an earful, but no, you both don't listen," she retorted, grabbing Summer's arm tightly. "Tell me if you are behind the attack on Verona."

          Summer sobbed. "No, mom. I d-didn't do it."

          Zietta stared into Summer's eyes fiercely and gritted her teeth. "Don't lie to me, Summer."

          "I s-swear!"

          Letting go of her daughter, Zietta turned her attention to Ilaria. "Did you?"

          Ilaria shook her head, not meeting Zietta's gaze. "I promise I didn't, zia."

          "That was easy, wasn't it?" Zietta mocked the girls before she allowed her eyes to travel over the room. "No one will associate Arie with Leo, especially not in front of Verona. They don't have a relationship anymore. Arie is just Sophie's best friend and she's here for the wedding only, and that's the truth. She isn't Leo's mistress and isn't here to ruin his marriage. None of you has the right to disrespect either of those ladies. Am I clear?"

          We all remained silent, still stunned due to her unexpected behavior.

          "Capisci (Understood)?" she roared when we didn't answer her. Everyone nodded immediately and said yes to her terms. "If I learn about any of you saying or doing otherwise, you have no idea what I'll do. You haven't seen me at my worst, and you better pray to God I don't get there. I don't care who you are, I won't spare you."

          She turned around and looked at the Noelle twins. "You both can leave." They both nodded vigorously before exiting as quickly as they could. Zietta then looked at Summer and Ilaria. "I'm so disappointed in you two. You made our family look like fools in front of everyone," she spat, her brows crushing together painfully. "You are princesses of the empire, but all I see are some petty mean girls right now, and I cannot endorse that."

          "I'm so sorry, mom," Summer apologized, her eyes stuck to the ground in shame.

          "Verona is your sister-in-law, Arie is a guest in our home, and Athena is family. Respect them all and don't ever think about repeating this again." She took in a deep breath and motioned the girls to leave. "And it goes for all of you."

          As the tension in the room eased a bit, Zietta began interrogating everyone herself alongside me. No one dared to lie to her. They knew they'd be sticking their hands in a tiger's mouth if they did so.

Aria Drago had always been the last person you'd associate with violence and aggression. She was the peacemaker of the family and everyone's favorite aunt. A complete opposite of Leona who was the short-tempered and the fierce one out of the Drago siblings. Everyone who knew her was aware of her wrath and exactly what she was capable of, and they never fucked with her. Considering Aria was literally embodying Leona right now set the same fear in everyone, so being dishonest wasn't an option for them because Zietta would catch it in an instant.

"I'm sorry for doing this," I apologized to Athena after I questioned her like others.

She squeezed my arm and smiled. "You never have to apologize to me, Leo. I understand your concern, and I want to know who did this too."

"Only if Belle understood how badly I'm struggling right now instead of acting on impulse as usual," I sighed.

She chuckled softly. "She'll come around, Leo. Things change all the time. Like me, would you have ever expected me to let a man into my life after everything?" Her hazel green eyes glanced at Eros who was sitting among the stragglers that were my siblings and a few cousins who decided to stay after we questioned them. Eros gazed at Athena and smiled cheekily before she looked back at me. "Things change."

I laughed. "We'll see about that."

"Talking shit, Ms. Estle?" Eros shouted out from across the room with a smirk.

"I never miss a chance to bad-mouth you, Mr. Azallion," Athena countered with a smirk of her own before I allowed her to leave. With a kiss on my cheek, she strode over to the group and forced them all to exit the hall with her, only leaving me, Zietta, and Nonna alone.

I went and sat beside Zietta on a sofa opposite Nonna. "You sounded just like Leona today," Nonna pointed out the obvious.

Zietta stiffened at the mention of my mamma. "Don't compare me to her. You know how much I hate it."

Nonna lifted a brow. "Still do?"

"You know exactly why, so stop your false pretenses, mamma," Zietta retorted calmly, straightening her back. "Just tell us why you called the attack on Verona."

"She doesn't belong among us, Aria. You know that." Nonna continued sipping on her drink slowly. "She's literally from the streets like Summer and Ilaria said. She reeks of filth."

My fists clenched as I leaped forward, but Zietta held me back. I yanked off her hold and seethed in anger. "Tell me why I shouldn't fucking kill you right now for harming my wife."

"Because I didn't do it, Leonardo," she said in the most serene manner, taking another swig of her Chardonnay. She was almost done with her second bottle of wine from the moment I walked into this hall. "I would've killed her a long time ago if I wanted to."

"Liar!" I yelled.

"Listing reasons of why I hate someone doesn't make me guilty of a crime I didn't commit," she chuckled.

"Mamma, if you ever tried to get to know Verona, you'd know she has a heart of gold, but you decided to judge her on what you knew like everyone else." Zietta sighed helplessly and raked her fingers through her hair.

"She's a stray dog Leo brought home eight years ago," Nonna snarled. "He always had a bad habit of bringing broken things home so he could fix them, but I didn't know he'd bring in broken girls like Verona and that American."

"They're not broken!" I roared in burning rage.

"You're right." She nodded with a sly smile. "They're beyond broken."

"You're the worst woman I've ever met." I got off the sofa and pinched the bridge of my nose to stop myself from actually hurting my own grandmother. "You're my nonna. You're supposed to support me through everything."

          "And I did. I forced your father off the throne so that you could become the king you were meant to be, but then you married that puttana (whore) when I advised you not to." She looked at me with a gaze that was meant to intimidate me, but too bad, it didn't work. "Be glad you're still the king."

          "You can't take the throne from me, Nonna." I bent down and smiled wickedly. "You aren't the queen anymore."

          "Your mother is dead, and I never crowned your wife, so I'm the only queen left," she returned the smile with a little more sass.

          "Verona will be the regina (queen), mamma." Zietta declared, rising from the sofa.

          Nonna refused with a shake of her head. "We all know it can't happen without me, and I won't let it happen."

          Zietta grinned. "You'll be the one to crown her."

          "I will not allow Verona or any other woman to be the queen of the empire if I don't approve of her."

          Zietta walked forward and kissed the top of her mother's head. "Watch me make it happen. I'm your daughter, after all, mamma."

          My grandmother stood up to her feet despite the amount of alcohol in her. "Just focus on finding the actual person who tried to kill her. You never know when they might strike again."

          "We'll see about that." Having had enough of Nonna's yapping, I left the hall and stomped in anger as Mike walked up next to me.

          "How did it go with her?" he queried.

          "She's playing with my fucking mind," I spat through my teeth. "Just tell me what you got."

          "The results for the knife came in. It had yours and Athena's fingerprints on it because you both touched it."

I groaned and continued walking. "Anything else?"

"Well," he took a deep breath. "It showed to have your grandfather's fingerprints on it too."

His words stopped me at once as I laughed incredulously. "Which one?" I shook my head. "They're both dead."

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I hope you enjoyed this long chapter. Yay or nay?

Who expected Leo to just let Arie go without holding her accountable for the attack on Verona after all the fighting?

Now you've partly seen how he feels for Arie after the arguments he has had with her. How do you guys feel about it?

Do you think he's doing good by keeping her away from him and his toxic life?

Is being a dick to Arie gonna work? Will she get fed up and leave Italy? Do you personally think she should leave?

Who enjoyed Arie putting those girls in their place? I know I enjoyed writing it and I didn't have it planned originally too 😂 I tend to write in so many unexpected scenes as I write the chapter itself.

What did you guys think of Athena here? I always love writing her scenes where she's cocky and bitchy af which is always 😂

Who likes Aria? 🤘 She's a baddie low-key.

What are your thoughts on Nonna?

Now that everyone has been cleared, who could've been responsible for attacking Verona according to you guys?

And what happened at the end there?

Hit me with the theories!

Further comments and questions are welcome.

Instagram: reetilicious

Much love ❤️
~Reet